2000
#10,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,708
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Mccalla
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place in Argyllshire, likely meaning "peninsula of the landing place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,686 Americans carry the last name Mccalla. That puts it at #9,654 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccalla 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 Mccalla with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,988
Census rank
#9,654
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,214 bearers of the surname Mccalla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9654th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccalla, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccalla
The surname McCalla has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the 15th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "mac" meaning "son of" and the personal name "Colla," which itself has roots in the Old Irish word "coll" meaning "hazel tree." The McCalla name is believed to have originated in the Highlands region of Scotland, particularly in the areas around Argyll and Bute.
In early historical records, the name appears with various spellings, such as McColl, McCall, and McCaull. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1488, which mentions a "John McCalla" as a witness in a land dispute.
The McCalla name is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname is Sir John McCalla (c. 1550-1624), a Scottish nobleman and landowner who served as a member of the Scottish Parliament during the reign of King James VI.
Another prominent figure was Reverend Daniel McCalla (1748-1809), an Irish-American Presbyterian minister who played a significant role in the establishment of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. He was born in County Antrim, Ireland, and later emigrated to America, where he served as a chaplain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, John McCalla (1793-1879) was a notable American lawyer and judge from Pennsylvania. He served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County and was also a prominent abolitionist, actively campaigning against slavery.
The McCalla surname is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as McCalla's Hill in Argyll and Bute, which may have been named after an early bearer of the name who resided in or owned land in that area.
Another individual of note bearing the McCalla surname was William Bryson McCalla (1841-1911), a Canadian politician and businessman from Ontario. He served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and was involved in various business ventures, including mining and railway construction.
While the McCalla name has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Scottish and Irish emigration. The surname continues to be prevalent in several countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccalla
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccalla, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccalla 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 Mccalla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.9% · 1,476
- White44.8% · 1,441
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 145
- Two or more races4.0% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccalla
Mccalla 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
#9,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,326
+618 bearers (+22.8%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 1,062 places
2020
#9,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,214
-112 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,807 | 2,708 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,745 | 3,326 | 1.13 | +618 bearers (+22.8%) | Up 1,062 places |
| 2020 | #9,654 | 3,214 | 1.08 | -112 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 91 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 Mccalla 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 | #9,745 | #9,654 | 0.9% |
| Count | 3,326 | 3,214 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.08 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccalla bearers went from 3,326 to 3,214 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,745 to #9,654.
FAQ
Mccalla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccalla?
Name Census estimates that about 3,686 living Americans carry the surname Mccalla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,988 residents.
How common is Mccalla?
Mccalla ranks #9,654 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,214 people with the surname Mccalla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,686), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Mccalla.
Has Mccalla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccalla went from 3,326 recorded bearers to 3,214. That is a decrease of 112 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,745 to #9,654.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccalla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccalla, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mccalla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.9% (1,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccalla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.9%), White (44.8%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Mccalla (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 Mccalla mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place in Argyllshire, likely meaning "peninsula of the landing place." 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 Mccalla (1.08 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 common is the surname Mccalla?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Mccalla at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.