2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mcchrystal
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Gillechriosd', meaning "son of the servant of Christ".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Mcchrystal. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcchrystal 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 Mcchrystal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Mcchrystal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchrystal, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcchrystal
The surname McChrystal is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Crìostaìdh" meaning "son of Christopher." It is a patronymic surname, indicating a paternal lineage.
The name can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the areas around Argyll and the Hebrides. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various Scottish clan records and parish registers.
One of the earliest documented references to the McChrystal name is found in the "Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland" from 1532, which mentions a "Gilchrist McCrystall" who was a tenant in Bute.
In the 17th century, the McChrystal name appears in the records of the Scottish Parliament, with a John McChrystal listed as a commissioner from Argyll in 1681.
Notable individuals with the McChrystal surname include Sir John McChrystal (1640-1718), a Scottish soldier who served in the Jacobite risings and was awarded a baronetcy for his loyalty to the House of Stuart. Another notable figure was Robert McChrystal (1798-1878), a Scottish-born Australian politician and landowner who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
In the United States, one of the earliest documented instances of the McChrystal name is found in the records of the American Revolution. John McChrystal (1755-1834) served as a private in the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War.
Other significant individuals with the McChrystal surname include Stanley A. McChrystal (born 1954), a retired United States Army general who served as the Commander of U.S. and International Forces in Afghanistan, and Calum McChrystal (born 1985), a Scottish professional football player who has played for various clubs in Scotland and England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcchrystal
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchrystal, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcchrystal 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 Mcchrystal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 99
- Two or more races11.6% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcchrystal
Mcchrystal 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+12 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,118 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-16 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,027 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 1,118 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 16,027 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 Mcchrystal 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 | #125,282 | #141,309 | -12.8% |
| Count | 137 | 121 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcchrystal bearers went from 137 to 121 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 16,027 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #141,309.
FAQ
Mcchrystal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcchrystal?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Mcchrystal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Mcchrystal?
Mcchrystal ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Mcchrystal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Mcchrystal.
Has Mcchrystal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcchrystal went from 137 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcchrystal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcchrystal, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Mcchrystal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcchrystal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Two or More Races (11.6%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Mcchrystal (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 Mcchrystal mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Gillechriosd', meaning "son of the servant of Christ". 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 Mcchrystal (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 people have the surname Mcchrystal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.