MacBrair Surname

3,141,416th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 39 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
United States

MacBrair Surname Definition:

"Of all the families springing from Dumfries the MacBrairs have the longest and most honourable connection, having been virtually hereditary provosts of the burgh for nigh 150 years" (Edgar, p. 197). Andrew McBrair was bailie of Dumfries in 1384 (ER.

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MacBrair Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States391:9,293,819392,288
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland61:738,31121,113
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States101:5,021,868210,693

MacBrair Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

"Of all the families springing from Dumfries the MacBrairs have the longest and most honourable connection, having been virtually hereditary provosts of the burgh for nigh 150 years" (Edgar, p. 197). Andrew McBrair was bailie of Dumfries in 1384 (ER., III, p. 125), and in 1473 a remission was granted to Herbert M'Brare (ALHT., I, p. 5). Alexander M'Bair (for M'Brair) and John Dominik M'Bair were witnesses in Bute, 1491 (ADC., p. 203). Robert McBrayr, provost of Dumfries, and Nicholas McBrayr, his son, are mentioned in 1481 (Dumfriesshire and Calloway Nat. Hist, and Ant. Soc., Trans., 3. ser. XXI, p. 106). Nicholaus McBraer was alderman of Dumfries, 1503 (Simon, 59). Mention is made in 1499 of the 'movable gudis and money' of umquhile Cuthbert McBrar in Dumfries (RSS., I, 411), Sir John Mc brare, chaplain, was murdered in 1502 (Trials, I, p. 39), and John M'Brair was a canon of Glenluce in 1548. "The name of M'Brair," says Sir Herbert Maxwell, "contains in itself a reproach to a celibate order -Mac brathair (braher) the friar's son" (History of Dumfries, p. 191). Macbraar 1533, Makbraar 1557, McBraare 1494, M'Braier 1667, Makbrair 1510, Makbraire 1506, McBrar 1500, McBrayr 1444, M'Brayre 1573, McBrayer and McKbrair 1684, Makbrayre 1667, Makbriar 1579.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

An ancient family in Dumfries-shire. Nisbet.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

User-submitted Reference

Possibly from the Lowland Scottish word brae, meaning 'hill'.

The family tartan is red, green and tan .

- nessel

MacBrair Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacBrair Come From? nationality or country of origin

MacBrair occurs more in The United States more than any other country/territory. It may also occur in the variant forms:. Click here to see other possible spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name MacBrair? popularity and diffusion

The last name MacBrair is the 3,141,416th most numerous surname worldwide, held by around 1 in 186,860,152 people. The surname is mostly found in The Americas, where 100 percent of MacBrair reside; 100 percent reside in North America and 100 percent reside in Anglo-North America.

The surname is most widely held in The United States, where it is borne by 39 people, or 1 in 9,293,819. In The United States it is primarily concentrated in: Ohio, where 23 percent reside, California, where 21 percent reside and New Jersey, where 21 percent reside.

MacBrair Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of MacBrair has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the MacBrair last name increased 390 percent between 1880 and 2014.

MacBrair Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the surname is chiefly Anglican (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the MacBrair surname are 33.23% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 80% being registered with the party.

MacBrair earn notably less less than the average income. In United States they earn 19.04% less than the national average, earning $34,935 USD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
McBrair9379/
MacBriar8827/
McBrar860/
Macbrayer825/
McBryar80542/
McBriar80218/
McBrear801/
McBraer800/
McBrayer754,529/
MacBryer7518/
McBryear757/
McBryaer757/
McBreary756/
McBrayar754/
McBryarw752/
McBrayor752/
McBriyer752/
McBryarr751/
MacPrior750/
Makbarari7114/
MacBrewer711/
McBreayer711/
McBryer6773/
Mcbaror674/
McBruer672/
Mukabiraro671/
Mukabarara671/
Mqibrar671/
McBrory671/
MacCabrera671/
McBryre670/
McBreer670/

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacBrair
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis