2000
#5,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,466
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Mccaskill
Scottish and Irish occupational surname denoting a person who thatched roofs using reeds or straw.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,340 Americans carry the last name Mccaskill. That puts it at #5,995 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,062 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccaskill 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 Mccaskill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,062
Census rank
#5,995
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,529 bearers of the surname Mccaskill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5995th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccaskill
The surname McCaskill has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cas" meaning "twisted" or "curled," referring to someone with curly hair or a distinguishing physical feature.
The earliest recorded mention of the name dates back to the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacCaskill" in these records.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the McCaskills were a prominent clan in the Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland, particularly on the Isle of Lewis. They were known for their seafaring traditions and played a role in the historic battle of Gress in 1598, where they fought alongside the Morrisons against the MacKenzies.
In the 17th century, the McCaskills began to migrate to other parts of Scotland and Ireland, and the name took on various spellings, such as "McCaskill," "MacCaskill," and "MacAskill." One notable bearer of the name was Donald McCaskill (1700-1780), a Scottish poet and songwriter from the Isle of Lewis.
As the McCaskills spread throughout the British Isles, some members of the clan made their way to the Americas. John McCaskill (1761-1833) was a Scottish-born American soldier who served in the Revolutionary War and later settled in Tennessee.
Another prominent figure was Wilbur John McCaskill (1857-1939), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for several terms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the United States, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname is Claire McCaskill (born 1953), a former United States Senator from Missouri who served from 2007 to 2019.
Other notable McCaskills include Rayburn McCaskill (1920-2003), an American football player and coach, and Carolyn McCaskill (1924-2018), an American poet and writer known for her works exploring African-American culture and history.
While the name has evolved over time, its Scottish roots and connection to the Outer Hebrides islands remain an integral part of the McCaskill surname's rich history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccaskill
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccaskill 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 Mccaskill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.7% · 2,748
- Black or African American42.9% · 2,374
- Two or more races4.2% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 133
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccaskill
Mccaskill 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
#5,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,857
+391 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#5,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,529
-328 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,792 | 5,466 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,892 | 5,857 | 1.99 | +391 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #5,995 | 5,529 | 1.85 | -328 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 103 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 Mccaskill 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 | #5,892 | #5,995 | -1.7% |
| Count | 5,857 | 5,529 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.85 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccaskill bearers went from 5,857 to 5,529 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,892 to #5,995.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccaskill
FAQ
Mccaskill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccaskill?
Name Census estimates that about 6,340 living Americans carry the surname Mccaskill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,062 residents.
How common is Mccaskill?
Mccaskill ranks #5,995 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,529 people with the surname Mccaskill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mccaskill.
Has Mccaskill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccaskill went from 5,857 recorded bearers to 5,529. That is a decrease of 328 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,892 to #5,995.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccaskill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mccaskill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.7% (2,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccaskill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.7%), Black (42.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mccaskill (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 Mccaskill mean?
Scottish and Irish occupational surname denoting a person who thatched roofs using reeds or straw. 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 Mccaskill (1.85 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 Mccaskill?
Want to know how many people are called Mccaskill? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.