2000
#109,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Macnicol
From the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Nicòil" meaning "son of Nicholas".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 175 Americans carry the last name Macnicol. That puts it at #119,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,958,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macnicol 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 Macnicol with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
175
1 in 1,958,596
Census rank
#119,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
153
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 153 bearers of the surname Macnicol in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macnicol, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macnicol
The surname MACNICOL is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Nicail" meaning "son of Nicholas." The name has its roots in the Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland, particularly on the Isle of Skye, where it was first recorded in the 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1538, where a certain "Gillecrist MacNycol" is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
The name MACNICOL is closely related to the Scottish surname NICOLSON, which also derives from the name Nicholas. In some instances, the two surnames were used interchangeably, particularly in the Outer Hebrides islands.
In the 17th century, the MACNICOL clan was associated with the MacDonalds of Sleat, a powerful clan on the Isle of Skye. During this period, the MACNICOLS were known for their involvement in the Scottish Jacobite uprisings, supporting the exiled Stuarts against the Hanoverian monarchs.
One notable figure from this era was John MACNICOL (1670-1745), a Scottish Jacobite who fought in the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715. He later became a prominent merchant and landowner on the Isle of Skye.
In the 18th century, the MACNICOL name spread beyond the Hebrides, with some families settling in other parts of Scotland and even in North America. A prominent figure from this period was Reverend Donald MACNICOL (1735-1802), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1786.
In the 19th century, the name MACNICOL gained recognition through individuals such as William MACNICOL (1770-1853), a Scottish philosopher and writer who published works on theology and ethics. Another notable figure was Donald MACNICOL (1821-1887), a Scottish businessman and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1879 to 1882.
As the MACNICOL clan dispersed throughout Scotland and beyond, the name took on various spellings, including MACNICHOL, MACNICOLL, and MACNICKLE. Despite these variations, the name has retained its distinct Scottish heritage and connection to the Isle of Skye and the Hebrides islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macnicol
Among Census respondents with the surname Macnicol, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Macnicol 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 Macnicol surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 136
- Two or more races7.8% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macnicol
Macnicol 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
#115,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
+2 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,724 places
2020
#119,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+2 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,933 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,915 | 149 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #115,639 | 151 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 5,724 places |
| 2020 | #119,572 | 153 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 3,933 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 Macnicol 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 | #115,639 | #119,572 | -3.4% |
| Count | 151 | 153 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macnicol bearers went from 151 to 153 (+1.3% change). The surname moved down 3,933 positions in the national ranking, going from #115,639 to #119,572.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Macnicol
FAQ
Macnicol surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macnicol?
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the surname Macnicol. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,958,596 residents.
How common is Macnicol?
Macnicol ranks #119,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 153 people with the surname Macnicol. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Macnicol.
Has Macnicol become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macnicol went from 151 recorded bearers to 153. That is an increase of 2 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #115,639 to #119,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Macnicol?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macnicol, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Macnicol in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (136 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macnicol appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (7.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Macnicol (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 Macnicol mean?
From the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Nicòil" meaning "son of Nicholas". 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 Macnicol (0.05 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 Macnicol?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.