2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mccahey
Irish surname derived from the Gaelic surname "MacCathmhaoil", meaning "son of the descendant of Cathmhaoil".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Mccahey. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccahey 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Mccahey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccahey, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccahey
The surname MCCAHEY is of Irish origin, originating in the early 17th century during the Plantation of Ulster. It is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Cathaidh" or "Mac Cathaigh", which means "son of Cathaidh" or "son of the battler".
This surname is most commonly found in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, particularly in the areas around Clogher and Fivemiletown. It is thought to have been brought to these areas by Scottish and English settlers during the Plantation of Ulster in the early 1600s.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MCCAHEY can be found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which list a "Donnell McCahey" living in County Tyrone. The name also appears in various parish records and land registry documents from the 18th and 19th centuries in Ireland.
In the late 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Patrick McCahey, who was born in County Tyrone around 1765. He was a prominent landowner and farmer in the area.
Another notable figure was John McCahey, born in 1820 in County Tyrone. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the local community.
In the late 19th century, a family of McCaheys emigrated from Ireland to Canada, settling in Ontario. One of their descendants, William McCahey, born in 1875, became a respected educator and school administrator in the province.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded McCaheys was James McCahey, who was born in County Tyrone in 1825 and later immigrated to Philadelphia in the mid-19th century. He worked as a blacksmith and was an active member of the local Irish community.
Another notable bearer of the name was Michael McCahey, born in County Tyrone in 1845. He emigrated to New York City in the late 1860s and became a successful businessman and real estate investor.
While the surname MCCAHEY is not as common as some other Irish names, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals throughout the centuries, both in Ireland and in various parts of the world where Irish immigrants settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccahey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccahey, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccahey 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 Mccahey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino14.7% · 15
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccahey
Mccahey 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,927 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-20 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 10,927 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 17,428 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 Mccahey 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 | #137,327 | #154,755 | -12.7% |
| Count | 122 | 102 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccahey bearers went from 122 to 102 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 17,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #154,755.
FAQ
Mccahey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccahey?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Mccahey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Mccahey?
Mccahey ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Mccahey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mccahey.
Has Mccahey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccahey went from 122 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccahey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccahey, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Mccahey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccahey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (14.7%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Mccahey (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 Mccahey mean?
Irish surname derived from the Gaelic surname "MacCathmhaoil", meaning "son of the descendant of Cathmhaoil". 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 Mccahey (0.03 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 Mccahey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.