2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maccue
An Irish surname referring to a descendant of someone with the Gaelic name Cumhaidh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Maccue. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maccue 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.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Maccue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccue, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maccue
The surname MACCUE has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic Mac Cuith, which means "son of Cuith." The name Cuith is thought to be a diminutive form of the name Cuthbert, a popular Anglo-Saxon name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MACCUE surname can be found in the records of the Clan MacKay, a Scottish clan based in the county of Sutherland. In these records, the name is spelled "MacCuith" and is believed to have been a sept, or branch, of the larger clan.
In the late 16th century, the MACCUE name appeared in the parish records of Golspie, a village in Sutherland. This suggests that the name had spread beyond the confines of the Clan MacKay and had become established in the wider community.
During the 17th century, the spelling of the name began to evolve, with variations such as "MacCue" and "McCue" becoming more common. This was likely due to the anglicization of Gaelic names during this period.
One notable bearer of the MACCUE surname was John MacCue, born in 1678 in Inverness, Scotland. He was a merchant and trader who traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Americas. His journals and correspondence provide valuable insights into the life and times of the 17th century.
Another prominent figure was William MacCue, born in 1742 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War, serving under General George Washington. After the war, he settled in Virginia and became a successful landowner and farmer.
In the 19th century, the MACCUE surname began to spread beyond Scotland, with many members of the family emigrating to countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable example is Robert MacCue, born in 1812 in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a shipbuilder who emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada, in the 1840s and played a significant role in the development of the shipbuilding industry in that region.
Another notable bearer of the MACCUE surname was Margaret MacCue, born in 1865 in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was a pioneering educator who immigrated to Australia in the late 19th century and played a key role in establishing several schools for underprivileged children in Melbourne.
Finally, James MacCue, born in 1887 in Ayrshire, Scotland, was a renowned artist and painter. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and went on to have a successful career, with his works being exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maccue
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccue, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Maccue 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 Maccue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maccue
Maccue appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,490 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 8,490 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 Maccue 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 | #143,149 | #151,639 | -5.9% |
| Count | 116 | 107 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maccue bearers went from 116 to 107 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 8,490 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #151,639.
FAQ
Maccue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maccue?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Maccue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Maccue?
Maccue ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Maccue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Maccue.
Has Maccue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maccue went from 116 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Maccue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccue, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Maccue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maccue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Maccue (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 Maccue mean?
An Irish surname referring to a descendant of someone with the Gaelic name Cumhaidh. 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 Maccue (0.04 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 share the surname Maccue?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.