2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mackrill
Scottish surname transferred from a Scottish place name derived from Gaelic "magh grill" meaning level plain of the burn or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Mackrill. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mackrill 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 Mackrill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Mackrill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mackrill
The surname Mackrill originated in Scotland, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "rìll" which means "king" or "leader." This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon the son of a prominent tribal chief or ruler in the Highlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that lists the names of Scottish nobles who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Makryll," which was a common spelling variation during that time period.
In the 15th century, the Mackrill clan was known to have settled in the regions of Argyll and Inverness-shire, where they established themselves as landowners and played a significant role in the clan rivalries that shaped the history of the Scottish Highlands.
The first recorded individual with the surname Mackrill was Angus Mackrill, born in 1412 in Argyll. He was a renowned warrior and is mentioned in several chronicles of the time for his participation in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, where he fought alongside the Earl of Mar against the forces of Donald of Islay.
Another notable figure was Iain Mackrill, born in 1519 in Inverness-shire. He was a prominent member of the clan and served as a trusted advisor to the Chief of the Clan MacKenzie during the tumultuous years of the Scottish Reformation.
In the late 16th century, a branch of the Mackrill clan migrated to the Orkney Islands, where they adopted the spelling "Mackrill" to distinguish themselves from the mainland clan. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this spelling was Robert Mackrill, born in 1587 on the island of Westray.
During the 17th century, the name Mackrill appeared in various historical records, such as the Bute Manrent Rolls of 1663, which listed several individuals with the surname who pledged allegiance to the Marquess of Bute.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was James Mackrill, born in 1712 in Argyll. He was a skilled shipwright and is credited with the construction of several ships that played a crucial role in the Jacobite Risings of the 1740s.
As the Mackrill clan spread throughout Scotland and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Makrill, Mackrille, and MacKrille, among others. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained firmly rooted in the traditions of the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mackrill
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mackrill 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 Mackrill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mackrill
Mackrill 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,654 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,654 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,441 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 Mackrill 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 | #149,395 | #147,954 | 1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 112 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mackrill bearers went from 110 to 112 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,954.
FAQ
Mackrill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mackrill?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Mackrill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Mackrill?
Mackrill ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Mackrill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Mackrill.
Has Mackrill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mackrill went from 110 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Mackrill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mackrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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 Mackrill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mackrill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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 Mackrill (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 Mackrill mean?
Scottish surname transferred from a Scottish place name derived from Gaelic "magh grill" meaning level plain of the burn or stream. 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 Mackrill (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 common is the surname Mackrill?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Mackrill, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.