2000
#688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,560
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.89
Uncommon Last name
Mcclain
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from a place name meaning "son of the plain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,647 Americans carry the last name Mcclain. That puts it at #734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcclain 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
53K
1 in 6,510
Census rank
#734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,911 bearers of the surname Mcclain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclain, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcclain
The surname McClain is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Lèinn, meaning "son of the tonsured one" or "son of the servant." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, primarily in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles.
The name is thought to be a variant of the more common Scottish surname MacLean, with the spelling variation arising from phonetic differences in pronunciation. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John McClain, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Records also show that a Robert McClain was a signatory of the Arbroath Declaration of 1320, a significant document that asserted Scotland's independence from England.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was John McClain, a Scottish clergyman and scholar who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1567. He played a vital role in the Scottish Reformation and was a close associate of John Knox.
During the 17th century, the McClain surname spread beyond Scotland as Scottish settlers migrated to the Ulster region of Ireland, giving rise to the variant spelling McClean. One prominent individual was James McClean, an Ulster-Scot who immigrated to America in the late 17th century and became one of the founders of Londonderry, New Hampshire.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas McClain, a Scottish naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He was involved in several notable battles, including the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781.
Another individual of significance was Robert McClain, a Scottish poet and author who lived in the late 18th century. His works, including a collection of poems titled "The Lays of Caledonia," contributed to the literary tradition of Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcclain
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclain, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcclain 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 Mcclain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.3% · 27,213
- Black or African American31.6% · 14,513
- Two or more races4.9% · 2,229
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,533
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 201
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcclain
Mcclain 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
#722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,165
+2,605 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 16.33
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,911
-2,254 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 15.36
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #688 | 45,560 | 16.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #722 | 48,165 | 16.33 | +2,605 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #734 | 45,911 | 15.36 | -2,254 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 12 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 Mcclain 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 | #722 | #734 | -1.7% |
| Count | 48,165 | 45,911 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 16.33 | 15.36 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcclain bearers went from 48,165 to 45,911 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #722 to #734.
FAQ
Mcclain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcclain?
Name Census estimates that about 52,647 living Americans carry the surname Mcclain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,510 residents.
How common is Mcclain?
Mcclain ranks #734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,911 people with the surname Mcclain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Mcclain.
Has Mcclain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcclain went from 48,165 recorded bearers to 45,911. That is a decrease of 2,254 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #722 to #734.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcclain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclain, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mcclain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (27,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcclain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.3%), Black (31.6%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mcclain (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 Mcclain mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from a place name meaning "son of the plain." 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 Mcclain (15.36 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 Mcclain?
See how common the surname Mcclain is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.