2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Macveigh
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Bheathaidh' meaning son of a tenant farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Macveigh. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macveigh 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Macveigh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macveigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macveigh
The surname MacVeigh is of Scottish Gaelic origin, believed to have originated in the Western Isles of Scotland in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name "MacBheatha," which means "son of life" or "son of lively one." The name is also found spelled as McVey, MacVey, Mackey, and McKay.
MacVeigh is a sept or branch of the larger Clan Donald, one of the most powerful clans in the Western Isles and Highlands of Scotland during the Middle Ages. The earliest known record of the name appears in a charter from the Isle of Islay dated 1292, where a "Gillies MacBheatha" is mentioned as a witness.
In the 16th century, a branch of the MacVeighs settled in County Antrim, Ireland, where the name was anglicized to McVeigh or McVey. One notable figure from this period was Rory Og McVeigh (c. 1575-1636), a prominent leader during the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Sir John McVeigh (1745-1832), an Irish-born British Army officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as Lieutenant Governor of Gibraltar.
In the 19th century, the MacVeighs were well-represented in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the counties of Argyll and Inverness. One prominent individual was John MacVeigh (1826-1901), a Scottish poet and author who wrote extensively about Highland life and culture.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is that of William McVey (1765-1832), a Revolutionary War veteran from Pennsylvania who later served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Other notable individuals with the surname include Patrick McVey (1823-1892), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the 26th Governor of Kansas, and John MacVeigh (1873-1942), a Scottish-born Canadian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macveigh
Among Census respondents with the surname Macveigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Macveigh 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 Macveigh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 102
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macveigh
Macveigh 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+15 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,543 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-14 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 5,543 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 13,335 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 Macveigh 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 | #138,304 | #151,639 | -9.6% |
| Count | 121 | 107 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macveigh bearers went from 121 to 107 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 13,335 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #151,639.
FAQ
Macveigh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macveigh?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Macveigh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Macveigh?
Macveigh ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Macveigh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Macveigh.
Has Macveigh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macveigh went from 121 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Macveigh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macveigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Macveigh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macveigh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Macveigh (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 Macveigh mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Bheathaidh' meaning son of a tenant farmer. 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 Macveigh (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 Americans have the surname Macveigh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.