2000
#9,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,063
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Mcalpin
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the former kingdom of Dál Riata, located in modern-day Argyll and Bute.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,323 Americans carry the last name Mcalpin. That puts it at #10,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,146 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcalpin 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 Mcalpin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,146
Census rank
#10,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,898 bearers of the surname Mcalpin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcalpin, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcalpin
The surname McAlpin originated in Scotland in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words 'mac' meaning 'son of' and 'Alpin', which refers to a personal name. The earliest known bearer of the name was Alpin, the father of Kenneth MacAlpin, who became the first king of the united Scots and Picts in the 9th century.
The McAlpin name is closely associated with the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada, located in what is now Argyll and Bute. This region was once ruled by the Cenél Loairn, a kindred descended from Loarn, the son of Eirc, who was a prominent leader in the 5th century. The McAlpins were part of this kindred and held significant influence in the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McAlpin name appears in the 13th century Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage papers submitted to King Edward I of England. In this document, several individuals with the name McAlpin are listed as landowners in the Scottish counties of Argyll and Perthshire.
Over the centuries, the McAlpin name has been spelled in various ways, including MacAlpin, McAlpine, and McAlpyn. The name has also been associated with several notable historical figures, such as Somerled of Argyll (c. 1100-1164), a powerful Scottish king and lord who was a descendant of the McAlpin line.
Another prominent McAlpin was Archibald McAlpine (1791-1858), a Scottish civil engineer and contractor who founded the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons. His company was responsible for building many iconic structures, including the Forth Bridge and parts of the London Underground.
Sir Edwin Armine Woodhouse-Radcliffe McAlpine (1856-1944) was a British businessman and Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Dewsbury constituency from 1910 to 1918. He was also the chairman of Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons from 1894 to 1934.
Sir Robert McAlpine (1868-1934) was a Scottish civil engineer and businessman who succeeded his father, Sir Robert McAlpine, as the chairman of Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons. He oversaw the construction of numerous notable projects, including the Tyne Bridge and the Manchester Ship Canal.
Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green (1942-2014), was a British businessman, politician, and life peer. He was a prominent figure in the Conservative Party and served as a party treasurer from 1975 to 1990.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcalpin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcalpin, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcalpin 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 Mcalpin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 2,322
- Black or African American10.7% · 311
- Two or more races4.1% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcalpin
Mcalpin 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
#10,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,071
+8 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 726 places
2020
#10,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,898
-173 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,740 | 3,063 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,466 | 3,071 | 1.04 | +8 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 726 places |
| 2020 | #10,559 | 2,898 | 0.97 | -173 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 93 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 Mcalpin 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 | #10,466 | #10,559 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,071 | 2,898 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.97 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcalpin bearers went from 3,071 to 2,898 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,466 to #10,559.
FAQ
Mcalpin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcalpin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,323 living Americans carry the surname Mcalpin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,146 residents.
How common is Mcalpin?
Mcalpin ranks #10,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,898 people with the surname Mcalpin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Mcalpin.
Has Mcalpin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcalpin went from 3,071 recorded bearers to 2,898. That is a decrease of 173 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,466 to #10,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcalpin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcalpin, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) 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 Mcalpin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (2,322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcalpin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (10.7%), 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 Mcalpin (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 Mcalpin mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the former kingdom of Dál Riata, located in modern-day Argyll and Bute. 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 Mcalpin (0.97 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 Americans have the surname Mcalpin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.