2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maccurdy
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Cuirte, meaning "son of the courtier or landholder".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Maccurdy. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maccurdy 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Maccurdy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccurdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maccurdy
The surname MacCurdy is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Cuirde, meaning "son of the herdsman" or "son of the keeper of cattle." This name is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Perthshire, where cattle herding and farming were significant occupations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MacCurdy can be found in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, which mentions a "Donald McCurdy" in 1537. This document, which recorded official acts of the Scottish government, provides evidence of the name's existence during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the surname MacCurdy appeared in various Scottish records, such as the Parish Registers of Argyll and Bute. These registers often documented births, marriages, and deaths within local parishes, shedding light on the geographical distribution of the name during this period.
A notable figure bearing the surname MacCurdy was John MacCurdy (1598-1683), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1658 to 1660. His contributions to the academic and religious spheres of his time have been recorded in historical accounts.
Another individual of note was Alexander MacCurdy (1744-1824), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada, in the late 18th century. He played a significant role in the development of the region and was involved in various business ventures and land acquisitions.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the MacCurdy surname can be found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where a John MacCurdy is mentioned in 1639. This suggests that the name had spread to the American colonies during the early stages of European settlement.
Throughout the 19th century, several notable individuals with the MacCurdy surname made their mark in various fields. For example, James Frederick MacCurdy (1870-1947) was an American anthropologist and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of human evolution and prehistoric cultures.
Another remarkable figure was Rahel MacCurdy (1889-1958), an American lawyer and activist who fought for women's rights and served as the president of the National Woman's Party from 1938 to 1944. Her efforts played a crucial role in the ongoing struggle for gender equality during the early 20th century.
While the surname MacCurdy may have evolved over time and taken on various spellings, such as McCurdy or McCurdie, its origins can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands, where it was closely associated with the occupation of cattle herding and farming.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maccurdy
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccurdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Maccurdy 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 Maccurdy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 85
- Two or more races14.0% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maccurdy
Maccurdy 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-9 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,418 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 18,418 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Maccurdy 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 | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maccurdy bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Maccurdy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maccurdy?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Maccurdy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Maccurdy?
Maccurdy ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Maccurdy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Maccurdy.
Has Maccurdy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maccurdy went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Maccurdy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maccurdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.3%). 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 Maccurdy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maccurdy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Two or More Races (14.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.3%). 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 Maccurdy (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 Maccurdy mean?
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Cuirte, meaning "son of the courtier or landholder". 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 Maccurdy (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 Maccurdy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.