2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mcbirney
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Giolla Bhrighde meaning "son of the devotee of St Brigid".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Mcbirney. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcbirney 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Mcbirney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbirney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcbirney
The surname McBirney is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Beirnidh', meaning 'son of Beirnidh'. The name Beirnidh is thought to be a diminutive form of the Gaelic name 'Beorn', meaning 'bear'. This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname for someone with a bear-like appearance or demeanor.
The McBirney name is most closely associated with the counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire in southwestern Scotland, where the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of Scotland. In this document, the name is spelled 'MacBernye'.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including McByrnie, McBurnie, McBurney, and McBerney. These variations likely arose from regional dialects and the inconsistencies of early record-keeping.
One notable early bearer of the name was John McBirney, a merchant and burgess of Ayr in the late 15th century. He is recorded as having been involved in trade with the Low Countries and is mentioned in several local records from the time.
In the 17th century, during the Scottish Plantation of Ulster, many McBirney families emigrated from Scotland to Ireland, settling primarily in counties Antrim and Down. One prominent figure from this era was James McBirney (c. 1650-1720), a Presbyterian minister who served in various parishes in County Antrim.
Another notable McBirney was David McBirney (1770-1841), an Irish-born Presbyterian minister who emigrated to the United States in 1802. He served as a minister in several churches in Pennsylvania and Ohio and was a prominent figure in the early American Presbyterian Church.
In the 19th century, the McBirney name gained some renown in the United States through the exploits of David B. McBirney (1818-1890), a career military officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of Brevet Major General in the Union Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Finally, one cannot discuss the McBirney name without mentioning William McBirney (1884-1964), a renowned Canadian architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Toronto and Montreal, and his work helped shape the urban landscapes of those cities in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcbirney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbirney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcbirney 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 Mcbirney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 103
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcbirney
Mcbirney 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-13 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,660 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 18,660 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,207 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 Mcbirney 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 | #138,304 | #143,511 | -3.8% |
| Count | 121 | 118 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcbirney bearers went from 121 to 118 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #143,511.
FAQ
Mcbirney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcbirney?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Mcbirney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Mcbirney?
Mcbirney ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Mcbirney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mcbirney.
Has Mcbirney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcbirney went from 121 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcbirney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbirney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mcbirney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcbirney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mcbirney (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 Mcbirney mean?
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Giolla Bhrighde meaning "son of the devotee of St Brigid". 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 Mcbirney (0.04 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 people are called Mcbirney?
You can see how many people have the surname Mcbirney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.