2000
#6,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Macy
Derived from the Old French given name "Maci," which is a pet form of Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,646 Americans carry the last name Macy. That puts it at #6,605 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,707 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macy 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 Macy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 60,707
Census rank
#6,605
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,924 bearers of the surname Macy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6605th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macy
The surname Macy has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French name "Massie," which in turn comes from the Latin "Matthaeus," meaning "gift of God." The name was likely brought to England by Norman settlers after the Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Macy name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where it appears as "Macie." This spelling variation is indicative of the name's evolution over time, as it adapted to different regional dialects and pronunciation styles.
In the 13th century, the Macy name appeared in several historical records, including the Curia Regis Rolls of 1218, which mention a "William Macy." This suggests that the name had already become established in various parts of England by this time.
The Macy surname is also connected to several place names in England, such as Macy in Normandy, which may have contributed to the name's spread and popularity. Additionally, the name "Macey" is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, suggesting an even earlier presence of the name in England.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Macy surname are:
1. Thomas Macy (1608-1682), an early English settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony who co-founded the town of Nantucket.
2. Josiah Macy (1763-1837), an American merchant and philanthropist who co-founded the Macy's department store chain.
3. William H. Macy (born 1950), an American actor known for his roles in films like "Fargo" and the TV series "Shameless."
4. John Macy (1877-1957), an American literary critic and writer who served as the president of the Poetry Society of America.
5. Anne Macy (1619-1716), one of the last women to be executed for witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts.
While the Macy name has evolved and spread across various regions, its roots can be traced back to the Norman conquest of England and the subsequent integration of French names into the English language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macy
Among Census respondents with the surname Macy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Macy 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 Macy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 4,333
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 244
- Two or more races4.1% · 203
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 60
- Black or African American1.0% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macy
Macy 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
#6,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,203
-14 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 455 places
2020
#6,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,924
-279 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,066 | 5,217 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,521 | 5,203 | 1.76 | -14 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 455 places |
| 2020 | #6,605 | 4,924 | 1.65 | -279 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 84 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 Macy 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 | #6,521 | #6,605 | -1.3% |
| Count | 5,203 | 4,924 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.65 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macy bearers went from 5,203 to 4,924 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,521 to #6,605.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Macy
FAQ
Macy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macy?
Name Census estimates that about 5,646 living Americans carry the surname Macy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,707 residents.
How common is Macy?
Macy ranks #6,605 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,924 people with the surname Macy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,646), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Macy.
Has Macy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macy went from 5,203 recorded bearers to 4,924. That is a decrease of 279 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,521 to #6,605.
What does the Census say about the background of Macy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Macy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (4,333 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Macy (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 Macy mean?
Derived from the Old French given name "Maci," which is a pet form of Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh." 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 Macy (1.65 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 Macy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.