# McNair (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mcnair/  
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 Scottish Gaelic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 16,595 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,191 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 18,605 people |
| Change since 2000 | +8.5% (15,299 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Various origins: * Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Iain Uidhir (“son of sallow John”), from the personal name Iain (“John”) and odhar (“dun; sallow”). * Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac an Oighre (“son of the heir”), from oighre (“heir, inheritor”). * Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir (“son of the officer”), from maor (“officer”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named McNair 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) | 40% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 55% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named McNair in the United States.

## People named McNair

- Ronald McNair, American physicist, astronaut (1950-1986)
- Barbara McNair, American singer and theater, television and film actress (1934–2007)
- Steve McNair, American football player (1973–2009)
- Sylvia McNair, American opera singer, soprano
- Fred McNair, American tennis player
- Bob McNair, American businessman

## Similar surnames

McNary, McNear, MacNair, McHenry, McMurray, Messner, McInerney, Meissner, McMurry, Meisner, Misner, McMorris.

## 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.