2000
#10,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,929
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Magness
Derived from a place name meaning "Mack's headland" in Old English, or from the Irish name "Mag Aonghusa," meaning "descendant of Angus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,233 Americans carry the last name Magness. That puts it at #10,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Magness 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 Magness with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,017
Census rank
#10,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,819 bearers of the surname Magness in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Magness, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Magness
The surname Magness originated in England, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 13th century or early 14th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mægen" meaning "strength" or "force" and "nesse" meaning "headland" or "promontory." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near a prominent or strong headland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Magness can be found in the Feet of Fines records for the county of Lincolnshire, dated 1327, which mentions a John Magneys. In the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire from 1327, there is a reference to a Robert Magnesse.
The Magness surname was also present in various medieval records, such as the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire from 1379, which lists a William Magnays. Additionally, the Hearth Tax returns for Lancashire in 1662 include a Robert Magnes.
Some notable individuals bearing the Magness surname throughout history include:
1. Sir John Magness (c. 1450-1525), an English landowner and member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. Elizabeth Magness (1580-1642), an English Puritan settler in colonial Massachusetts and one of the founders of the town of Ipswich.
3. Thomas Magness (1637-1712), an English-born farmer and landowner in colonial Virginia, known for his involvement in the Bacon's Rebellion of 1676.
4. Richard Magness (1725-1798), a Scottish-born merchant and ship captain who settled in Charleston, South Carolina, and played a role in the American Revolutionary War.
5. Mary Magness (1822-1892), an influential educator and advocate for women's rights in Kentucky, who established several schools for girls in the mid-19th century.
While the Magness surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as a result of migration and settlement patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magness
Among Census respondents with the surname Magness, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Magness 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 Magness surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 2,468
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 121
- Black or African American3.5% · 99
- Two or more races3.5% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Magness
Magness 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
#10,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,036
+107 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 432 places
2020
#10,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,819
-217 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,123 | 2,929 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,555 | 3,036 | 1.03 | +107 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 432 places |
| 2020 | #10,805 | 2,819 | 0.94 | -217 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 250 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 Magness 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 | #10,555 | #10,805 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,036 | 2,819 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.94 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Magness bearers went from 3,036 to 2,819 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,555 to #10,805.
FAQ
Magness surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Magness?
Name Census estimates that about 3,233 living Americans carry the surname Magness. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,017 residents.
How common is Magness?
Magness ranks #10,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,819 people with the surname Magness. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,233), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Magness.
Has Magness become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Magness went from 3,036 recorded bearers to 2,819. That is a decrease of 217 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,555 to #10,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Magness?
Among Census respondents with the surname Magness, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Magness in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (2,468 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Magness appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (3.5%). 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 Magness (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 Magness mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Mack's headland" in Old English, or from the Irish name "Mag Aonghusa," meaning "descendant of Angus." 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 Magness (0.94 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 Magness?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.