How common is the surname McElwee?

3,602 people in the United States had the surname McElwee in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 85,715 Americans. It ranked 9,074th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named McElwee?

Ross McElwee, American documentary filmmaker (born 1947).

Where is the surname McElwee most common?

Wikidata records people named McElwee in the United States.

Is the surname McElwee getting more or less common?

More common. 3,520 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 3,602 in 2010, up 2.3%.

The surname McElwee

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 3,602 people in the United States.

3 syllables Soundex M240

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McElwee is more common than 94.4% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Bhuidhe (“son of the yellow-haired lad”).

McElwee is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 3,602 people named McElwee in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 85,715 Americans. That is up 2.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 3,520.

#9,074

rank among US surnames

3,602

people in 2010

1.2

per 100,000 Americans

+2.3%

change since 2000 (was #8,603)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#9,066	Lindo	3,605	85,644
#9,068	Frith	3,604	85,667
#9,073	Roan	3,603	85,691
#9,074	McElwee	3,602	85,715
#9,080	Bellows	3,601	85,739
#9,081	Lindahl	3,599	85,786

Who is named McElwee

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

86% of people named McElwee identified as white (not Hispanic), 9.9% as Black (not Hispanic) and 1.7% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 86%
Black (not Hispanic) 9.9%
Two or more races 1.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McElwees

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ross McElwee
American documentary filmmaker (born 1947)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like McElwee

McElwee has the Soundex code M240, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M240.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname McElwee come from?: Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Bhuidhe (“son of the yellow-haired lad”).
How common is the surname McElwee?: 3,602 people in the United States had the surname McElwee in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 85,715 Americans. It ranked 9,074th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McElwee?: In the 2010 Census, 86% of people named McElwee identified as white (not Hispanic), and 9.9% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named McElwee?: Ross McElwee, American documentary filmmaker (born 1947).
Where is the surname McElwee most common?: Wikidata records people named McElwee in the United States.
What type of surname is McElwee?: McElwee is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname McElwee getting more or less common?: More common. 3,520 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 3,602 in 2010, up 2.3%.