2000
#12,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,343
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Mccarver
A Scottish or Irish occupational surname referring to a carver or sculptor of wood or stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,657 Americans carry the last name Mccarver. That puts it at #12,722 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccarver 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 129,001
Census rank
#12,722
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,317 bearers of the surname Mccarver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12722nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarver, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccarver
The surname McCarver is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name McArthur, derived from the Gaelic "mac" meaning "son of" and "arth" meaning "bear." The name likely originated from the Highland region of Scotland, where many Gaelic names and surnames were commonly used.
The earliest recorded instances of the McCarver surname can be found in parish records and historical documents from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. One notable mention is in the "Genealogical Collections concerning Families in Scotland," compiled by Sir James Balfour in the late 16th century, where the name is spelled as "MacCarver."
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various legal documents and court proceedings, often associated with landowners and tenants in the Scottish Highlands. One such record is the "Register of the Privy Council of Scotland" from 1631, which mentions a "John McCarver" involved in a dispute over land.
During the 18th century, the McCarver surname started to spread beyond Scotland as some families emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and the American colonies. In 1756, a "William McCarver" is recorded as having settled in Pennsylvania, one of the earliest known instances of the name in the American colonies.
Notable individuals with the McCarver surname throughout history include:
1. John McCarver (c. 1620-1690), a Scottish merchant and landowner in Aberdeenshire.
2. Robert McCarver (1732-1807), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia.
3. Elizabeth McCarver (1790-1868), an early settler in Oregon Territory and one of the first white women to cross the Rocky Mountains.
4. James McCarver (1811-1892), an American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
5. Timothy McCarver (1851-1924), a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
While the McCarver surname may have evolved from different spellings and regional variations over time, it has maintained its Scottish roots and connection to the Gaelic language and Highland culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccarver
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarver, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccarver 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 Mccarver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 1,691
- Black or African American18.8% · 436
- Two or more races4.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccarver
Mccarver 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
#12,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,424
+81 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 539 places
2020
#12,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
-107 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,193 | 2,343 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,732 | 2,424 | 0.82 | +81 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 539 places |
| 2020 | #12,722 | 2,317 | 0.78 | -107 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 10 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 Mccarver 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 | #12,732 | #12,722 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,424 | 2,317 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.78 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccarver bearers went from 2,424 to 2,317 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,732 to #12,722.
FAQ
Mccarver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccarver?
Name Census estimates that about 2,657 living Americans carry the surname Mccarver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,001 residents.
How common is Mccarver?
Mccarver ranks #12,722 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,317 people with the surname Mccarver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,657), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Mccarver.
Has Mccarver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccarver went from 2,424 recorded bearers to 2,317. That is a decrease of 107 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,732 to #12,722.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccarver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccarver, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mccarver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (1,691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccarver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (18.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mccarver (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 Mccarver mean?
A Scottish or Irish occupational surname referring to a carver or sculptor of wood or 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 Mccarver (0.78 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 have the last name Mccarver?
Find out how many people have the surname Mccarver on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.