2000
#25,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Mccaa
An Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname Mac Cadha referring to one descended from an ancestor named Cadha.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,141 Americans carry the last name Mccaa. That puts it at #25,911 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 300,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccaa 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
1.1K
1 in 300,398
Census rank
#25,911
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
995
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 995 bearers of the surname Mccaa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25911th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaa, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.2%. The next largest groups are Black (45.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccaa
The surname MCCAA is of Scottish origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have emerged in the Scottish Lowlands, specifically in the region of Ayrshire. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "mac," meaning "son of," combined with the personal name "Aa" or "Aey," which may have been a diminutive form of names like Adam or Andrew.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MCCAA surname can be found in the records of the Scottish Parish of Kilmarnock in 1613, where a John McCaa is mentioned. Another early reference appears in the Registers of the Privy Council of Scotland from 1626, which mentions a William McCaa from the parish of Muirkirk.
The MCCAA name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is James McCaa (1767-1848), a Scottish-born entrepreneur who emigrated to the United States and became a successful merchant and landowner in Ohio. Another prominent bearer of the name was John McCaa (1801-1879), a Presbyterian minister and educator from South Carolina, who served as the president of Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the MCCAA surname was also found in County Antrim, Ireland, which was likely due to Scottish migration or settlement in that region. One example is Robert McCaa (1775-1855), a farmer and landowner from Antrim, whose descendants later emigrated to Australia and New Zealand.
During the 19th century, the MCCAA name appeared in various historical records and documents, including census records, parish registers, and land deeds. For instance, a Thomas McCaa was recorded as a tenant farmer in the Dunlop Parish of Ayrshire in the 1841 Census of Scotland.
Another notable figure was Alexander McCaa (1834-1904), a Scottish-born architect who emigrated to Canada and became well-known for his contributions to the architectural landscape of Toronto, designing several notable buildings in the city, including the Confederation Life Building and the former Bank of Toronto building.
While the MCCAA surname is relatively uncommon, it has persisted through the centuries and can be found in various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of its Scottish and Ulster-Scots bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccaa
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaa, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.2%. The next largest groups are Black (45.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccaa 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 Mccaa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.2% · 480
- Black or African American45.1% · 449
- Two or more races2.9% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccaa
Mccaa 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
#24,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,035
+109 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 886 places
2020
#25,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 995
-40 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 1,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,123 | 926 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,237 | 1,035 | 0.35 | +109 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 886 places |
| 2020 | #25,911 | 995 | 0.33 | -40 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1,674 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 Mccaa 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 | #24,237 | #25,911 | -6.9% |
| Count | 1,035 | 995 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.33 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccaa bearers went from 1,035 to 995 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 1,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,237 to #25,911.
FAQ
Mccaa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccaa?
Name Census estimates that about 1,141 living Americans carry the surname Mccaa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 300,398 residents.
How common is Mccaa?
Mccaa ranks #25,911 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 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 995 people with the surname Mccaa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 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 Mccaa.
Has Mccaa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccaa went from 1,035 recorded bearers to 995. That is a decrease of 40 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,237 to #25,911.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccaa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaa, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.2%. The next largest groups are Black (45.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Mccaa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.2% (480 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccaa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.2%), Black (45.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Mccaa (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 Mccaa mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname Mac Cadha referring to one descended from an ancestor named Cadha. 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 Mccaa (0.33 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 Mccaa?
You can see how many people have the surname Mccaa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.