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

McRae, 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 McRae surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McRae in America

McRae is the 1987th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McRae surname appeared 18,156 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname McRae.

We can also compare 2010 data for McRae 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 McRae

The surname McRae is of Scottish origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is a clan name derived from the Gaelic Mac Rath, which means "son of grace" or "son of fortune." The name has several variations in spelling, including MacRae, MacRae, and MacCrae.

The McRae clan was historically associated with the regions of Kintail and Lochalsh in the Scottish Highlands. They were a prominent clan in the area and played a significant role in the clan wars and conflicts of the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1263, where a person named Gillecrist MacRath is mentioned. The name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 16th century, the McRae clan was involved in the Battle of Lochcarron, where they fought against the Clan Mackenzie. During this period, the chief of the clan was Christopher McRae, who lived from around 1550 to 1625.

Another notable figure with the surname McRae was John McRae (1715-1795), a Scottish poet and songwriter who is best known for his work "The Haughs of Cromdale." His songs were popular in Scotland and celebrated the clan's history and traditions.

In the 19th century, Duncan McRae (1796-1881) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. He was also a prominent businessman and agriculturalist.

The name McRae is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Kintail and Lochcarron, where the clan had a strong presence. The village of Shieldaig in the Highlands was once known as Baile na Rath, which translates to "township of the McRaes."

Other notable individuals with the surname McRae include John McCrae (1872-1918), a Canadian poet and physician who wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields," and Reverend Donald McRae (1875-1952), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McRae

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

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

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

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