McNutt last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of McNutt

A Scottish and Irish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge on the down."

McNutt, 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 McNutt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNutt in America

McNutt is the 3834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNutt surname appeared 9,232 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 McNutt.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNutt 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 3834 3613 5.94%
Count 9,232 9,042 2.08%
Proportion per 100k 3.13 3.35 -6.79%

The history of the last name McNutt

The surname McNutt is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Uidhit" or "son of the stranger." It is believed to have emerged in the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyllshire and Perthshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Gillemichel Macanauith." This suggests that variations such as "Macnauith" and "Macnawyt" were in use during this period.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in the form "McNycht" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded financial transactions. This spelling is believed to be a phonetic representation of the original Gaelic pronunciation.

A notable figure bearing the McNutt name was Sir Alexander McNutt, born in 1670, who served as a Scottish army officer and later became a member of the British Parliament. He played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings of the early 18th century.

Another prominent individual was John McNutt, born in 1720 in County Antrim, Ireland. He emigrated to America in the mid-18th century and became a prominent landowner and politician in the colony of Pennsylvania. He served in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and was a delegate to the Continental Congress.

In the 19th century, the McNutt name gained recognition with Samuel McNutt, born in 1825 in County Tyrone, Ireland. He was a prolific writer and journalist who contributed to various publications in the United States, where he had emigrated.

The spelling "McNutt" became more standardized during this period, although variations such as "McNight" and "McNitt" were still used in some regions.

One of the earliest place names associated with the surname is the village of McNuttsville, located in Pennsylvania, which was named after the aforementioned John McNutt and his family's land holdings in the area.

Other notable individuals with the McNutt surname include William McNutt, a Scottish politician and landowner in the late 18th century, and Sir John McNutt, a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNutt

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

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 McNutt was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 87.11% 8,042
Non-Hispanic Black Only 7.46% 689
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.54% 50
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.63% 58
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.85% 171
Hispanic Origin 2.40% 222

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 McNutt has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 87.11% 89.29% -2.47%
Black 7.46% 7.21% 3.41%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.54% 0.34% 45.45%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.63% 0.54% 15.38%
Two or More Races 1.85% 1.33% 32.70%
Hispanic 2.40% 1.28% 60.87%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"McNutt last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 9, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/mcnutt-surname-popularity/.

"McNutt last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/mcnutt-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 October, 2024

McNutt last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/mcnutt-surname-popularity/.

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