I tossed around a few ideas for the 52 Ancestors theme ("Popular Name") and settled on my McComas line.
If you are from Lincoln county, West Virginia, have ancestors from the area, or know anyone from the area then you will most likely be familiar with the McComas surname.
McComas is a very popular and common surname in that region of West Virginia. I would bet they are all related (and my cousins), too!
If we look at the history of the county we find the first McComas family to arrive in Lincoln county. This family consisted of Jesse, John, David, William, and Moses McComas. They arrived in 1799 from eastern Virginia and settled in the town of Hamlin (per this SOURCE ).
I took a look at a surname distribution map online to analyze the frequency of the McComas surname in the United States and worldwide. What I found was interesting, but, honestly, it didn't surprise me. (see images below)
In 1880 the prevalence of the McComas surname was high in the state of West Virginia. There were 220 individuals on the US census with the surname. That averaged out to about 1 per every 2,810 people.
In 2014 the numbers grew. West Virginia continued to be the highest state with the McComas surname. There were 917 occurrences. Even though by this time the frequency dropped (1 person per every 1,940 people) it continued to be the state with the highest incidence.
The fact there are so many with the McComas surname in the area didn't surprise me. However, I was surprised to find it was prevalent in Ohio. I'm not familiar with many in this area.
Are you interested in mapping your surname? You can find the website I used HERE.
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Interested in learning more about the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks project? You can sign up (and receive the prompts/themes) HERE
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