Find out how popular the last name MacDonald is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named MacDonald.

MacDonald, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the MacDonald surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of MacDonald in America

MacDonald is the 744th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The MacDonald surname appeared 46,717 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname MacDonald.

We can also compare 2010 data for MacDonald to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name MacDonald

The surname MacDonald has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Dhòmhnaill," meaning "son of Donald." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were descendants of a man named Donald.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which mention a "Donald MacDonald" in 1292. The name was also present in other medieval Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals with the surname MacDonald who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

The MacDonalds were a powerful clan in the Western Isles of Scotland, and their history is closely intertwined with the region's turbulent past. In the 14th century, the clan was led by John MacDonald, who was granted the title of Lord of the Isles by King Robert II. This marked the beginning of the MacDonalds' prominence as a dominant force in the region.

Notable historical figures bearing the MacDonald surname include:

1. Somerled MacDonald (c. 1100-1164), a Norse-Gaelic military leader and progenitor of the Clan Donald.
2. John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles (c. 1337-1386), a powerful Scottish nobleman and chief of the Clan Donald.
3. Flora MacDonald (1722-1790), a Scottish heroine who famously aided Bonnie Prince Charlie's escape after the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
4. Ramsay MacDonald (1866-1937), a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two occasions.
5. John A. MacDonald (1815-1891), a Canadian statesman and the first Prime Minister of Canada.

The name MacDonald has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Scotland, such as Islay, where the Clan Donald had a strong presence. Over time, the spelling of the name has evolved, with variations like McDonald, MacDonell, and McDonnell emerging in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name MacDonald

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname MacDonald.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for MacDonald was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of MacDonald has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name MacDonald was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of MacDonald, please contact us.

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