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

McVeigh, 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 McVeigh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McVeigh in America

McVeigh is the 10711th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McVeigh surname appeared 2,983 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McVeigh.

We can also compare 2010 data for McVeigh 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 McVeigh

The surname McVeigh is of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic words 'mac' meaning 'son of' and 'Bheatha' meaning 'life' or 'living'. It is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands and parts of Northern Ireland around the 12th century.

The earliest recorded instance of the name McVeigh dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient manuscript that chronicles events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century. In these annals, the name is spelled 'Mac Bheatha'.

During the 16th century, the McVeigh family was prominent in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, particularly around the town of Ballymoney. The name is also associated with the Scottish clan MacVey, which was based in the regions of Argyll and Bute.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname McVeigh was Sir John McVeigh, a Scottish knight who fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 under King Robert the Bruce. Another notable figure was Rory McVeigh, a 16th-century Irish chieftain who led a rebellion against English rule in Ulster.

In the 17th century, the name McVeigh is found in various records related to the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonizing Ulster with English and Scottish Protestant settlers. This suggests that some McVeigh families were among those who migrated from Scotland to Ireland during this period.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several McVeighs gained prominence in various fields. James McVeigh (1750-1835) was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons. William McVeigh (1790-1867) was a Scottish-born American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.

Other notable individuals with the surname McVeigh include John McVeigh (1840-1914), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as the 28th Mayor of Philadelphia, and James McVeigh (1856-1926), an Irish-American journalist and author who wrote extensively about Irish history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McVeigh

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

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

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

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