2000
#69,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Mcadow
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "wolfhill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 318 Americans carry the last name Mcadow. That puts it at #75,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,077,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcadow 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
318
1 in 1,077,844
Census rank
#75,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
277
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 277 bearers of the surname Mcadow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcadow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcadow
The surname McAdow originated in Scotland during the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words 'mac' meaning son and 'adaidh' which referred to someone who lived near a field or meadow. The name likely originated in the region of Ayrshire, where many bearers of the name can trace their ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McAdow appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document that recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during his invasion of Scotland. The name is listed as 'McAadhou' in this important historical record.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form of McAdow. In 1532, a John McAdow is recorded as having been a baillie (magistrate) in the town of Ayr. This suggests that the McAdow family had achieved a degree of prominence and status within their local community by this time.
The McAdow name is also associated with the nearby village of Adamton, which was once known as 'McAdowis-toun' in reference to the McAdow clan who inhabited the area. This place name connection further reinforces the territorial roots of the surname.
Notable bearers of the McAdow surname throughout history include:
1. Robert McAdow (1703-1782), a Scottish merchant and landowner who emigrated to Virginia in the American colonies.
2. James McAdow (1828-1912), a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
3. William McAdow (1853-1930), an American lawyer and judge who served on the Supreme Court of Tennessee.
4. Margaret McAdow (1889-1965), an Australian author and poet whose works explored themes of rural life and the Australian landscape.
5. Donald McAdow (1932-2018), a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender for several clubs including Rangers and Falkirk.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcadow
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcadow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcadow 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 Mcadow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 258
- Two or more races3.2% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcadow
Mcadow 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
#87,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212
-53 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 18,462 places
2020
#75,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 277
+65 bearers (+30.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 12,552 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #69,201 | 265 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,663 | 212 | 0.07 | -53 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 18,462 places |
| 2020 | #75,111 | 277 | 0.09 | +65 bearers (+30.7%) | Up 12,552 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 Mcadow 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 | #87,663 | #75,111 | 14.3% |
| Count | 212 | 277 | 30.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 32.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcadow bearers went from 212 to 277 (+30.7% change). The surname moved up 12,552 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,663 to #75,111.
FAQ
Mcadow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcadow?
Name Census estimates that about 318 living Americans carry the surname Mcadow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,077,844 residents.
How common is Mcadow?
Mcadow ranks #75,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 277 people with the surname Mcadow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (318), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Mcadow.
Has Mcadow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcadow went from 212 recorded bearers to 277. That is an increase of 65 (+30.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #87,663 to #75,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcadow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcadow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Mcadow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcadow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Mcadow (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 Mcadow mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "wolfhill". 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 Mcadow (0.09 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 Mcadow?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mcadow? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.