2000
#2,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.50
Uncommon Last name
Mcarthur
Son of Arthur, a patronymic surname of Scottish and Irish origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,855 Americans carry the last name Mcarthur. That puts it at #2,907 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,739 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcarthur 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 Mcarthur with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,739
Census rank
#2,907
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,082 bearers of the surname Mcarthur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2907th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcarthur, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcarthur
The surname McArthur is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Artair" and the patronymic prefix "Mac" meaning "son of". The name ultimately traces its roots to the ancient Greek name "Arthuros", which was Latinized as "Artorius" and later evolved into the name Arthur.
The McArthur name first appeared in the historical records of the 12th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being a Gillecrist MacArthur who witnessed a charter by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1179. The name was particularly prevalent in the region of Argyll and the Western Isles of Scotland.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the McArthur clan played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence, with several members of the clan being recorded as supporters of Robert the Bruce. One notable McArthur was John MacArthur, who fought alongside Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
In the 16th century, the McArthurs were involved in various clan conflicts and feuds with neighboring clans such as the Campbells and the MacDonalds. One of the most prominent members of the clan during this period was Sir John McArthur, who served as the Chamberlain of Argyll in the early 1500s.
Over the centuries, the McArthur name has been spelled in various ways, including MacArthur, McArther, and MacArter. The name has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Artur and Arthuret, which may have influenced its spelling and pronunciation.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the McArthur surname throughout history are:
1. John McArthur (1755-1840), a Scottish navigator and explorer who participated in several voyages to the Pacific Ocean.
2. Sir William McArthur (1809-1887), a British army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
3. John McArthur (1826-1906), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Winnipeg.
4. Charles McArthur (1895-1956), an American playwright and screenwriter best known for his work on the classic film "Gone with the Wind".
5. Douglas McArthur (1880-1964), an American five-star general who commanded the Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcarthur
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcarthur, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcarthur 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 Mcarthur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 8,858
- Black or African American16.4% · 1,986
- Two or more races4.5% · 539
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 485
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcarthur
Mcarthur 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
#2,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,683
+531 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.30
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#2,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,082
-601 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 4.04
Rank movement Down 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,721 | 12,152 | 4.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,844 | 12,683 | 4.30 | +531 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #2,907 | 12,082 | 4.04 | -601 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 63 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 Mcarthur 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 | #2,844 | #2,907 | -2.2% |
| Count | 12,683 | 12,082 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.30 | 4.04 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcarthur bearers went from 12,683 to 12,082 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,844 to #2,907.
FAQ
Mcarthur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcarthur?
Name Census estimates that about 13,855 living Americans carry the surname Mcarthur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,739 residents.
How common is Mcarthur?
Mcarthur ranks #2,907 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.04 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 12,082 people with the surname Mcarthur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,855), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.04 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 Mcarthur.
Has Mcarthur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcarthur went from 12,683 recorded bearers to 12,082. That is a decrease of 601 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,844 to #2,907.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcarthur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcarthur, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mcarthur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (8,858 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcarthur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mcarthur (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 Mcarthur mean?
Son of Arthur, a patronymic surname of Scottish and Irish origin. 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 Mcarthur (4.04 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 Mcarthur?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.