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

McVay, 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 McVay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McVay in America

McVay is the 4398th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McVay surname appeared 8,086 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname McVay.

We can also compare 2010 data for McVay 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 McVay

The surname McVay is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Bheadh," which was a personal name. This suggests that the name was initially a patronymic, used to identify someone as the son of a man named Bheadh.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners and lairds who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacVeydh," which is likely an early spelling variation.

In the 16th century, the McVay clan was known to have held lands in the areas of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, located in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. The name is also associated with the Isle of Islay, one of the Inner Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland.

A notable historical figure bearing the McVay surname was John McVay, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the Minister of Kilwinning, a town in Ayrshire, from 1596 until his death in 1622.

Another prominent individual was Sir Henry McVay, a Scottish soldier and landowner who lived in the 17th century. He was granted the lands of Drumlithie in Kincardineshire (now part of Aberdeenshire) by King Charles II in recognition of his military service.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records and documents related to the American colonies. One example is John McVay, who was born in Scotland around 1720 and later emigrated to Virginia, where he served as a militia captain during the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable figure from this period was Samuel McVay, an Irish-born sea captain and merchant who lived from 1737 to 1809. He was involved in the West Indies trade and was captured by the British during the American Revolutionary War while commanding a ship carrying military supplies.

In the 19th century, the McVay surname was found among Scottish emigrants who settled in various parts of the British Empire, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. One such individual was John McVay, a Scottish-born farmer who emigrated to Ontario, Canada, in the 1830s and became a prominent citizen in the town of Caledon.

Overall, the surname McVay has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with various branches and notable individuals emerging throughout the centuries in different parts of the world. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it has been associated with various regions and historical events over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McVay

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!