2000
#8,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Mccarron
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Ciarán," derived from a diminutive of the Irish name Ciar, meaning "black."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,737 Americans carry the last name Mccarron. That puts it at #9,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccarron 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 Mccarron with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,719
Census rank
#9,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,259 bearers of the surname Mccarron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarron, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccarron
The surname McCarron is of Irish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period in Ireland. The name is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Arúin, meaning "son of Arún," which was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "aran," meaning "bread."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in 16th and 17th-century Irish records, particularly in counties such as Donegal, Tyrone, and Sligo. The name was also prevalent in the province of Ulster, where it was associated with prominent families and landowners.
One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Dermot McCarron, a 16th-century Irish chieftain from County Donegal. He was known for his role in the Nine Years' War against English forces in Ireland.
Another notable figure was Fergus McCarron, an Irish Catholic priest born in County Tyrone in the late 17th century. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and played a significant role in rallying support for the United Irishmen movement.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of James McCarron (1814-1892), a prominent Irish-American industrialist and founder of the McCarron Steel Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His success in the steel industry contributed to the growth and development of the city.
The name has also been associated with other notable individuals, such as John McCarron (1829-1892), an Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1876 to 1877, and William McCarron (1859-1933), a Canadian entrepreneur and co-founder of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
While the name has undergone various spellings throughout history, including McArron, McArroun, and McArrane, the modern spelling of McCarron has become the most widely accepted and recognized form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccarron
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarron, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccarron 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 Mccarron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,032
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 127
- Two or more races1.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccarron
Mccarron 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
#9,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,609
+89 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 451 places
2020
#9,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,259
-350 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,603 | 3,520 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,054 | 3,609 | 1.22 | +89 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 451 places |
| 2020 | #9,538 | 3,259 | 1.09 | -350 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 484 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 Mccarron 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 | #9,054 | #9,538 | -5.3% |
| Count | 3,609 | 3,259 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.09 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccarron bearers went from 3,609 to 3,259 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 484 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,054 to #9,538.
FAQ
Mccarron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccarron?
Name Census estimates that about 3,737 living Americans carry the surname Mccarron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,719 residents.
How common is Mccarron?
Mccarron ranks #9,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,259 people with the surname Mccarron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Mccarron.
Has Mccarron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccarron went from 3,609 recorded bearers to 3,259. That is a decrease of 350 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,054 to #9,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccarron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarron, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mccarron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,032 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccarron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mccarron (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 Mccarron mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Ciarán," derived from a diminutive of the Irish name Ciar, meaning "black." 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 Mccarron (1.09 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 Mccarron?
You can see how many people have the surname Mccarron on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.