2000
#7,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Mcabee
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aba," meaning "son of the abbot."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,227 Americans carry the last name Mcabee. That puts it at #8,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcabee 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
4.2K
1 in 81,087
Census rank
#8,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,686 bearers of the surname Mcabee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcabee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcabee
The surname McAbee originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Ab" or "Abby," which means "dweller at the abbey." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or worked at a monastery or abbey.
McAbee is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surnames McAbbe and McAbie. These names can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Scotland, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Galloway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McAbee surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls documenting Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The entry "Willelmus le Abbe de Ros" likely refers to a McAbee ancestor.
In the 16th century, the McAbee surname appeared in the Parish Registers of Ayr, Scotland. A notable individual from this time period was John McAbee, who was born in Ayr in 1542 and served as a merchant and town councilor.
During the 17th century, the McAbee name spread to other parts of Scotland, including the counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. One prominent McAbee was Robert McAbee, born in Lanarkshire in 1624, who was a respected Presbyterian minister and author.
In the 18th century, the McAbee surname began to appear in Ulster, Northern Ireland, as Scottish settlers migrated to the region. One notable figure from this time was William McAbee, born in County Antrim in 1755, who fought in the American Revolutionary War as a member of the Pennsylvania Militia.
As the McAbee family continued to spread throughout the British Isles and beyond, other notable individuals emerged. For example, John McAbee, born in England in 1810, was a successful merchant and philanthropist who supported various educational and charitable causes.
Another prominent McAbee was James McAbee, born in Scotland in 1845, who emigrated to Canada and became a respected farmer and community leader in the province of Ontario. He was instrumental in establishing several local schools and churches.
Throughout its history, the McAbee surname has maintained its Scottish origins and ties to the monastic and religious communities that likely gave rise to its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcabee
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcabee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcabee 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 Mcabee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 3,140
- Black or African American7.1% · 262
- Two or more races4.7% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcabee
Mcabee 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
#8,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,049
+148 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 329 places
2020
#8,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,686
-363 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,867 | 3,901 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,196 | 4,049 | 1.37 | +148 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 329 places |
| 2020 | #8,566 | 3,686 | 1.23 | -363 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 370 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 Mcabee 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 | #8,196 | #8,566 | -4.5% |
| Count | 4,049 | 3,686 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.23 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcabee bearers went from 4,049 to 3,686 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 370 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,196 to #8,566.
FAQ
Mcabee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcabee?
Name Census estimates that about 4,227 living Americans carry the surname Mcabee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,087 residents.
How common is Mcabee?
Mcabee ranks #8,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,686 people with the surname Mcabee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Mcabee.
Has Mcabee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcabee went from 4,049 recorded bearers to 3,686. That is a decrease of 363 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,196 to #8,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcabee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcabee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mcabee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (3,140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcabee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mcabee (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 Mcabee mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aba," meaning "son of the abbot." 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 Mcabee (1.23 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 are called Mcabee?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mcabee is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.