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

McQuirter, 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 McQuirter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McQuirter in America

McQuirter is the 54178th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McQuirter surname appeared 381 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 McQuirter.

We can also compare 2010 data for McQuirter 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 McQuirter

The surname McQuirter is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "cucaire," which means a cook or a baker. The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of," indicating that the original bearer of the name was likely the son of a cook or baker.

McQuirter is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Isles. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appeared in various historical records, such as parish registers and legal documents, with spellings like "McQuytter," "McQuhyter," and "McQuhittyr."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland from 1592, where a certain "Johnne McQuhittyr" is mentioned. Additionally, the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1608, referring to a "Gilcrist McQuittyr."

In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the McQuirter surname was Archibald McQuirter, a Scottish minister and author who lived from 1687 to 1760. He served as the minister of West Kilbride Parish Church and published several works on theology and church history.

Another prominent individual was Sir William McQuirter (1805-1870), a Scottish businessman and politician. He was a successful merchant and served as a Member of Parliament for the Falkirk Burghs constituency from 1857 to 1865.

Moving into the 19th century, John McQuirter (1834-1901) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and was involved in the early development of the city of Winnipeg.

In the literary world, Robert McQuirter (1861-1928) was a Scottish poet and educator. He was the author of several poetry collections, including "Songs of the Heather" and "The Covenanters' Lyre," and served as a headmaster in Ayrshire.

The McQuirter surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McQuirter's Land in Edinburgh and McQuirter's Well in Ayrshire, further highlighting its Scottish origins and historical presence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McQuirter

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

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

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

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