2000
#12,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,301
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Mccaw
Derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Adhamh, meaning "son of Adam."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,673 Americans carry the last name Mccaw. That puts it at #12,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,228 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccaw 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 Mccaw with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,228
Census rank
#12,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,331 bearers of the surname Mccaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccaw
The surname McCaw is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname MacCath, meaning "son of the warrior" or "son of the battle." The name is believed to have originated in the Highlands of Scotland during the Middle Ages, where it was likely used to identify individuals who were skilled in battle or had a reputation for their martial prowess.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries, appearing in various historical records and documents from that era. One notable early mention is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. Among the names listed is Gillebride MacCath, an early variant spelling of the name.
Over time, the name underwent several spelling variations, including MacCaw, McCawe, and McCaw, the latter of which became the most commonly accepted form in modern times. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides, where many bearers of the name resided.
In the 16th century, the McCaw name gained prominence with the rise of Clan Chattan, a powerful Scottish clan that traced its roots to the Highlands. One notable member of this clan was Ewen McCaw (c. 1550-1628), a renowned warrior and chief of the McCaw branch of Clan Chattan.
Another notable figure from history bearing the McCaw surname was Sir James McCaw (1685-1762), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1742 to 1744. He played a significant role in the city's governance and development during his tenure.
In the 19th century, William McCaw (1818-1886), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician, became a prominent figure in Ontario. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and served as a member of parliament from 1867 to 1875.
Moving into the 20th century, Walter McCaw (1905-1992) was a renowned American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the McCaw Cellular Communications company, which later became part of AT&T Wireless Services. His contributions to the telecommunications industry and his philanthropic efforts made him a prominent figure in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
Another notable figure was John McCaw (1919-2003), a Scottish-born American football player and coach. He played as a defensive back for the Chicago Bears and later served as a coach for various college and professional teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccaw 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 Mccaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 1,827
- Black or African American9.7% · 226
- Two or more races4.8% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccaw
Mccaw 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
#12,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,438
+137 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 294 places
2020
#12,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,331
-107 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,382 | 2,301 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,676 | 2,438 | 0.83 | +137 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 294 places |
| 2020 | #12,652 | 2,331 | 0.78 | -107 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 24 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 Mccaw 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 | #12,676 | #12,652 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,438 | 2,331 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.78 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccaw bearers went from 2,438 to 2,331 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,676 to #12,652.
FAQ
Mccaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccaw?
Name Census estimates that about 2,673 living Americans carry the surname Mccaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,228 residents.
How common is Mccaw?
Mccaw ranks #12,652 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 2,331 people with the surname Mccaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,673), 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 Mccaw.
Has Mccaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccaw went from 2,438 recorded bearers to 2,331. That is a decrease of 107 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,676 to #12,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Mccaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (1,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Mccaw (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 Mccaw mean?
Derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Adhamh, meaning "son of Adam." 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 Mccaw (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 common is the surname Mccaw?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mccaw is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.