2000
#1,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.65
Uncommon Last name
Mccain
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cathain," meaning "son of Cathan," a personal name of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,348 Americans carry the last name Mccain. That puts it at #1,985 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccain 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 Mccain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,845
Census rank
#1,985
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,744 bearers of the surname Mccain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1985th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccain, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccain
The surname McCain is of Scottish origin and is derived from the Gaelic phrase "mac Iain," meaning "son of Ian." The name can be traced back to the early 12th century in the Highlands of Scotland, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McCain can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of parchment rolls containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacIan" in these rolls.
In the 14th century, the name began to appear in various spellings, such as "MacCane," "MacKane," and "MacKain." These variations were likely due to the phonetic spelling of the name by English scribes who were unfamiliar with the Gaelic language.
The McCain name has been associated with several notable historical figures throughout the centuries. One such figure was Sir John McCain, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
Another prominent individual was Sir James McCain, who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh in the late 16th century. He played a crucial role in the city's defense during the Scottish Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name McCain appeared in various parts of Scotland, including the Highlands and Lowlands. One notable bearer of the name was Alexander McCain, a Scottish soldier who fought in the English Civil War and later settled in Ulster, Ireland.
During the 18th century, many McCains emigrated from Scotland to the American colonies, particularly to Virginia and the Carolinas. One such individual was James McCain, who was born in Scotland in 1719 and later served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the McCain name continued to spread throughout the United States, with several individuals achieving prominence. One such person was John Sidney McCain, a United States Navy officer who served during the American Civil War and later became a successful businessperson in Mississippi.
The name McCain has been carried by numerous notable individuals throughout its long history, from medieval Scottish knights to American military leaders and politicians. It remains a prominent surname in both Scotland and the United States, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and resilience of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccain
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccain, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccain 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 Mccain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.7% · 10,940
- Black or African American28.9% · 5,122
- Two or more races4.9% · 864
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 605
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccain
Mccain 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
#1,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,032
+1,099 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 6.45
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#1,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,744
-1,288 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 5.94
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,842 | 17,933 | 6.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,888 | 19,032 | 6.45 | +1,099 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #1,985 | 17,744 | 5.94 | -1,288 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 97 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 Mccain 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 | #1,888 | #1,985 | -5.1% |
| Count | 19,032 | 17,744 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.45 | 5.94 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccain bearers went from 19,032 to 17,744 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,888 to #1,985.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccain
FAQ
Mccain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccain?
Name Census estimates that about 20,348 living Americans carry the surname Mccain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,845 residents.
How common is Mccain?
Mccain ranks #1,985 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,744 people with the surname Mccain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,348), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mccain.
Has Mccain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccain went from 19,032 recorded bearers to 17,744. That is a decrease of 1,288 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,888 to #1,985.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccain, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mccain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (10,940 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.7%), Black (28.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mccain (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 Mccain mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cathain," meaning "son of Cathan," a personal name of uncertain origin. 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 Mccain (5.94 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 Mccain?
Find out how many people have the last name Mccain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.