# McElrath (surname)

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

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 3,120 |
| US rank (2010) | 10,326 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 98,957 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.7% (2,981 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Riabhaigh (“son of the brindled lad”), the same source of Gallery.

## Who carries it

Share of people named McElrath 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) | 57% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 38% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
| Two or more races | 2.7% |

## Similar surnames

McElroy, McLaren, McKellar, McAleer, McLarty, McClure, McLaurin, McCleary, McClary, Mishler, McClurg, McCullar.

## 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.