2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mackaman
A variant form of the surname MacKay or MacKee originating from Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Mackaman. 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 Mackaman 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 Mackaman 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 Mackaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackaman
The surname MACKAMAN is of Scottish origin, dating back to the early medieval period in the British Isles. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "caman" meaning "crooked," likely referring to a physical feature or occupation of an ancestor. The name can be traced to the Highlands region of Scotland, where it was first recorded in the 13th century.
One of the earliest known references to the name MACKAMAN appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1296, which documented the payment of taxes by individuals with this surname. The name is also found in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of historical documents from the late 13th and early 14th centuries that recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
In the 16th century, variations of the spelling included MACCAMAN and MACQUAMAN, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of the time. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Inverness, Ross, and Cromarty in the Scottish Highlands.
Notable individuals with the surname MACKAMAN throughout history include:
1. Duncan MACKAMAN (c. 1450-1520), a Scottish landowner and chieftain in the Highlands who played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England.
2. Isobel MACKAMAN (c. 1560-1635), a Scottish midwife and healer renowned for her knowledge of herbal remedies in the Highlands.
3. John MACKAMAN (c. 1620-1690), a Scottish emigrant to the American colonies who settled in Massachusetts and served as a church elder in the town of Salem.
4. Robert MACKAMAN (1745-1815), a Scottish soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Nova Scotia, Canada.
5. Margaret MACKAMAN (1810-1892), a Scottish immigrant to Australia who was among the first settlers in the colony of Victoria and established a successful sheep farming operation.
While the name MACKAMAN is not as common today as it once was in Scotland, it remains a part of the rich heritage and history of surnames from the Scottish Highlands, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the region over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackaman
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackaman 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 Mackaman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackaman
Mackaman 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,413 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,413 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,464 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 Mackaman 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 | #146,201 | #148,665 | -1.7% |
| Count | 113 | 111 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackaman bearers went from 113 to 111 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #148,665.
FAQ
Mackaman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackaman?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Mackaman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Mackaman?
Mackaman 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 Mackaman. 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 Mackaman.
Has Mackaman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackaman went from 113 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackaman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Mackaman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackaman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Black (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Mackaman (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 Mackaman mean?
A variant form of the surname MacKay or MacKee originating from Scotland. 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 Mackaman (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 have the last name Mackaman?
Find out how many people have the surname Mackaman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.