2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mcchristy
A Scottish surname derived from a personal name composed of the Gaelic elements "mac" meaning son and "Crìosdaidh" meaning Christian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Mcchristy. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcchristy 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Mcchristy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchristy, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcchristy
The surname McChristy has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Scottish Gaelic name "MacCrìosd," which translates to "son of Christ." This name was likely given to individuals born on or around Christmas Day, as the Christian tradition holds great significance in Scottish culture.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Parish Records of Ayrshire, Scotland, where a John McChristy is mentioned in 1592. The name appears to have been concentrated in the southwestern regions of Scotland, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.
In the 17th century, the surname underwent various spelling variations, such as McChristie, McChristy, and McChrisdie, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that era. It is worth noting that the name shares similarities with the Irish surname "McChrystal," which also has a religious connotation and may have a common ancestry.
A notable bearer of the McChristy name was Sir James McChristy (1760-1832), a Scottish merchant and shipowner based in Greenock, Renfrewshire. He played a significant role in the expansion of the Scottish maritime trade during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Another prominent figure was William McChristy (1825-1899), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was involved in various industries, including timber and mining.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1790 census, where a John McChristy is listed as a resident of Pennsylvania. This suggests that some McChristy families had already migrated across the Atlantic by the late 18th century.
Robert McChristy (1836-1906), an Irish-born American politician and lawyer, made his mark as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 13th congressional district from 1895 to 1899.
Lastly, Sir Robert McChristy (1898-1981), a British businessman and industrialist, played a pivotal role in the development of the aircraft industry in the United Kingdom during the mid-20th century, serving as the chairman of the Bristol Aeroplane Company and later as the chairman of the Hawker Siddeley Group.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcchristy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchristy, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcchristy 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 Mcchristy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcchristy
Mcchristy 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-5 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,589 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-15 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 11,589 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 15,203 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 Mcchristy 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 | #129,825 | #145,028 | -11.7% |
| Count | 131 | 116 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcchristy bearers went from 131 to 116 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 15,203 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #145,028.
FAQ
Mcchristy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcchristy?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Mcchristy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Mcchristy?
Mcchristy ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Mcchristy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mcchristy.
Has Mcchristy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcchristy went from 131 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcchristy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchristy, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Mcchristy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcchristy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Mcchristy (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 Mcchristy mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a personal name composed of the Gaelic elements "mac" meaning son and "Crìosdaidh" meaning Christian. 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 Mcchristy (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Mcchristy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.