2000
#13,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Mccart
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Art," meaning "son of Art."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,449 Americans carry the last name Mccart. That puts it at #13,589 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccart 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 Mccart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 139,957
Census rank
#13,589
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,136 bearers of the surname Mccart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13589th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccart, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccart
The surname McCart has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, where it first emerged in the 13th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "ceart" meaning "right" or "just", suggesting that the bearer was the son of an honest or upright individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCart surname can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a certain John McCart is mentioned as a landowner in the county of Argyll. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McCarts were prominent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The name appears in various historical records from this period, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296 and the Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, which documents land grants and charters issued by the Scottish monarchy.
A notable bearer of the McCart surname was Sir James McCart (1556-1624), a Scottish noble who served as Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1618 to 1622. He played a significant role in the city's governance and was instrumental in the construction of several public works projects.
Another prominent McCart was Alexander McCart (1686-1761), a Scottish philosopher and theologian who authored several influential works on moral philosophy and natural theology. He served as a minister in the Church of Scotland and was highly regarded for his erudition and intellectual contributions.
In the 18th century, the McCarts were among the many Scottish families who emigrated to the American colonies. One such individual was Robert McCart (1730-1804), a merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia. He and his descendants played an active role in the American Revolutionary War, with several members serving in the Continental Army.
As the McCarts spread throughout the English-speaking world, variations in spelling emerged, including McCarter, McCart, and McCartt. However, the fundamental meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its Scottish heritage.
Throughout history, the McCart surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from nobles and scholars to merchants and soldiers. While their stories and contributions may have varied, they all shared a common thread in their Scottish ancestry and the legacy of their name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccart
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccart, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccart 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 Mccart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,981
- Two or more races3.7% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 47
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccart
Mccart 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
#12,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,364
+225 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 124 places
2020
#13,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,136
-228 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 603 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,110 | 2,139 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,986 | 2,364 | 0.80 | +225 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 124 places |
| 2020 | #13,589 | 2,136 | 0.71 | -228 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 603 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 Mccart 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 | #12,986 | #13,589 | -4.6% |
| Count | 2,364 | 2,136 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.71 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccart bearers went from 2,364 to 2,136 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 603 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,986 to #13,589.
FAQ
Mccart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,449 living Americans carry the surname Mccart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,957 residents.
How common is Mccart?
Mccart ranks #13,589 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,136 people with the surname Mccart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Mccart.
Has Mccart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccart went from 2,364 recorded bearers to 2,136. That is a decrease of 228 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,986 to #13,589.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccart, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Mccart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Mccart (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 Mccart mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Art," meaning "son of Art." 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 Mccart (0.71 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 share the surname Mccart?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.