2000
#6,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,691
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Mcavoy
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe," meaning "son of the fair-haired man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,374 Americans carry the last name Mcavoy. That puts it at #6,912 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,780 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcavoy 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 Mcavoy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,780
Census rank
#6,912
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,686 bearers of the surname Mcavoy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6912th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcavoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcavoy
The surname McAvoy has its origins in Ireland and Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name "Mac Samhaidh," which means "son of Samhadh." Samhadh is derived from the Old Irish word "samh," meaning "summer" or "summertime."
The McAvoy name can be traced back to County Cavan, Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the areas of Cavan, Fermanagh, and Monaghan. Historical records show variations in the spelling, including MacCavaddy, MacAvaddy, and McAveety.
One of the earliest recorded references to the McAvoy name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Annals mention a "Mac Samhaidh" in the entry for the year 1239, suggesting the name's existence at that time.
In the 16th century, the McAvoy name appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereign, a collection of official records from the reign of Henry VIII. This indicates that members of the McAvoy family held positions of importance during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname McAvoy throughout history include:
1. Owen McAvoy (c. 1580-1650), an Irish Catholic priest and historian, known for his work "The Book of Monaghan."
2. John McAvoy (1760-1838), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Thomas McAvoy (1819-1892), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and missionary in the Pacific Northwest.
4. May McAvoy (1899-1984), an American actress who appeared in silent films and early talkies.
5. Aidan McAvoy (born 1958), an Irish hurler who played for the Antrim senior hurling team.
The McAvoy name is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as McAvoy's Lough in County Fermanagh and McAvoy's Bridge in County Cavan, reflecting the historical presence of the family in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcavoy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcavoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcavoy 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 Mcavoy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 4,385
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 129
- Two or more races2.4% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- Black or African American0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcavoy
Mcavoy 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
#7,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,715
+24 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 457 places
2020
#6,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,686
-29 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Up 190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,645 | 4,691 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,102 | 4,715 | 1.60 | +24 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 457 places |
| 2020 | #6,912 | 4,686 | 1.57 | -29 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 190 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 Mcavoy 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 | #7,102 | #6,912 | 2.7% |
| Count | 4,715 | 4,686 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.57 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcavoy bearers went from 4,715 to 4,686 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 190 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,102 to #6,912.
FAQ
Mcavoy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcavoy?
Name Census estimates that about 5,374 living Americans carry the surname Mcavoy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,780 residents.
How common is Mcavoy?
Mcavoy ranks #6,912 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 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 4,686 people with the surname Mcavoy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 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 Mcavoy.
Has Mcavoy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcavoy went from 4,715 recorded bearers to 4,686. That is a decrease of 29 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,102 to #6,912.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcavoy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcavoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mcavoy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (4,385 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcavoy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mcavoy (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 Mcavoy mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe," meaning "son of the fair-haired man." 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 Mcavoy (1.57 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 common is the surname Mcavoy?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mcavoy is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.