2000
#5,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,645
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Mcauliffe
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Olaf" or "descendant of Olaf," referring to a Scandinavian ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,513 Americans carry the last name Mcauliffe. That puts it at #5,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcauliffe 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 Mcauliffe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,626
Census rank
#5,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,680 bearers of the surname Mcauliffe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcauliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcauliffe
The surname McAuliffe is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name Mac Amhalghaidh, which means "son of Amhalghaidh" or "son of the devoted one". This name is believed to have originated in the province of Munster, particularly in the counties of Cork and Kerry.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, which date back to the 12th century. In these annals, the name appears as "Mac Amhalghaidh" and is associated with the Uí Echach Muman, a prominent Irish dynasty.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McAuliffe is found in the Red Book of Ormond, a 14th-century manuscript that contains records of landholdings and grants in County Tipperary. This document mentions a "Gillemor Mac Awlef" in 1337.
In the 16th century, the name McAuliffe is recorded in various records and documents, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters.
Notable individuals with the surname McAuliffe throughout history include:
1. John McAuliffe (c. 1570-1649), an Irish Catholic priest and author, known for his work "The Pious Miscellany" published in 1644.
2. Mary McAuliffe (1795-1878), an Irish revolutionary and activist who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
3. Jeremiah McAuliffe (1837-1917), an Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.
4. Michael McAuliffe (1869-1943), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
5. Anthony C. McAuliffe (1898-1975), a highly decorated American military officer who famously responded "Nuts!" to a German surrender demand during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
The surname McAuliffe has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballymacauliffe and Glenacauliffe, which are derived from the Irish Gaelic "Baile Mhic Amhalghaidh" and "Gleann Mhic Amhalghaidh," respectively, meaning "the town/valley of the son of Amhalghaidh."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcauliffe
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcauliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcauliffe 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 Mcauliffe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 5,285
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 172
- Two or more races2.0% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 54
- Black or African American0.7% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcauliffe
Mcauliffe 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
#5,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,733
+88 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 355 places
2020
#5,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,680
-53 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Up 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,641 | 5,645 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,996 | 5,733 | 1.94 | +88 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 355 places |
| 2020 | #5,863 | 5,680 | 1.90 | -53 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 133 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 Mcauliffe 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 | #5,996 | #5,863 | 2.2% |
| Count | 5,733 | 5,680 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.90 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcauliffe bearers went from 5,733 to 5,680 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,996 to #5,863.
FAQ
Mcauliffe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcauliffe?
Name Census estimates that about 6,513 living Americans carry the surname Mcauliffe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,626 residents.
How common is Mcauliffe?
Mcauliffe ranks #5,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 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 5,680 people with the surname Mcauliffe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,513), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 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 Mcauliffe.
Has Mcauliffe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcauliffe went from 5,733 recorded bearers to 5,680. That is a decrease of 53 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,996 to #5,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcauliffe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcauliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Mcauliffe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (5,285 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcauliffe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Mcauliffe (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 Mcauliffe mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Olaf" or "descendant of Olaf," referring to a Scandinavian ancestor. 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 Mcauliffe (1.90 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 share the surname Mcauliffe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.