2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Macgillivary
Scottish surname meaning "son of the servant of St. Finnan".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Macgillivary. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macgillivary 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Macgillivary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macgillivary, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macgillivary
The surname MACGILLIVARY is of Scottish origin, with roots tracing back to the 16th century. It emerged in the Highlands region of Scotland, specifically in the areas surrounding Inverness and Ross-shire. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "Mac Gille Bhrath," which translate to "son of the servant of judgment" or "son of the devotee of truth."
MACGILLIVARY is believed to have originated as a personal name before evolving into a hereditary surname. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1540, where a person named Gillechrist McGillivray is mentioned. This entry provides valuable insight into the historical spelling variations of the name, which included McGillivray, MacGillivray, and MacGillivarie.
In the 17th century, the MACGILLIVARY surname gained prominence through the exploits of a notable clan chief named Iain Dubh MacGillivray (1616-1687). He was a respected leader known for his involvement in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, where he fought alongside the Royalist forces against the Covenanters. Iain Dubh's descendants continued to play influential roles in the affairs of the Scottish Highlands for generations.
Another significant figure bearing the MACGILLIVARY name was Alexander McGillivray (1759-1793), a Creek Nation chief and prominent figure in the early history of what is now the southeastern United States. Born in Lochaber, Scotland, he later relocated to the Creek territories and became a skilled diplomat, negotiating treaties and advocating for Native American rights.
In the literary realm, the name MACGILLIVARY is associated with William McGillivray (1825-1913), a Scottish-born Canadian author and poet. He published several works, including "The Thousand Isles" and "The Druid's Spiritual Lay," which celebrated the natural beauty of Canada and explored themes of spirituality.
Other notable individuals with the MACGILLIVARY surname include Donald McGillivray (1796-1853), a Scottish-Canadian explorer and fur trader who played a pivotal role in the expansion of the Hudson's Bay Company's operations in the Pacific Northwest; and William McGillivray (1868-1937), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
Throughout its history, the MACGILLIVARY surname has maintained a strong connection to its Scottish roots, with many bearers of the name tracing their lineage back to the Highlands region. While the spelling has evolved over time, the essence of the name's meaning, rooted in devotion and truth, has endured across generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macgillivary
Among Census respondents with the surname Macgillivary, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Macgillivary 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 Macgillivary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macgillivary
Macgillivary 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-20 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 29,286 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 29,286 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,569 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 Macgillivary 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 | #157,234 | #148,665 | 5.4% |
| Count | 103 | 111 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macgillivary bearers went from 103 to 111 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #148,665.
FAQ
Macgillivary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macgillivary?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Macgillivary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Macgillivary?
Macgillivary ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Macgillivary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Macgillivary.
Has Macgillivary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macgillivary went from 103 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Macgillivary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macgillivary, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Macgillivary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macgillivary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Macgillivary (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 Macgillivary mean?
Scottish surname meaning "son of the servant of St. Finnan". 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 Macgillivary (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 Americans have the surname Macgillivary?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.