2000
#15,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,777
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Macfarland
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from an estate near Loch Lomond.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,190 Americans carry the last name Macfarland. That puts it at #14,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,509 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macfarland 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
2.2K
1 in 156,509
Census rank
#14,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,910 bearers of the surname Macfarland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macfarland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macfarland
The surname MACFARLAND is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "fear lann" translating to "man of the land" or "tenant farmer." It is an occupational surname that arose during the 12th century in the Scottish Highlands.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to around 1265, appearing in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland as "Makferlane." This variation suggests the name was initially associated with the Clan Macfarlane, a Highland Scottish clan that historically held lands in the area now known as Argyll and Bute.
One of the earliest known individuals with the MACFARLAND surname was John Macfarlane, who was recorded as a landowner in Arrochar, Scotland, in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir Duncan Macfarlane, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century.
In the 16th century, the MACFARLAND surname began to appear in various records across Scotland, often spelled as "Macfarland" or "McFarland." One prominent individual from this time was Andrew Macfarlane, a Scottish minister and writer who lived from 1591 to 1660.
As the centuries progressed, the MACFARLAND surname spread beyond Scotland, with many individuals emigrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the Americas. One notable figure was Robert MacFarland, an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, James Macfarland, a Scottish-born businessman and politician, made a significant impact in Canada, serving as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1857.
Throughout history, the MACFARLAND surname has been associated with various notable individuals, including Walter Macfarland, a Scottish painter and engraver active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and Henry Macfarland, an American lawyer and philanthropist who lived from 1840 to 1920.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macfarland
Among Census respondents with the surname Macfarland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Macfarland 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 Macfarland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 1,659
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 99
- Black or African American4.0% · 76
- Two or more races3.1% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macfarland
Macfarland 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
#15,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,826
+49 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 705 places
2020
#14,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,910
+84 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,024 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,207 | 1,777 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,912 | 1,826 | 0.62 | +49 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 705 places |
| 2020 | #14,888 | 1,910 | 0.64 | +84 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 1,024 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 Macfarland 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 | #15,912 | #14,888 | 6.4% |
| Count | 1,826 | 1,910 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.64 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macfarland bearers went from 1,826 to 1,910 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 1,024 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,912 to #14,888.
FAQ
Macfarland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macfarland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,190 living Americans carry the surname Macfarland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,509 residents.
How common is Macfarland?
Macfarland ranks #14,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,910 people with the surname Macfarland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Macfarland.
Has Macfarland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macfarland went from 1,826 recorded bearers to 1,910. That is an increase of 84 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,912 to #14,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Macfarland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macfarland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Macfarland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (1,659 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macfarland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (5.2%), Black (4.0%). 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 Macfarland (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 Macfarland mean?
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from an estate near Loch Lomond. 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 Macfarland (0.64 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 Macfarland?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Macfarland is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.