2000
#348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 81,035
First available Census row
Per 100,000 30.04
Uncommon Last name
Mccarthy
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Cárthaigh" (loving person) or "son of Artagh" (stone).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 91,862 Americans carry the last name Mccarthy. That puts it at #395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccarthy 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 Mccarthy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
92K
1 in 3,731
Census rank
#395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
80K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 80,108 bearers of the surname Mccarthy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccarthy
The surname McCarthy has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 11th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Carthaidh," meaning "son of Carthach." Carthach was a personal name derived from the Old Irish words "cart" meaning "loving" and "ach" meaning "having the quality of."
The McCarthy family was one of the most prominent ruling clans in the medieval Irish Kingdom of Desmond, which encompassed parts of what is now County Cork and County Kerry. They were descendants of the Eóganacht Chaisil dynasty, which ruled the region from the 5th century until the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McCarthy appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle dating back to the 11th century. The annals mention a chieftain named "Carthach, son of Saerbhreathach" who lived in the 10th century and was a member of the Eóganacht Chaisil dynasty.
During the Norman invasion of Ireland, the McCarthys initially resisted the invaders but eventually submitted to King Henry II of England. In return, they were granted lands and recognized as the rulers of Desmond. The most notable member of the McCarthy clan during this period was Donal Gott McCarthy, who lived from 1238 to 1305 and was the King of Desmond.
In the 16th century, the McCarthy clan played a significant role in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule in Ireland. One of the leaders of the rebellion was Donal McCarthy Mor, who lived from 1594 to 1640 and was known for his fierce resistance against the English forces.
Other notable individuals with the surname McCarthy throughout history include:
1. Justin McCarthy (1830-1912), an Irish novelist, historian, and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.
2. Mary McCarthy (1912-1989), an American novelist, critic, and political activist known for her satirical and polemical works.
3. Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957), the controversial American politician who led the anti-communist campaign known as the "Red Scare" in the 1950s.
4. Cormac McCarthy (born 1933), an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter known for his works such as "Blood Meridian" and "The Road."
5. Melissa McCarthy (born 1970), an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer, known for her roles in films like "Bridesmaids" and "Spy."
The surname McCarthy has evolved over the centuries, with various spellings such as MacCarthy, MacCarty, and Carty being used in different regions and historical periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccarthy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccarthy 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 Mccarthy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 71,821
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,734
- Black or African American3.1% · 2,515
- Two or more races2.7% · 2,161
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 702
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 175
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccarthy
Mccarthy 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
#384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 82,950
+1,915 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 28.12
Rank movement Down 36 places
2020
#395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,108
-2,842 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 26.80
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #348 | 81,035 | 30.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #384 | 82,950 | 28.12 | +1,915 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 36 places |
| 2020 | #395 | 80,108 | 26.80 | -2,842 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 11 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 Mccarthy 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 | #384 | #395 | -2.9% |
| Count | 82,950 | 80,108 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 28.12 | 26.80 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccarthy bearers went from 82,950 to 80,108 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #384 to #395.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccarthy
FAQ
Mccarthy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccarthy?
Name Census estimates that about 91,862 living Americans carry the surname Mccarthy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,731 residents.
How common is Mccarthy?
Mccarthy ranks #395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 27 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 80,108 people with the surname Mccarthy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (91,862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 27 of them to have the surname Mccarthy.
Has Mccarthy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccarthy went from 82,950 recorded bearers to 80,108. That is a decrease of 2,842 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #384 to #395.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccarthy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Mccarthy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (71,821 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccarthy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (3.1%). 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 Mccarthy (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 Mccarthy mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Cárthaigh" (loving person) or "son of Artagh" (stone). 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 Mccarthy (26.80 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 are called Mccarthy?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mccarthy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.