2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maccuish
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cuish" meaning son of the footman or messenger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Maccuish. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maccuish 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 Maccuish with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Maccuish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccuish, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maccuish
The surname MacCuish has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late 16th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic name "MacCuish," which means "son of Cuish" or "son of the slender one." The name is believed to have originated in the Hebrides Islands, particularly on the Isle of Skye.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MacCuish can be found in the Clan Donald records from the late 16th century. These records mention a John MacCuish who was a prominent member of the clan and held a position of authority on the Isle of Skye.
Another notable historical reference to the name is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the early 17th century, where a Donald MacCuish is listed as a tenant farmer in Argyll. This suggests that the name had spread to the mainland of Scotland by this time.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Angus MacCuish, who served as a captain in the British Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1742 on the Isle of Skye and died in 1810.
The MacCuish name is also connected to several place names in Scotland, such as MacCuish's Point and MacCuish's Bay on the Isle of Skye, further cementing the family's historical ties to the island.
Other notable individuals with the surname MacCuish include:
1. Donald MacCuish (1792-1870), a Scottish poet and writer from the Isle of Skye.
2. Alasdair MacCuish (1832-1901), a prominent businessman and landowner from Argyll.
3. Iain MacCuish (1879-1945), a Scottish historian and scholar who specialized in the study of Gaelic language and culture.
4. Mary MacCuish (1905-1988), a Scottish artist and painter known for her landscapes of the Hebrides Islands.
5. Angus MacCuish (1920-2002), a Scottish politician and member of the UK Parliament, representing the Western Isles constituency.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maccuish
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccuish, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Maccuish 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 Maccuish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 87
- Two or more races5.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maccuish
Maccuish 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
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-9 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,633 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 1,633 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 Maccuish 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 | #154,907 | #156,540 | -1.1% |
| Count | 105 | 96 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maccuish bearers went from 105 to 96 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 1,633 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #156,540.
FAQ
Maccuish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maccuish?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Maccuish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Maccuish?
Maccuish ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 96 people with the surname Maccuish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Maccuish.
Has Maccuish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maccuish went from 105 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Maccuish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccuish, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Maccuish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maccuish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Maccuish (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 Maccuish mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cuish" meaning son of the footman or messenger. 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 Maccuish (0.03 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 Maccuish?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Maccuish on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.