2000
#41,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 492
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Mccarey
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic Irish surname Mac Ciaraidh referring to one from County Kerry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 584 Americans carry the last name Mccarey. That puts it at #45,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 586,908 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccarey 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
584
1 in 586,908
Census rank
#45,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
509
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 509 bearers of the surname Mccarey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarey, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccarey
The surname MCCAREY originated in Ireland, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic surname "Mac Cearraidhe," which translates to "son of Cearraidhe." The name Cearraidhe itself is derived from the word "cearr," meaning "left-handed" or "awkward."
The MCCAREY surname is most commonly found in counties such as Donegal, Sligo, and Mayo in the northwestern region of Ireland. This area was historically known for its strong Gaelic cultural traditions and resistance to English rule, which may have contributed to the preservation of the name over the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MCCAREY can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Cearraidhe Mac Cearraidhe" in the year 1199.
In the 16th century, the MCCAREY surname is documented in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of royal records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. These records mention individuals with the surname MCCAREY, often in connection with land grants or legal disputes.
Notable individuals with the surname MCCAREY throughout history include:
1. Patrick MCCAREY (born c. 1760, died c. 1820), an Irish soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.
2. John MCCAREY (1858-1929), an Irish-American political cartoonist and illustrator known for his work in publications such as Harper's Weekly and The New York Herald.
3. Leo MCCAREY (1898-1969), an American film director and screenwriter who won three Academy Awards for his works, including the classic comedy "The Awful Truth" (1937).
4. Michael MCCAREY (born 1938), an American singer and actor best known for his roles in the musicals "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."
5. Ray MCCAREY (1904-1948), an American professional baseball player who played for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves in the 1920s and 1930s.
The surname MCCAREY has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Carrigmaccaree (Carraig Mhic Cearraidhe) in County Mayo, which translates to "the rock of the son of Cearraidhe."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccarey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarey, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccarey 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 Mccarey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 391
- Black or African American14.9% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 20
- Two or more races3.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccarey
Mccarey 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
#47,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 445
-47 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 5,957 places
2020
#45,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 509
+64 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 2,311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,657 | 492 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,614 | 445 | 0.15 | -47 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 5,957 places |
| 2020 | #45,303 | 509 | 0.17 | +64 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 2,311 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 Mccarey 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 | #47,614 | #45,303 | 4.9% |
| Count | 445 | 509 | 14.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.17 | 13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccarey bearers went from 445 to 509 (+14.4% change). The surname moved up 2,311 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,614 to #45,303.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccarey
FAQ
Mccarey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccarey?
Name Census estimates that about 584 living Americans carry the surname Mccarey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 586,908 residents.
How common is Mccarey?
Mccarey ranks #45,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 509 people with the surname Mccarey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (584), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Mccarey.
Has Mccarey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccarey went from 445 recorded bearers to 509. That is an increase of 64 (+14.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #47,614 to #45,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccarey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarey, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Mccarey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (391 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccarey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Black (14.9%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Mccarey (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 Mccarey mean?
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic Irish surname Mac Ciaraidh referring to one from County Kerry. 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 Mccarey (0.17 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 Mccarey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.