Find out how popular the last name McMichael is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McMichael.

McMichael, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McMichael surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McMichael in America

McMichael is the 4785th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McMichael surname appeared 7,392 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname McMichael.

We can also compare 2010 data for McMichael to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McMichael

The surname McMichael is of Scottish origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the Gaelic personal name "Mìcheal," which is the Scottish form of the name Michael. The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of" in Gaelic, indicating that the original bearers of the name were sons of a man named Michael.

The McMichael family is believed to have originated in the region of Argyll, Scotland, where they were among the earliest settlers in the area. The name appears in various early Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Duncan McMichael, who was recorded in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1328. Another early reference can be found in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, which mentions John McMichael of Killintyre in 1437.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McMichaels were prominent landowners and clan members in the Scottish Highlands. They were involved in various feuds and conflicts with neighboring clans, such as the infamous Battle of Glenlivet in 1594, where members of the McMichael clan fought alongside the Clan Gordon.

In the late 17th century, many McMichaels immigrated to the American colonies, particularly to Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. One notable member of this early migration was John McMichael, who was born in Scotland in 1675 and settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s.

Another prominent bearer of the name was John McMichael (1724-1796), an American politician and soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Council and later became a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

In the 19th century, the McMichael family continued to spread across North America and other parts of the world. William McMichael (1807-1883) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Chatham, Ontario, and as a member of the Canadian Parliament.

Other notable individuals with the surname McMichael include Andrew McMichael (1871-1959), an American architect known for designing many buildings in San Francisco, and John McMichael (1904-1993), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the 1920s and 1930s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McMichael

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McMichael.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McMichael was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McMichael has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McMichael was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McMichael, please contact us.

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