McElwain
English
Alternative forms
- McElwaine, McIlwain, McIlwaine
Etymology
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Gille Bheathain (“son of the servant of (Saint) Beathan”), a personal name representing a diminutive of beatha (“life”). Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Bháin (“son of the white-haired lad”).
Proper noun
McElwain (plural McElwains)
- A surname.
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, McElwain is the 10487th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 3060 individuals. McElwain is most common among White (91.67%) individuals.
Further reading
- Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003) , “McElwain”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN