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

McRea, 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 McRea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McRea in America

McRea is the 65244th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McRea surname appeared 304 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 McRea.

We can also compare 2010 data for McRea 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 McRea

The surname McRea is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Raghnall, meaning "ruler's counsellor." It is a variant of the more common Scottish surname McRae.

The name first appeared in records from the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the region of Kintail, Ross-shire. It is believed to have originated as a clan name, with various branches of the clan settling in different areas of the Highlands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a person named Gillecrist MacRath is mentioned. This is likely an early spelling variation of the name McRea.

In the 16th century, the McRea clan was involved in feuds with neighboring clans, such as the Mackenzies and the MacDonalds. During this time, the name appeared in various chronicles and historical records, often in connection with battles and disputes over land and resources.

One notable bearer of the McRea surname was Finlay McRae (c. 1595-1671), a Scottish Gaelic poet and warrior from Kintail. He is known for his poetic works, which provide insights into the culture and life of the Scottish Highlands during that period.

Another prominent figure was John McRae (1835-1900), a Scottish-Canadian farmer and politician who served as the 12th Premier of Nova Scotia from 1890 to 1896.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the McRea surname can be found in the 18th century, with the arrival of Scottish immigrants to the American colonies. One such immigrant was John McRea (1724-1804), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Pennsylvania.

A notable American bearer of the name was Brigadier General Samuel McRee (1789-1845), a military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a planter and politician in North Carolina.

Throughout history, the McRea surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McRae's Point in Kintail and McRea's Burn, a stream in the Scottish Borders.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McRea

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

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

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

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