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

McQuade, 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 McQuade surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McQuade in America

McQuade is the 7513th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McQuade surname appeared 4,430 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McQuade.

We can also compare 2010 data for McQuade 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 McQuade

The surname McQuade has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century or even earlier. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Uaid, which means "son of Uaid" or "son of Wat." Uaid or Wat was an Irish medieval personal name that was quite common in those times.

The name McQuade is most closely associated with County Mayo in the west of Ireland, particularly in the baronies of Carra and Erris. It is believed that the McQuades were part of the Hy Fiachrach clan, which ruled over parts of Connacht in the early medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name McQuade can be found in the Annals of Loch Cé, a medieval Irish chronicle. In an entry dated 1308, it refers to a man named "Dubgall Mac Uaid" (Dudley McQuade) who was involved in a conflict in County Mayo.

In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the McQuades were among the many Irish clans who resisted the English forces. In 1586, a man named Donough McQuade was pardoned by the English authorities for his involvement in the Second Desmond Rebellion.

During the 17th century, the McQuades were dispossessed of their lands in County Mayo as a result of the Cromwellian conquest and the subsequent Plantation of Ulster. Many McQuades were forced to migrate to other parts of Ireland or to continental Europe.

One notable McQuade from the 18th century was Donough McQuade (1720-1780), a Catholic priest who served as the Vicar-General of the Diocese of Achonry in County Sligo. He played a significant role in preserving the Catholic faith in the region during the Penal Laws against Catholics.

In the 19th century, a large number of McQuades emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, particularly to the United States and Canada, due to the Great Famine and other economic hardships. One prominent McQuade from this era was James McQuade (1835-1909), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McQuade Brewery in Rochester, New York.

Other notable McQuades include Shamus McQuade (1878-1939), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the President of the New York City Board of Aldermen, and Michael McQuade (1922-2005), an Irish-born American actor and writer best known for his role in the film The Green Slime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McQuade

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

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

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

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