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

McPhee, 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 McPhee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McPhee in America

McPhee is the 8158th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McPhee surname appeared 4,065 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McPhee.

We can also compare 2010 data for McPhee 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 McPhee

The surname McPhee is a Scottish name derived from the Gaelic Mac Phaidh, meaning "son of the tonsured one" or "son of the servant." It originated in the Highlands of Scotland, specifically in the regions of Argyll, Inverness-shire, and Perthshire.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the form "MacPhee" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1292. During this period, the name was also spelled as "MacPhie" and "MacPhai."

In the 16th century, the McPhees were a prominent clan in the Western Isles of Scotland, particularly on the islands of Islay and Colonsay. They were known for their allegiance to the Lords of the Isles and their involvement in various clan conflicts.

One notable McPhee from this era was Donald McPhee, a clan chief who fought alongside the Earl of Argyll during the Scottish Reformation in the late 16th century. Another was Lachlan McPhee, who is mentioned in the Argyll Manuscripts in 1685 as a prominent landowner on the island of Colonsay.

In the 17th century, the McPhee name appeared in the records of the Scottish Parliament, with John McPhee serving as a commissioner for Argyllshire in 1689.

As the Scottish diaspora spread around the world, the McPhee name traveled with them. In the 18th century, James McPhee (1737-1796) was a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia, United States.

During the 19th century, the name gained prominence in literature with James McPhee (1821-1882), a Scottish poet and novelist, and Donald McPhee (1867-1916), a Scottish-born writer who emigrated to Canada and became known for his works depicting life in the Canadian wilderness.

Other notable individuals with the surname McPhee include Duncan McPhee (1925-2018), a Scottish-born Canadian politician and businessman, and John McPhee (born 1931), an acclaimed American writer and journalist known for his non-fiction works on various subjects, including environmental issues and sports.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McPhee

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

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

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

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