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

McNeill, 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 McNeill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNeill in America

McNeill is the 1875th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNeill surname appeared 19,152 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname McNeill.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNeill 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 McNeill

The surname McNeill is a Scottish surname that originated in the Scottish Highlands. It is a variant of the Gaelic name Mac Naill, which means "son of Niall". The name Niall was derived from the old Irish name Niall, which meant "champion" or "cloud".

The name McNeill first appeared in the historical records of Argyllshire, Scotland in the 13th century. The McNeills were a powerful clan in the Western Isles and Argyll region of Scotland. They were a branch of the Clan Donald, one of the largest and most influential clans in the Scottish Highlands.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name McNeill was in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1292, which referred to a person named "Gillebride MacNaill". Another early reference to the name was in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed a "Gilchrist MacNaill" as a Scottish landowner who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 16th century, the McNeills were involved in several conflicts and battles with other clans, such as the Clan Campbell and the Clan Lamont. One notable figure from this period was Hector McNeill, who was the chief of the McNeills in 1546 and led his clan in the Battle of Largs against the Clan Campbell.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the McNeills played a significant role in the Jacobite risings in support of the exiled House of Stuart's claim to the British throne. One famous McNeill from this period was Sir John McNeill (1654-1732), a Scottish soldier and Jacobite who fought in the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689.

In the 19th century, the McNeills were known for their contributions to literature and education. One notable figure was the Rev. Hugh McNeill (1795-1879), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several books on theology and religious topics. Another famous McNeill was Sir John McNeill (1795-1883), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the British West Indies and the Bahamas.

Other notable McNeills throughout history include:

1. Don McNeill (1907-1996), an American radio personality and host of the popular radio show "The Breakfast Club".
2. Hector McNeill (1668-1718), a Scottish poet and songwriter known for his collection of poems titled "The Pastoral".
3. Malcolm McNeill (1887-1969), a Scottish rugby union player who played for Scotland in the early 20th century.
4. William McNeill (1923-2016), an American historian and author best known for his book "The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community".
5. Don McNeill (1930-2018), an American professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons in the 1950s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNeill

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

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

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

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