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

McNeair, 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 McNeair surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNeair in America

McNeair is the 149395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNeair surname appeared 110 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 McNeair.

The history of the last name McNeair

The surname McNeair has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "nair" meaning "disgrace" or "shame". This suggests the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had brought shame upon their family or community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, where a John McNeair was listed in 1598. In the early 17th century, the name was also found in the records of the Burgh of Irvine, with a William McNeair mentioned in 1620.

The surname is believed to have originated in the region of Ayrshire, where it was most prevalent in its early years. It later spread to other areas of Scotland, particularly the Lowlands and the Scottish Borders.

In the late 17th century, a notable figure with the surname was Robert McNeair, a merchant and burgess of Glasgow, who was born in 1668 and died in 1738. He was a prominent member of the local community and served as a baillie (magistrate) of the city.

Another individual of note was James McNeair, a Scottish philosopher and educator who lived from 1720 to 1789. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Glasgow and published several works on logic and metaphysics.

In the 19th century, the McNeair name was carried to other parts of the world by Scottish immigrants. One such individual was John McNeair, a Scottish-born engineer who emigrated to Canada in the 1840s and was involved in the construction of several notable bridges and railway projects.

Another notable bearer of the name was William McNeair, a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1836 to 1917. He made his fortune in the coal and steel industries and was a major benefactor to various educational and cultural institutions in his adopted hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

While the surname McNeair is not among the most common Scottish names, it has a long and varied history, with bearers who have made their mark in various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNeair

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

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 McNeair 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!