2000
#10,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Mccaleb
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Caileab," meaning "son of Caleb," a devotee of the dog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,045 Americans carry the last name Mccaleb. That puts it at #11,356 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,563 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccaleb 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
3.0K
1 in 112,563
Census rank
#11,356
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,655 bearers of the surname Mccaleb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11356th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaleb, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccaleb
The surname McCaleb has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "MacChaluim," meaning "son of Calum" or "son of Columba." Columba was a popular name among early Christian missionaries in Scotland, and the name likely originated with followers of St. Columba, the famous 6th-century Irish missionary who established a monastery on the island of Iona.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1390, where a John McCaleb is mentioned as a landowner in the county of Ayr. The name also appears in various other historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, often with variations in spelling such as McCalebbe, McCalub, and McCallum.
In the 17th century, the McCaleb family became associated with the town of Kilwinning, located in North Ayrshire. The family played a prominent role in the local community, with several members serving as magistrates and council members throughout the 1600s. One notable figure was Robert McCaleb (1625-1698), who was a prominent merchant and served as the Provost (mayor) of Kilwinning from 1679 to 1683.
As the Scottish diaspora spread across the world, the McCaleb name traveled with it. In the 18th century, several members of the family emigrated to the American colonies, where they settled in various regions, including the Carolinas and Virginia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of William McCaleb (1735-1812), who served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and later settled in South Carolina.
Throughout the 19th century, the McCaleb name became more widespread in the United States. Notable individuals included James McCaleb (1801-1878), a prominent Baptist minister and educator who founded the Bethel College in Kentucky, and John Berry McCaleb (1851-1936), a missionary who spent over 40 years spreading Christianity in Japan.
Other notable individuals with the McCaleb surname include:
1. James Addison McCaleb (1878-1958), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
2. Ralph McCaleb (1913-1957), an American actor and stuntman who appeared in numerous Western films and TV shows.
3. Walter Flavius McCaleb (1847-1936), a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War and later a prominent lawyer and judge in Texas.
4. Robert McCaleb (1919-2012), an American entrepreneur and businessman who co-founded the Waffle House restaurant chain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccaleb
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaleb, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccaleb 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 Mccaleb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 1,992
- Black or African American15.1% · 402
- Two or more races5.5% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccaleb
Mccaleb 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
#11,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,802
+72 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 545 places
2020
#11,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,655
-147 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,730 | 2,730 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,275 | 2,802 | 0.95 | +72 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 545 places |
| 2020 | #11,356 | 2,655 | 0.89 | -147 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 81 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 Mccaleb 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 | #11,275 | #11,356 | -0.7% |
| Count | 2,802 | 2,655 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.89 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccaleb bearers went from 2,802 to 2,655 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,275 to #11,356.
FAQ
Mccaleb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccaleb?
Name Census estimates that about 3,045 living Americans carry the surname Mccaleb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,563 residents.
How common is Mccaleb?
Mccaleb ranks #11,356 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,655 people with the surname Mccaleb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,045), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Mccaleb.
Has Mccaleb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccaleb went from 2,802 recorded bearers to 2,655. That is a decrease of 147 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,275 to #11,356.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccaleb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaleb, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Mccaleb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (1,992 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccaleb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Black (15.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Mccaleb (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 Mccaleb mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Caileab," meaning "son of Caleb," a devotee of the dog. 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 Mccaleb (0.89 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 Mccaleb?
Want to know how many people are called Mccaleb? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.