2000
#2,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.39
Uncommon Last name
Mcafee
From the Gaelic "Mac Dhuibhshíthe," meaning "son of the dark fairy," likely referring to a person with dark hair or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,554 Americans carry the last name Mcafee. That puts it at #2,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,288 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcafee 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 Mcafee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,288
Census rank
#2,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,820 bearers of the surname Mcafee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcafee, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcafee
The surname MCAFEE originates from Scotland, tracing its roots back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "Oighre" meaning "heir" or "defter". The name suggests that the original bearer was the heir or successor to a position of importance within a Scottish clan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. In this document, the name is spelled as "M'Affee" and "McAfee".
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MCAFEE name was prevalent in the counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire in western Scotland. Some variations of the spelling included "McAffee", "McAfee", and "McAfie". The name was also associated with the lands of Coylton in Ayrshire, where a family of MCAFEE's held significant property and influence.
Notable figures throughout history bearing the MCAFEE surname include Robert McAfee (1784-1849), an American Presbyterian missionary and founder of Park College in Missouri. Another prominent individual was John McAfee (1885-1972), a politician from Northern Ireland who served as a Member of Parliament for the Ulster Unionist Party.
In the 18th century, a branch of the MCAFEE family migrated to County Antrim, Ireland, where they settled in the area known as Ballymonaghan. One member of this branch, Samuel McAfee (1771-1850), later emigrated to America and became a prominent figure in the early settlement of Kentucky.
Another notable MCAFEE was Rev. James McAfee (1738-1808), a Presbyterian minister and one of the founders of the town of Knoxville, Tennessee. His son, Robert Brank McAfee (1784-1849), was a soldier and politician who served as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.
The MCAFEE surname has also been associated with several place names, including McAfee Knob, a well-known hiking destination in Virginia's Appalachian Mountains, and the town of McAfee, New Jersey, named after a local landowner.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and prominence of the MCAFEE surname, which has its roots firmly planted in the Scottish Highlands and has left an indelible mark on various regions around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcafee
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcafee, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcafee 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 Mcafee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 8,079
- Black or African American22.0% · 2,598
- Two or more races4.6% · 549
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 453
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcafee
Mcafee 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
#2,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,371
+516 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.19
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#2,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,820
-551 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,789 | 11,855 | 4.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,898 | 12,371 | 4.19 | +516 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #2,979 | 11,820 | 3.95 | -551 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 81 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 Mcafee 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 | #2,898 | #2,979 | -2.8% |
| Count | 12,371 | 11,820 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.19 | 3.95 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcafee bearers went from 12,371 to 11,820 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,898 to #2,979.
FAQ
Mcafee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcafee?
Name Census estimates that about 13,554 living Americans carry the surname Mcafee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,288 residents.
How common is Mcafee?
Mcafee ranks #2,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,820 people with the surname Mcafee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Mcafee.
Has Mcafee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcafee went from 12,371 recorded bearers to 11,820. That is a decrease of 551 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,898 to #2,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcafee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcafee, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mcafee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (8,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcafee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Black (22.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mcafee (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 Mcafee mean?
From the Gaelic "Mac Dhuibhshíthe," meaning "son of the dark fairy," likely referring to a person with dark hair or complexion. 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 Mcafee (3.95 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 Mcafee?
Find out how many people have the last name Mcafee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.