2000
#11,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Mccary
A variant of McCarey, an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhiachra," meaning "son of Fiachra."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,732 Americans carry the last name Mccary. That puts it at #12,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccary 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 125,459
Census rank
#12,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,382 bearers of the surname Mccary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccary, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccary
The surname MCCARY originated in Scotland and Ireland during the medieval period. It is a variant of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Ciaráin, which means "son of Ciarán." Ciarán was a popular given name derived from the Old Irish word "ciar," meaning "black" or "dark-featured."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MCCARY can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1156, a man named Gilla Ciaráin Mac Ciaráin is mentioned, indicating the presence of the surname in Ireland during the 12th century.
The MCCARY surname is also linked to several Scottish clans, such as the Clan MacCarthy and the Clan MacKerlie. These clans were prominent in the Scottish Highlands and played significant roles in various historical events and conflicts.
Notable individuals with the surname MCCARY include:
1. Sir Cormac MacCarthy (1459-1494), an Irish lord and military leader who fought against the English during the Anglo-Irish Wars.
2. Donal MacCarthy (1594-1665), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars.
3. Florence MacCarthy Reagh (1565-1640), an Irish chieftain and leader of the MacCarthy Reagh clan in County Cork.
4. Justin MacCarthy (1792-1881), an Irish novelist and biographer known for his works on historical figures like Shelley and Byron.
5. Sir Denis MacCarthy (1833-1925), an Irish-born Australian politician and landowner who served as the Premier of New South Wales.
The surname MCCARY has also been associated with various place names, such as Carrignavar (formerly Carraig an Bhair) in County Cork, Ireland, which translates to "the rock of the summit." This may suggest that some branches of the MCCARY family derived their name from geographic locations.
Over time, the spelling of the surname has evolved, with variations like MacCarthy, McCarthy, McCarthie, and McCary emerging in different regions and historical contexts. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Irish and Scottish traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccary
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccary, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccary 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 Mccary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 1,501
- Black or African American29.5% · 703
- Two or more races3.5% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccary
Mccary 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
#11,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,635
+33 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 703 places
2020
#12,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
-253 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,179 | 2,602 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,882 | 2,635 | 0.89 | +33 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 703 places |
| 2020 | #12,441 | 2,382 | 0.80 | -253 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 559 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 Mccary 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 | #11,882 | #12,441 | -4.7% |
| Count | 2,635 | 2,382 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.80 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccary bearers went from 2,635 to 2,382 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 559 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,882 to #12,441.
FAQ
Mccary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccary?
Name Census estimates that about 2,732 living Americans carry the surname Mccary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,459 residents.
How common is Mccary?
Mccary ranks #12,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,382 people with the surname Mccary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Mccary.
Has Mccary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccary went from 2,635 recorded bearers to 2,382. That is a decrease of 253 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,882 to #12,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccary, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mccary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (1,501 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (29.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mccary (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 Mccary mean?
A variant of McCarey, an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Fhiachra," meaning "son of Fiachra." 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 Mccary (0.80 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 common is the surname Mccary?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mccary on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.