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

McPheters, 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 McPheters surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McPheters in America

McPheters is the 65782nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McPheters surname appeared 301 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 McPheters.

We can also compare 2010 data for McPheters 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 McPheters

The surname MCPHETERS is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is a variation of the name McPhater or McPhail, which is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "peathar" meaning "friar" or "servant of the church."

The earliest recorded instance of the name MCPHETERS can be found in the parish records of Argyll, Scotland, in the late 1500s. The name was particularly prevalent in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where many religious communities and monasteries were located.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John McPheters, a prominent landowner in Argyll who lived in the late 16th century. He was mentioned in several local records and documents from that time.

In the 17th century, the name MCPHETERS began to spread to other parts of Scotland and beyond. James McPheters, born in 1621 in Inverness, was a renowned scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Glasgow.

The spelling of the name varied over time, with variations like McPhetridge, McPhetridge, and McPhetrich appearing in different regions. The name was also sometimes anglicized to Peters or Petters, particularly in areas with a strong English influence.

During the Scottish Diaspora of the 18th and 19th centuries, many MCPHETERS families emigrated to other parts of the British Empire, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Notable individuals with this surname include:

1. William McPheters (1789-1865), a Scottish-born Canadian pioneer and landowner in Upper Canada (now Ontario).
2. Robert McPheters (1823-1897), a Scottish-born American politician and businessman who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia.
3. Mary McPheters (1850-1925), a Scottish-born Australian educator and advocate for women's rights, known for establishing schools in rural areas.
4. James McPheters (1872-1941), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist, who founded the McPheters Corporation in Pennsylvania.
5. David McPheters (1920-2002), an American author and historian, known for his works on Scottish immigration to the United States.

Throughout its history, the surname MCPHETERS has been associated with religious devotion, scholarship, and a pioneering spirit, reflecting the diverse experiences of its bearers across different parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McPheters

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

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

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

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