Given name & surname
McElroy
“the son of Elroy”
McElroy is a variant of Macelroy. One interpretation is “the son of Elroy.”
Original IrishMac Giolla Ruaidh
Meaning & origin
What it means
McElroy is a variant of Macelroy. One interpretation is “the son of Elroy.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, McElroy as a surname developed from Mac Giolla Ruaidh.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1941. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McElroy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7
- 7 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1941
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 1941. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 23,509 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
McElroy’s family of names
In English usage, McElroy as a surname developed from the Irish form Mac Giolla Ruaidh. McElroy has a related form in Macelroy. In English usage, McElroy as a surname has a related form in MCILROY.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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