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

McTiernan, 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 McTiernan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McTiernan in America

McTiernan is the 38801st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McTiernan surname appeared 569 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 McTiernan.

We can also compare 2010 data for McTiernan 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 McTiernan

The surname MCTIERNAN is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the 12th century in County Mayo, Ireland. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Tighearnaigh," which means "son of the lord" or "son of the landowner." The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac," meaning "son," and "tighearnaigh," meaning "lord" or "landowner."

The surname MCTIERNAN first appeared in historical records during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. The name is linked to the MacTiernan clan, which was a prominent family in County Mayo and held significant landholdings in the region. The earliest known bearer of the name was Maoileachlainn Mac Tighearnaigh, who was a chieftain of the MacTiernan clan in the late 12th century.

In the 14th century, the MCTIERNAN surname is mentioned in the "Annals of the Four Masters," a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals record several notable members of the MacTiernan clan, including Tadhg Mac Tighearnaigh, who was a skilled military leader and played a significant role in the Irish campaigns against the Anglo-Normans.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname MCTIERNAN can be found in the "Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns," which were official documents issued by the English government in Ireland during the 16th century. The records mention individuals such as Edmond McTiernan, who was granted land in County Mayo in 1586.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname MCTIERNAN. One such person was Michael McTiernan (1829-1892), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Another prominent figure was John McTiernan (1951-present), an American film director known for his work on popular action movies like "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October."

Other notable individuals with the surname MCTIERNAN include:

1. Francis McTiernan (1835-1899), an Irish-American businessman and banker in New York City.
2. Hugh McTiernan (1856-1936), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who served as the president of Niagara University.
3. John McTiernan (1911-1993), an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League.
4. Edna McTiernan (1898-1982), an American actress who appeared in several Broadway productions and films during the 1920s and 1930s.
5. Michael McTiernan (1929-2007), an Irish journalist and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McTiernan

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

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

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

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