2000
#7,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,874
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Macarthur
Son of Arthur, a patronymic surname of Scottish and Irish origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,527 Americans carry the last name Macarthur. That puts it at #8,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,713 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macarthur surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Macarthur with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,713
Census rank
#8,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,948 bearers of the surname Macarthur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macarthur, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macarthur
The surname MacArthur has its origins in Scotland and is a hereditary surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Arthur, meaning "bear" or "champion." The prefix "Mac" or "Mc" means "son of," indicating that the bearer of the name was the son of someone named Arthur.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname MacArthur can be traced back to the late 12th century and early 13th century. One of the earliest known mentions is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments of homage to Edward I of England, where the name appears as "Mattheu M'Artur."
The MacArthur surname is closely associated with the historical region of Argyll in western Scotland. The clan was particularly prominent in the areas around the islands of Islay and Jura, where they held significant lands and influence.
Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname MacArthur. One of the earliest recorded was John MacArthur, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the late 16th century and served as the minister of Strathmiglo parish in Fife.
Another prominent figure was Sir John MacArthur (1767-1834), a Scottish-born merchant and entrepreneur who established a successful business empire in colonial New South Wales, Australia. He played a significant role in the early development of the Australian wool industry.
In more recent times, General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) was a highly decorated American military leader who played a crucial role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He famously led the Allied forces during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the liberation of the Philippines.
Other notable individuals with the surname include John MacArthur (1897-1978), a Scottish-American entrepreneur and philanthropist, and John F. MacArthur Jr. (born 1939), an American evangelical writer and pastor.
Throughout its history, the MacArthur surname has been associated with various place names and ancestral lands in Scotland, such as the Isle of Islay, the village of Strathmiglo, and the region of Argyll.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macarthur
Among Census respondents with the surname Macarthur, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Macarthur bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Macarthur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 3,464
- Two or more races3.9% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 147
- Black or African American2.4% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macarthur
Macarthur appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,006
+132 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 351 places
2020
#8,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,948
-58 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,923 | 3,874 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,274 | 4,006 | 1.36 | +132 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 351 places |
| 2020 | #8,045 | 3,948 | 1.32 | -58 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 229 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Macarthur surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,274 | #8,045 | 2.8% |
| Count | 4,006 | 3,948 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.32 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macarthur bearers went from 4,006 to 3,948 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 229 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,274 to #8,045.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Macarthur
FAQ
Macarthur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macarthur?
Name Census estimates that about 4,527 living Americans carry the surname Macarthur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,713 residents.
How common is Macarthur?
Macarthur ranks #8,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,948 people with the surname Macarthur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,527), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Macarthur.
Has Macarthur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macarthur went from 4,006 recorded bearers to 3,948. That is a decrease of 58 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,274 to #8,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Macarthur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macarthur, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Macarthur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (3,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macarthur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Macarthur (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Macarthur mean?
Son of Arthur, a patronymic surname of Scottish and Irish origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Macarthur (1.32 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Macarthur?
You can see how many people have the last name Macarthur on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.