2000
#8,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Mcchesney
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the cheese island."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,977 Americans carry the last name Mcchesney. That puts it at #9,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,184 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcchesney 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 Mcchesney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,184
Census rank
#9,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,468 bearers of the surname Mcchesney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchesney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcchesney
The surname McChesney has its origins in medieval Scotland, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Mac Gilla Énaí," which means "son of the servant of St. Énán." The name likely refers to an early bearer who served a church or monastery dedicated to the 6th-century Irish saint Énán.
The McChesney surname is first recorded in the early 13th century in the Scottish county of Ayrshire, where the family held lands and estates. The name appears in various early spellings, including McChenzie, McKechnie, and McKechany, reflecting the phonetic variations common in historical records.
In the 16th century, the McChesney family played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation, with James McChesney (c. 1530-1592) serving as a Protestant minister and supporter of John Knox. He was instrumental in establishing the Reformed Church in the town of Paisley.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any references to the McChesney name, as it was a distinctly Scottish surname that emerged later.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Parish Register of Beith, Ayrshire, where the birth of William McChesney is recorded in 1607. Another notable early bearer was Robert McChesney (c. 1640-1707), a Scottish minister and author who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1698.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the McChesney surname have achieved prominence in various fields. These include:
1. James McChesney (1780-1856), a Scottish-born American merchant and industrialist who established the McChesney Foundry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the early 19th century.
2. Sir John McChesney (1838-1907), a British civil engineer and railway contractor who oversaw the construction of numerous railways in India and South Africa.
3. Joseph McChesney (1856-1928), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1911.
4. Robert McChesney (1915-2004), an American author and scholar who specialized in the study of Irish literature and culture.
5. Dora McChesney (1870-1955), an American actress and vaudeville performer known for her comedic roles on Broadway and in silent films.
The McChesney surname has endured for centuries, with its roots firmly planted in Scotland's rich heritage and history, and its branches reaching across the globe as bearers of this name contributed to various fields and endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcchesney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchesney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcchesney 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 Mcchesney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,198
- Two or more races3.7% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 38
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcchesney
Mcchesney 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
#9,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,590
+41 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 555 places
2020
#9,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,468
-122 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,545 | 3,549 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,100 | 3,590 | 1.22 | +41 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 555 places |
| 2020 | #9,042 | 3,468 | 1.16 | -122 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 58 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 Mcchesney 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 | #9,100 | #9,042 | 0.6% |
| Count | 3,590 | 3,468 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.16 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcchesney bearers went from 3,590 to 3,468 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,100 to #9,042.
FAQ
Mcchesney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcchesney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,977 living Americans carry the surname Mcchesney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,184 residents.
How common is Mcchesney?
Mcchesney ranks #9,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,468 people with the surname Mcchesney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Mcchesney.
Has Mcchesney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcchesney went from 3,590 recorded bearers to 3,468. That is a decrease of 122 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,100 to #9,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcchesney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchesney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Mcchesney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,198 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcchesney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Mcchesney (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 Mcchesney mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the cheese island." 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 Mcchesney (1.16 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 Mcchesney?
See how many people are called Mcchesney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.