2000
#5,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,363
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Mcardle
An Irish occupational surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ardghail," meaning "son of the high valour."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,018 Americans carry the last name Mcardle. That puts it at #6,251 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,955 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcardle 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 Mcardle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,955
Census rank
#6,251
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,248 bearers of the surname Mcardle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6251st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcardle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcardle
The surname McArdle originated in Ireland, with the earliest recorded examples appearing in the late 16th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic surname Mac Ardghail, which means "son of Ardghal." Ardghal is an old Irish personal name derived from the elements "ard" meaning "high" and "ghal" meaning "valor" or "bravery."
The McArdle name was most prevalent in County Tyrone, particularly in the baronies of Omagh and Clogher. It is believed that the family descended from the ancient Irish clan of Cenél nEógain, which ruled much of Ulster and parts of Connacht during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, which were administrative records kept by the English government in Ireland. In 1586, a John McArdell is mentioned as receiving a pardon from the Crown.
The McArdle name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a notable McArdle family member, Fearghal Mac Ardghail, who was described as a learned historian and poet in the late 16th century.
During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McArdle families were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland or seek opportunities overseas. This led to the spread of the name beyond its traditional stronghold in Tyrone.
Notable individuals with the surname McArdle include:
1. John McArdle (1836-1918), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McArdle Cement Company in Chicago.
2. Sir John McArdle (1889-1974), a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted in 1952.
3. Patrick McArdle (1952-2018), an Irish actor best known for his roles in films such as "The Boxer" and "In Bruges."
4. Richard McArdle (1907-1975), an American journalist and author who wrote extensively about organized crime and the Mafia.
5. Thomas McArdle (1835-1908), an Irish-American Civil War veteran and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
The McArdle surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including McArdell, McArdill, McArdel, and McArdill. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or regional pronunciations of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcardle
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcardle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcardle 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 Mcardle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 4,867
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 159
- Two or more races2.7% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 45
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcardle
Mcardle 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
#6,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,424
+61 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 391 places
2020
#6,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,248
-176 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Up 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,908 | 5,363 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,299 | 5,424 | 1.84 | +61 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 391 places |
| 2020 | #6,251 | 5,248 | 1.76 | -176 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 48 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 Mcardle 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 | #6,299 | #6,251 | 0.8% |
| Count | 5,424 | 5,248 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.76 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcardle bearers went from 5,424 to 5,248 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,299 to #6,251.
FAQ
Mcardle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcardle?
Name Census estimates that about 6,018 living Americans carry the surname Mcardle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,955 residents.
How common is Mcardle?
Mcardle ranks #6,251 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,248 people with the surname Mcardle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,018), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcardle.
Has Mcardle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcardle went from 5,424 recorded bearers to 5,248. That is a decrease of 176 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,299 to #6,251.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcardle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcardle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mcardle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (4,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcardle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mcardle (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 Mcardle mean?
An Irish occupational surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ardghail," meaning "son of the high valour." 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 Mcardle (1.76 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 Mcardle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.