2000
#6,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Mcatee
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Dé," meaning "son of the servant of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,286 Americans carry the last name Mcatee. That puts it at #7,025 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcatee 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 Mcatee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,842
Census rank
#7,025
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,610 bearers of the surname Mcatee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7025th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcatee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcatee
The surname McAtee is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Mac Ádaimh," which means "son of Adam." This name was likely first adopted in the 12th or 13th century in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 14th century, with references found in various Scottish manuscripts and charters. One notable example is the mention of a "John McAthe" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1365.
In the 16th century, the surname began to appear in various spellings, such as McAttee, McAtty, and McAtee, reflecting the phonetic variations common in Scottish naming traditions. The modern spelling of "McAtee" became more standardized in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The name has been associated with several prominent figures throughout history. In the 15th century, a Scottish clan member named Finlay McAtee was recorded as a signatory to the Ragman Rolls of 1296, swearing fealty to King Edward I of England.
During the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Angus McAtee (1620-1698), a Scottish soldier who fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and later settled in Ulster, Ireland.
In the 18th century, Archibald McAtee (1745-1812) was a merchant and landowner in Argyllshire, Scotland, known for his involvement in local politics and community affairs.
Another notable individual was John McAtee (1789-1872), a Scottish-born surveyor and explorer who played a significant role in mapping the American West in the early 19th century.
Moving into the 19th century, William McAtee (1835-1918) was a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to educational institutions in his adopted home of Philadelphia.
While the surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Scottish migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcatee
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcatee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcatee 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 Mcatee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 3,947
- Black or African American6.6% · 303
- Two or more races3.5% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 146
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcatee
Mcatee 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
#7,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,739
+82 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 373 places
2020
#7,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,610
-129 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Up 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,688 | 4,657 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,061 | 4,739 | 1.61 | +82 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 373 places |
| 2020 | #7,025 | 4,610 | 1.54 | -129 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 36 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 Mcatee 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 | #7,061 | #7,025 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,739 | 4,610 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.54 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcatee bearers went from 4,739 to 4,610 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,061 to #7,025.
FAQ
Mcatee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcatee?
Name Census estimates that about 5,286 living Americans carry the surname Mcatee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,842 residents.
How common is Mcatee?
Mcatee ranks #7,025 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 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 4,610 people with the surname Mcatee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,286), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 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 Mcatee.
Has Mcatee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcatee went from 4,739 recorded bearers to 4,610. That is a decrease of 129 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,061 to #7,025.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcatee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcatee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mcatee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (3,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcatee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (6.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mcatee (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 Mcatee mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Dé," meaning "son of the servant of God." 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 Mcatee (1.54 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 Mcatee?
Find out how many people have the surname Mcatee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.