2000
#6,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.89
Rare Last name
Mccafferty
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eachmharcaigh," meaning "son of Eachmharcach," a personal name signifying "horse rider" or "cavalry soldier."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,531 Americans carry the last name Mccafferty. That puts it at #6,722 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccafferty 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 Mccafferty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 61,970
Census rank
#6,722
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,823 bearers of the surname Mccafferty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6722nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccafferty, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccafferty
The surname McCafferty is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic Mac Aphartáin or Mac Aferatáin. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Aphartáin/Aferatáin." The name Aphartáin is derived from the Old Irish word "afer," meaning "cold" or "keen," and the diminutive suffix "-án."
The McCafferty surname is most commonly found in counties Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh in Ulster, Ireland. It is believed to have originated in the area around the townlands of Aghyaran and Aghalurcher in County Fermanagh. The name is first recorded in the Annals of Ulster in the 14th century, which mention an Edmond Mac Caferthy in 1356.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCafferty surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, which mention a Richard McCafferty in County Fermanagh in 1585. The surname is also found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663-1665, which list several McCafferty households in County Fermanagh.
Notable McCaffertys throughout history include:
1. James McCafferty (1803-1869), an Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Donegal from 1857 to 1865.
2. John McCafferty (1846-1923), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1900 to 1909.
3. Thomas McCafferty (1885-1964), an Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1926 to 1930.
4. John McCafferty (born 1936), an Irish-American actor best known for his roles in the films "The Deer Hunter" and "Taps."
5. Fergus McCafferty (born 1973), an Irish author and playwright, known for his works such as "The Gathering" and "Nowhere Man."
The McCafferty surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Aghyaran and Aghalurcher in County Fermanagh, where the name is believed to have originated. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as MacCafferty, McCafferity, and McCaffarty, have been observed throughout historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccafferty
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccafferty, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccafferty 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 Mccafferty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 4,404
- Two or more races3.1% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 144
- Black or African American1.7% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccafferty
Mccafferty 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
#6,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,147
+55 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#6,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,823
-324 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,191 | 5,092 | 1.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,579 | 5,147 | 1.74 | +55 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #6,722 | 4,823 | 1.61 | -324 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 143 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 Mccafferty 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 | #6,579 | #6,722 | -2.2% |
| Count | 5,147 | 4,823 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.61 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccafferty bearers went from 5,147 to 4,823 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,579 to #6,722.
FAQ
Mccafferty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccafferty?
Name Census estimates that about 5,531 living Americans carry the surname Mccafferty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,970 residents.
How common is Mccafferty?
Mccafferty ranks #6,722 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 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 4,823 people with the surname Mccafferty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,531), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 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 Mccafferty.
Has Mccafferty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccafferty went from 5,147 recorded bearers to 4,823. That is a decrease of 324 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,579 to #6,722.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccafferty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccafferty, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mccafferty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (4,404 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccafferty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mccafferty (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 Mccafferty mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eachmharcaigh," meaning "son of Eachmharcach," a personal name signifying "horse rider" or "cavalry soldier." 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 Mccafferty (1.61 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 surname Mccafferty?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.