2000
#7,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,025
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Mackin
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Daibhéid, meaning "son of David."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,230 Americans carry the last name Mackin. That puts it at #8,560 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mackin 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 Mackin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,029
Census rank
#8,560
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,689 bearers of the surname Mackin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8560th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackin
The surname MACKIN is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name MacCionn, meaning "son of Cionn". The name is believed to have originated in County Down, Ireland, around the 11th century.
The name MACKIN is a variant spelling of the more commonly known surnames McKeon and McKean, which are anglicized versions of the same Gaelic name. The earliest recorded instance of the MACKIN surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history.
In the 16th century, the MACKIN surname is mentioned in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were official records of royal grants and letters patent issued by the English monarchy during the Tudor period. This suggests that the name was prevalent in Ireland during this time.
One notable bearer of the MACKIN surname was Robert MACKIN (c. 1620-1699), an Irish Catholic priest and writer from County Down. He is best known for his work "A Remonstrance for the Banished Ministers of the Church of Christ in Ireland", which defended the rights of Catholic clergy during the Penal Laws.
Another prominent figure with the MACKIN surname was Patrick MACKIN (1836-1901), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator. He founded several parochial schools in New York City and was a prominent advocate for Catholic education in the United States.
In the late 18th century, the MACKIN surname was associated with the townland of Mackin, located in County Monaghan, Ireland. This suggests that the name may have also been derived from a place name, as was common in Irish naming traditions.
Other notable individuals with the MACKIN surname include:
1. John MACKIN (1859-1923), an Irish-American labor leader and politician from New York.
2. Joseph MACKIN (1834-1906), an Irish-born American bishop who served as the Bishop of Connecticut.
3. Michael MACKIN (1874-1954), an Irish nationalist and member of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish Revolution.
4. Thomas MACKIN (1907-1982), an American singer and actor who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood films.
5. Eleanor MACKIN (1905-1999), an American author and poet known for her works on Irish culture and folklore.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackin 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 Mackin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 3,281
- Black or African American4.2% · 155
- Two or more races3.0% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackin
Mackin 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
#8,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,051
+26 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 574 places
2020
#8,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,689
-362 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 371 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,615 | 4,025 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,189 | 4,051 | 1.37 | +26 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 574 places |
| 2020 | #8,560 | 3,689 | 1.23 | -362 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 371 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 Mackin 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 | #8,189 | #8,560 | -4.5% |
| Count | 4,051 | 3,689 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.23 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackin bearers went from 4,051 to 3,689 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 371 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,189 to #8,560.
FAQ
Mackin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,230 living Americans carry the surname Mackin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,029 residents.
How common is Mackin?
Mackin ranks #8,560 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,689 people with the surname Mackin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Mackin.
Has Mackin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackin went from 4,051 recorded bearers to 3,689. That is a decrease of 362 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,189 to #8,560.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mackin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (3,281 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Black (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mackin (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 Mackin mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Daibhéid, meaning "son of David." 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 Mackin (1.23 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 are called Mackin?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Mackin, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.