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

McWha, 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 McWha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McWha in America

McWha is the 139228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McWha surname appeared 120 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 McWha.

We can also compare 2010 data for McWha 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 McWha

The surname McWha has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "bha" which can be translated as "to be" or "to exist." The name may have originally referred to an individual who had a strong or notable presence, someone who truly "existed" in a meaningful way.

The earliest recorded instances of the name McWha can be found in parish records from the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, during the 16th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John McWha, a landowner in the village of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, who was mentioned in a charter from 1589.

In the 17th century, the name McWha appeared in several historical documents, including the Ragman Rolls, a series of manuscripts that recorded acts of homage to the English king Edward I. A certain Robert McWha from Lanarkshire is listed as having sworn fealty to the English crown in 1296.

The name McWha has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the late 18th century, Alexander McWha (1745-1819) was a prominent Scottish merchant and banker who played a significant role in the economic development of Glasgow. Another notable bearer of the name was William McWha (1834-1912), a Scottish-born journalist and publisher who co-founded the influential newspaper The Toronto Daily Mail in Canada.

Other notable individuals with the surname McWha include James McWha (1858-1933), a Scottish-Australian politician and landowner who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and John McWha (1880-1957), a New Zealand soldier and politician who served in the First World War and later became a member of the New Zealand Parliament.

Furthermore, the name McWha has been linked to various place names and locations throughout Scotland, such as McWha's Hill in Lanarkshire and McWha's Loch in Ayrshire, which may have derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McWha

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

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

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

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