2000
#2,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,011
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.82
Uncommon Last name
Mccartney
Son of Artán, from the Gaelic "Mac Artáin," likely referring to an Irish saint or mythological figure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,615 Americans carry the last name Mccartney. That puts it at #2,753 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccartney 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 Mccartney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,452
Census rank
#2,753
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,745 bearers of the surname Mccartney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2753rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccartney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccartney
The surname McCartney originated in Scotland and is derived from the Gaelic personal name MacCartáin or MacArtan, meaning "son of Artan". Artan itself stems from the Old Norse Arnthor or Celtic Artán, meaning "bear-man" or "bear-warrior".
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 12th century in the regions of Argyll and Ayrshire in western Scotland. Variations of the spelling included MacCartan, M'Cartan, and MacKerton. Records indicate the name was particularly prominent in Kintyre, a peninsula in Argyll.
In the 16th century, the MacCartney clan was recorded as one of the principal families in the parish of Kilcalmonell in Kintyre. A notable member was Sir Thomas MacCartney (born around 1535), a Scottish diplomat and scholar who served as Secretary to Queen Mary of Scotland.
The name appears in various historical manuscripts and charters in Scotland from the 13th to 15th centuries, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during his conquest of Scotland.
During the 17th century, many McCarthys migrated from Scotland to Ulster in Northern Ireland, where the name became more common and often anglicized to McCartney or McCarthy. One prominent individual was George McCartney (1690-1760), an Irish-born Anglican bishop who served as Bishop of Raphoe in County Donegal.
Other notable McCarthys throughout history include Edmund McCartney (1811-1885), an Irish-born American architect who designed numerous buildings in New York City, and James McCartney (1835-1918), an Irish-born American businessman and founder of the McCartney Woollen Mills in New York.
In more recent times, the name gained global recognition with Sir Paul McCartney (born 1942), the legendary English singer, songwriter, and member of the iconic rock band The Beatles. Other famous McCarthys include writer and activist Mary McCartney (born 1969), Paul McCartney's daughter.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccartney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccartney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccartney 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 Mccartney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 11,307
- Two or more races3.9% · 493
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 423
- Black or African American2.8% · 363
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccartney
Mccartney 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
#2,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,615
+604 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 90 places
2020
#2,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,745
-870 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.26
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,555 | 13,011 | 4.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,645 | 13,615 | 4.62 | +604 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 90 places |
| 2020 | #2,753 | 12,745 | 4.26 | -870 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 108 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 Mccartney 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 | #2,645 | #2,753 | -4.1% |
| Count | 13,615 | 12,745 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.62 | 4.26 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccartney bearers went from 13,615 to 12,745 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,645 to #2,753.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccartney
FAQ
Mccartney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccartney?
Name Census estimates that about 14,615 living Americans carry the surname Mccartney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,452 residents.
How common is Mccartney?
Mccartney ranks #2,753 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,745 people with the surname Mccartney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,615), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Mccartney.
Has Mccartney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccartney went from 13,615 recorded bearers to 12,745. That is a decrease of 870 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,645 to #2,753.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccartney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccartney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Mccartney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (11,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccartney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Mccartney (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 Mccartney mean?
Son of Artán, from the Gaelic "Mac Artáin," likely referring to an Irish saint or mythological figure. 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 Mccartney (4.26 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 Americans have the surname Mccartney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.