2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maclaury
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Laomuinn, meaning "bald."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Maclaury. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maclaury 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Maclaury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclaury, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maclaury
The surname MACLAURY is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Laomuinn, meaning "son of the servant of the church." The name is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, primarily in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homages rendered to Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. In this document, a certain Gillecrist Maclauri is mentioned as a vassal from the Isle of Islay.
During the 16th century, the MACLAURY clan was prominent in the northern Hebrides, particularly on the Isle of Lewis. Historical records from this period mention a Malcolm MACLAURY, who was a prominent chieftain and landowner on the island in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the name MACLAURY was found in various parts of Scotland, including Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. One notable bearer of the name was John MACLAURY (1670-1748), a renowned minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1736.
Another significant figure with the MACLAURY surname was Sir Archibald MACLAURY (1778-1861), a distinguished Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1835 to 1839. He played a prominent role in the reform of the Scottish legal system during the 19th century.
The name MACLAURY has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Maclaury's Castle on the Isle of Lewis and Maclaury's Glen in Argyll. These locations likely derived their names from members of the MACLAURY clan who once held lands or resided in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the MACLAURY surname include:
- James MACLAURY (1803-1878), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales.
- Euphemia MACLAURY (1818-1908), a Scottish educator and advocate for women's rights, known for her work in establishing schools for girls in Edinburgh.
- Angus MACLAURY (1892-1975), a Scottish-born Canadian artist renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged scenery of British Columbia.
- Donald MACLAURY (1916-2003), a prominent Scottish architect who designed several iconic buildings in Glasgow and Edinburgh during the mid-20th century.
The MACLAURY surname has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, with a strong connection to the Gaelic language and cultural traditions of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maclaury
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclaury, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Maclaury 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 Maclaury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maclaury
Maclaury 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+12 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,735 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-23 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,960 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,735 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 20,960 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 Maclaury 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 | #131,379 | #152,339 | -16.0% |
| Count | 129 | 106 | -17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maclaury bearers went from 129 to 106 (-17.8% change). The surname moved down 20,960 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #152,339.
FAQ
Maclaury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maclaury?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Maclaury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Maclaury?
Maclaury ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Maclaury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Maclaury.
Has Maclaury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maclaury went from 129 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Maclaury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclaury, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Maclaury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maclaury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Maclaury (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 Maclaury mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Laomuinn, meaning "bald." 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 Maclaury (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 share the surname Maclaury?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.