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

McWethy, 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 McWethy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McWethy in America

McWethy is the 45026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McWethy surname appeared 476 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 McWethy.

We can also compare 2010 data for McWethy 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 McWethy

The surname McWethy originates from Scotland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "bheathaidh" meaning "prosperous" or "fortunate." The name was initially found in the regions of Dumfriesshire and Galloway.

One of the earliest documented instances of the McWethy surname can be found in the records of the Monastic Annals of Teviotdale, where a Thomas McWethy is mentioned as a landowner in Dumfriesshire in the year 1587. The name also appears in the Parish registers of Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, in the 17th century, with various spellings such as McWhethie and McWhetty.

The McWethy name has been linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir John McWethy (1723-1791), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1776 to 1782. Another notable figure was Captain William McWethy (1788-1842), a British naval officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected maritime author.

In the literary world, the McWethy surname is associated with James McWethy (1835-1901), an American poet and journalist who gained recognition for his works celebrating the natural beauty of the Adirondack Mountains in New York. Additionally, the name is connected to Mary McWethy (1859-1935), an American author and educator known for her contributions to children's literature.

The McWethy surname has also been recorded in various historical documents, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries, where individuals with the name were noted as landowners and tax collectors in the Scottish Borders region.

While the surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to North America and other English-speaking countries. However, the historical records mentioned above provide insights into the origins and early bearers of the McWethy name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McWethy

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McWethy, 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!