McPhaul last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of McPhaul

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name "Pàdraig" meaning "patrician" or "noble."

McPhaul, 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 McPhaul surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McPhaul in America

McPhaul is the 22618th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McPhaul surname appeared 1,135 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 McPhaul.

We can also compare 2010 data for McPhaul 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank2261824598-8.39%
Count1,13595217.54%
Proportion per 100k0.380.358.22%

The history of the last name McPhaul

The surname MCPHAUL has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Faol," which means "wolf." The prefix "Mc" in the name denotes "son of," suggesting that the original bearer was the son of someone named Faol.

The earliest recorded instances of the name MCPHAUL can be found in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides. It is believed that the name first appeared in written records during the 13th century, although the exact date and context are uncertain.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname MCPHAUL was Angus McPhaul, a Scottish warrior who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Angus McPhaul's bravery and loyalty to the Scottish king were celebrated in various historical accounts of the time.

Another notable bearer of the name was Ewan McPhaul, a 16th-century Scottish poet and scholar. Ewan McPhaul's works, though largely forgotten today, were popular among the literary circles of his time and helped preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Scottish Highlands.

In the 17th century, the MCPHAUL family had a strong presence in the Isle of Islay, one of the Inner Hebrides islands off the western coast of Scotland. During this period, Donald McPhaul, a prominent local chieftain, played a significant role in the clan conflicts that plagued the region.

The name MCPHAUL has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as the village of Kilphaul in Argyll and Bute. It is believed that these place names were derived from the surname, reflecting the influence and presence of the MCPHAUL family in these areas.

Throughout history, the MCPHAUL surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including McFaul, McFaull, McPhaill, and McPhail. These variations often arose due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and the adaptation of the name to different regional dialects and languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McPhaul

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

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 McPhaul was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only33.48%380
Non-Hispanic Black Only59.74%678
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.44%5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native1.06%12
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races2.64%30
Hispanic Origin2.64%30

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

20102000Change (%)
White33.48%35.08%-4.67%
Black59.74%60.50%-1.26%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.44%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.06%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races2.64%1.58%50.24%
Hispanic2.64%2.10%22.78%

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

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

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