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

McNames, 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 McNames surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNames in America

McNames is the 87335th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNames surname appeared 213 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McNames.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNames 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 McNames

The surname MCNAMES is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac an Aba, meaning "son of the abbott." It first emerged in the late 12th century in the central Scottish Highlands, where the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records from the region.

Some of the earliest documented bearers of the name include Gillebride McNab, who was a witness to a charter granted by Robert the Bruce in 1324, and Duncan McNab, who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century, with mentions of John McNab and William McNab receiving payments for services rendered to the Crown.

In the 16th century, the McNab clan was centered around the areas of Loch Tay and Loch Earn in Perthshire. The clan chief at the time was Finlay McNab, who played a prominent role in the clan's conflicts with the neighboring Clan Campbell. Another notable bearer of the name from this period was Archibald McNab, a renowned scholar and poet who taught at the University of St. Andrews in the late 1500s.

The MCNAMES surname continued to be prevalent in the Scottish Highlands throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable figure was Sir Alexander McNab, who fought for the Jacobite cause during the Risings of 1715 and 1745. He was captured after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and was subsequently pardoned.

In the 19th century, the name spread more widely throughout Scotland and beyond as a result of the Highland Clearances. Angus McNab, born in 1815, was a prominent figure in the early settlement of Canada's Red River Valley, while Robert McNab, born in 1823, was a successful businessman and public servant in Australia.

Throughout its history, the MCNAMES surname has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McNab's Brae in Perthshire and McNab's Muir in Stirlingshire, reflecting the clan's ancestral territories.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNames

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

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

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

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