2000
#8,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,434
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Mcbrayer
An Irish occupational surname referring to a brewer or ale maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,910 Americans carry the last name Mcbrayer. That puts it at #9,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcbrayer 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
3.9K
1 in 87,661
Census rank
#9,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,410 bearers of the surname Mcbrayer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbrayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcbrayer
The surname McBrayer is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Bréanainn," which means "descendant of Bréanainn." The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" signifies "son of."
The name McBrayer is believed to have originated in the region of Argyll, where the Clan MacBrayne was prominent. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1292, where a person named "Makbrayar" is mentioned.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was John McBrayer, a Scottish clergyman and scholar. He served as the Abbot of Kilwinning Abbey in Ayrshire from 1450 to 1467.
During the 16th century, the McBrayer surname was found in various records, including the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, where a "Johnne McBrayer" is mentioned in 1539.
In the 17th century, a significant figure bearing the McBrayer name was Robert McBrayer, a Scottish Presbyterian minister who was born in 1611. He served as the minister of Campbeltown and played a crucial role in the religious affairs of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was William McBrayer, who was born in 1688 in Inverness-shire, Scotland. He was a renowned architect and is credited with designing several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
In the 18th century, the McBrayer surname was found in various Scottish parishes, including Kilmarnock, Ayr, and Glasgow. One notable figure was James McBrayer, a Scottish merchant and landowner who lived from 1732 to 1809.
As the centuries passed, the McBrayer surname spread beyond Scotland, with many bearers of the name migrating to other parts of the United Kingdom, North America, and other regions of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcbrayer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbrayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcbrayer 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 Mcbrayer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 2,958
- Black or African American5.4% · 184
- Two or more races4.2% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcbrayer
Mcbrayer 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
#9,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,452
+18 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 635 places
2020
#9,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,410
-42 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 234 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,786 | 3,434 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,421 | 3,452 | 1.17 | +18 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 635 places |
| 2020 | #9,187 | 3,410 | 1.14 | -42 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 234 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 Mcbrayer 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 | #9,421 | #9,187 | 2.5% |
| Count | 3,452 | 3,410 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.14 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcbrayer bearers went from 3,452 to 3,410 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 234 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,421 to #9,187.
FAQ
Mcbrayer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcbrayer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,910 living Americans carry the surname Mcbrayer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,661 residents.
How common is Mcbrayer?
Mcbrayer ranks #9,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,410 people with the surname Mcbrayer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcbrayer.
Has Mcbrayer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcbrayer went from 3,452 recorded bearers to 3,410. That is a decrease of 42 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,421 to #9,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcbrayer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbrayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mcbrayer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (2,958 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcbrayer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mcbrayer (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 Mcbrayer mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a brewer or ale maker. 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 Mcbrayer (1.14 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 have the last name Mcbrayer?
Want to know how common the surname Mcbrayer is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.