2000
#881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.24
Uncommon Last name
Mccarty
Son of Ceartuigh, an Irish name derived from a pet form of the personal name Ceardach, meaning "skilled worker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 40,333 Americans carry the last name Mccarty. That puts it at #981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,498 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccarty 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 Mccarty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,498
Census rank
#981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,172 bearers of the surname Mccarty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarty, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccarty
The surname McCarty is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Cairthigh, meaning "son of Cairthigh." The name is thought to have originated in County Westmeath, Ireland, around the 12th century.
The name is believed to have evolved from the ancient Irish personal name Carthach, which means "loving" or "beloved." Some early spellings of the name include MacCarthy, MacCarty, and McCardie.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "MacCarthaigh" in the year 1114. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in England, dated 1194, suggesting that the McCarty family had established itself in England by that time.
In the 14th century, the McCarty clan was among the most powerful families in Munster, Ireland. Cormac MacCarthy, who lived from 1298 to 1338, was a notable member of the clan and served as the King of Desmond, a historic territory in Munster.
Another prominent figure with the McCarty surname was Cormac Óg MacCarthy, who lived from 1459 to 1536. He was a Irish lord and soldier who fought against the English during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
In the late 16th century, Dermot McCarty, born around 1550, was a notable Irish rebel who fought against English rule in Ireland during the Nine Years' War.
The name also has a connection to the town of Macroon, located in County Cork, Ireland, which was once known as "MacCarthy's Country" due to the prominence of the McCarty clan in the area.
Over time, the McCarty surname spread beyond Ireland to other parts of the world, including England, Scotland, and eventually to the Americas, where it became associated with various place names, such as McCarty's Cove in Newfoundland, Canada, and McCarty's Island in South Carolina, United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccarty
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarty, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccarty 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 Mccarty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 30,103
- Black or African American6.0% · 2,106
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,261
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,216
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 286
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 200
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccarty
Mccarty 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
#939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,944
+1,226 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 12.52
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,172
-1,772 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 11.77
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #881 | 35,718 | 13.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #939 | 36,944 | 12.52 | +1,226 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #981 | 35,172 | 11.77 | -1,772 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 42 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 Mccarty 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 | #939 | #981 | -4.5% |
| Count | 36,944 | 35,172 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 12.52 | 11.77 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccarty bearers went from 36,944 to 35,172 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #939 to #981.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccarty
FAQ
Mccarty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccarty?
Name Census estimates that about 40,333 living Americans carry the surname Mccarty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,498 residents.
How common is Mccarty?
Mccarty ranks #981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,172 people with the surname Mccarty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (40,333), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Mccarty.
Has Mccarty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccarty went from 36,944 recorded bearers to 35,172. That is a decrease of 1,772 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #939 to #981.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccarty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarty, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mccarty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (30,103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccarty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mccarty (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 Mccarty mean?
Son of Ceartuigh, an Irish name derived from a pet form of the personal name Ceardach, meaning "skilled worker." 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 Mccarty (11.77 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 Mccarty?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mccarty is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.