Last Names

Surnames / M

McKelvey

How common is the last name McKelvey?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for McKelvey, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Similar spellings

Names nearby in the census

#4,985

McKelvey was the 4,985th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 7,043 people, about 2.3 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)84.8%
  • Hispanic or Latino1.7%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)11.2%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander0.3%
  • Two or more races1.6%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0.4%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.