# McAleer (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mcaleer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 2,342 |
| US rank (2010) | 13,096 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 131,830 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.7% (2,258 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic and Northern Irish Mac Giolla Uidihir (“son of the servant of (Saint) Odhar”), a byname from odhar (“dun; dull, dark”). Compare McLear and McClure.

## Who carries it

Share of people named McAleer in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 97% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.1% |

## Similar surnames

McLeroy, Mickler, McCleary, McLaren, McElrath, McCleery, McClure, McElroy, McLaurin, McClary, Mishler, McClurg.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.