2000
#12,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Macintosh
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Tòisich," meaning "son of the chief" or "son of the leader."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,738 Americans carry the last name Macintosh. That puts it at #12,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,184 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macintosh 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 Macintosh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,184
Census rank
#12,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,388 bearers of the surname Macintosh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macintosh, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macintosh
The surname MacIntosh has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Toisich," which means "son of the chief" or "son of the leader." This suggests that the name was originally borne by the sons of Scottish clan chiefs or other influential figures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1296, where it is spelled "Makyntoysiche." Over time, various spelling variations emerged, including MacIntosh, MacKintosh, and McIntosh.
In the 14th century, the MacIntosh clan played a prominent role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England. The clan's chief at the time, Shaw MacDuff MacIntosh, led his men into battle alongside Robert the Bruce, the King of Scots.
The MacIntosh name is also closely associated with the town of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. One of the earliest recorded instances of the place name "Inverness" can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is referred to as "Inbhir Nis" in the year 1180.
One notable figure bearing the MacIntosh surname was Sir John MacIntosh (c. 1590-1649), a Scottish soldier and landowner who served as a colonel in the Royalist army during the English Civil War. He was killed in battle during the siege of Inverness in 1649.
Another prominent MacIntosh was Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928), a Scottish architect, designer, and artist who was a prominent figure in the Arts and Crafts movement and a pioneer of the Art Nouveau style. His work, including the Glasgow School of Art and the Willow Tea Rooms, is widely celebrated for its innovative designs and distinctive aesthetic.
Other notable individuals with the MacIntosh surname include:
1. Lachlan MacIntosh (c. 1725-1806), a Scottish-American soldier and politician who served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
2. James MacIntosh (1765-1832), a Scottish philosopher and lawyer who served as a member of parliament and was known for his contributions to political philosophy and jurisprudence.
3. Maria Jane MacIntosh (1803-1878), an English novelist and travel writer who published several popular novels in the mid-19th century.
4. Everard MacIntosh (1870-1923), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and was a prominent advocate for workers' rights and social reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macintosh
Among Census respondents with the surname Macintosh, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Macintosh 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 Macintosh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 1,990
- Black or African American7.0% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 106
- Two or more races3.7% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macintosh
Macintosh 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
#13,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
+6 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 861 places
2020
#12,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,388
+29 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,149 | 2,353 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,010 | 2,359 | 0.80 | +6 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 861 places |
| 2020 | #12,413 | 2,388 | 0.80 | +29 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 597 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 Macintosh 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 | #13,010 | #12,413 | 4.6% |
| Count | 2,359 | 2,388 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.80 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macintosh bearers went from 2,359 to 2,388 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 597 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,010 to #12,413.
FAQ
Macintosh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macintosh?
Name Census estimates that about 2,738 living Americans carry the surname Macintosh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,184 residents.
How common is Macintosh?
Macintosh ranks #12,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,388 people with the surname Macintosh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,738), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Macintosh.
Has Macintosh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macintosh went from 2,359 recorded bearers to 2,388. That is an increase of 29 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,010 to #12,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Macintosh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macintosh, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Macintosh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (1,990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macintosh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (7.0%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Macintosh (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 Macintosh mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Tòisich," meaning "son of the chief" or "son of the leader." 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 Macintosh (0.80 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 surname Macintosh?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.