Explore the Family Name Mcgillivray

The meaning of Mcgillivray

Scottish: 1. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gille Bhràtha, a patronymic from a personal name meaning ‘servant of (God’s) Judgment’. 2. variant of McElrath, from Mac Gille Riabhaigh. History: The leading negotiator between the Creek nation and the US government in the years after the American Revolution was a Creek chief who bore the unlikely name Alexander McGillivray (born c.1759). He was in fact of mixed descent; his father was Lachlan McGillivray, a Scottish trader, but he owed his position in the Creek nation to matrilineal descent through his mother, who was half Creek and half French.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Mcgillivray in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Mcgillivray saw a small fluctuation between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 20,397 in popularity but dropped slightly to rank 20,408 in 2010, marking a decrease of 0.05%. Despite this marginal drop in ranking, the number of people carrying the Mcgillivray surname increased from 1,211 to 1,302 during the same period, representing a growth rate of 7.51%. However, when measured as a proportion per 100,000 people, there was a slight decrease of 2.22%, from 0.45 to 0.44.

20002010Change
Rank#20,397#20,408-0.05%
Count1,2111,3027.51%
Proportion per 100k0.450.44-2.22%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mcgillivray

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Mcgillivray, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority identified as White, growing slightly from 93.31% in 2000 to 94.39% in 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw the most significant increase, almost doubling from 0.50% to 0.92%. Conversely, those identifying as having two or more ethnicities experienced a decrease, dropping from 2.97% to 1.69%. The percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic also dipped slightly, from 2.31% to 2.23%. Meanwhile, the proportions for Black ethnicity and American Indian and Alaskan Native were suppressed for privacy.

20002010Change
White93.31%94.39%1.16%
Hispanic2.31%2.23%-3.46%
Two or More Races2.97%1.69%-43.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.5%0.92%84%
Black0.41%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.5%0%0%