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

McMinn, 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 McMinn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McMinn in America

McMinn is the 6752nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McMinn surname appeared 4,993 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McMinn.

We can also compare 2010 data for McMinn 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 McMinn

The surname McMinn is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands, specifically in the regions around Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.

The name McMinn is a variant of the Gaelic surname MacMinn or MacMin, which means "son of the tonsured one" or "son of the shaven one." This name likely referred to an ancestor who was a monk or a member of the clergy, as tonsuring (the practice of shaving the crown of the head) was common among religious orders in medieval times.

The earliest known record of the name McMinn dates back to the 15th century, with a mention of one John McMyn in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1480. Other early spellings of the name include McMyn, McMyne, and McMynne.

In the 16th century, the McMinn family appeared to have had a strong presence in the parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire. The name is found in various records from that area, including church registers and land charters.

Notable bearers of the McMinn surname throughout history include:

1. John McMinn (c. 1770-1840), an Irish-American pioneer and politician who served as a member of the Tennessee Senate and the United States House of Representatives.

2. William McMinn (1787-1853), an American soldier and politician who served as the third Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821.

3. Alexander McMinn (1832-1894), a Scottish-American engineer and inventor who patented several improvements in the design of steam engines and boilers.

4. Robert McMinn (1839-1912), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several books on religious topics, including "The Conversion of the World" and "The Reformation in Scotland."

5. John McMinn (1870-1952), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the McMinn Trust, a charitable organization that provided financial support for education and medical research in Scotland.

Over the centuries, variations of the McMinn surname have emerged, such as McMyn, McMyne, and McMunne, reflecting regional dialects and spelling conventions. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McMinn's Hill and McMinn's Farm, further solidifying its Scottish heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McMinn

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

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 McMinn 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 McMinn 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 McMinn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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