2000
#12,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Mcclay
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a clay pit or clayey soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,420 Americans carry the last name Mcclay. That puts it at #13,739 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcclay 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 Mcclay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,634
Census rank
#13,739
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,110 bearers of the surname Mcclay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13739th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclay, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcclay
The surname McClay is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic surname "MacClaidh," which means "son of the bald one" or "son of the tonsured one." This suggests that the name may have been given to the son of a monk or clergy member who had a shaved or tonsured head.
The McClay name is most commonly associated with the Scottish Highlands and Islands, particularly in areas such as Argyll, where the name was first recorded. Early records show variations in spelling, including MacCloy, MacCloy, and McCloy, reflecting the phonetic transcription of the Gaelic name.
One of the earliest documented references to the McClay name can be found in the "Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland" from the late 16th century, which mentions a "John McClay" receiving a land grant in Argyll. Another notable early reference is in the "Records of the Presbytery of Lanark" from the mid-17th century, which mentions a "Robert McClay" serving as a minister in the region.
Among the notable individuals with the McClay surname throughout history are:
1. Sir Robert McClay (1654-1721), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh in the early 18th century.
2. John McClay (1732-1799), a Scottish-born American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. William McClay (1804-1879), a Scottish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
4. Rev. Andrew McClay (1815-1892), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on religious and theological topics.
5. Thomas McClay (1855-1933), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McClay Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The McClay surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McClayholm in Dumfries and Galloway, and McClay's Hill in Argyll and Bute, further cementing its connection to the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcclay
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclay, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcclay 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 Mcclay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 1,532
- Black or African American19.3% · 407
- Two or more races3.6% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcclay
Mcclay 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
#13,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,208
-70 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,217 places
2020
#13,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
-98 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,490 | 2,278 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,707 | 2,208 | 0.75 | -70 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 1,217 places |
| 2020 | #13,739 | 2,110 | 0.71 | -98 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 32 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 Mcclay 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 | #13,707 | #13,739 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,208 | 2,110 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.71 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcclay bearers went from 2,208 to 2,110 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,707 to #13,739.
FAQ
Mcclay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcclay?
Name Census estimates that about 2,420 living Americans carry the surname Mcclay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,634 residents.
How common is Mcclay?
Mcclay ranks #13,739 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,110 people with the surname Mcclay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,420), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Mcclay.
Has Mcclay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcclay went from 2,208 recorded bearers to 2,110. That is a decrease of 98 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,707 to #13,739.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcclay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclay, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mcclay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (1,532 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcclay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.6%), Black (19.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mcclay (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 Mcclay mean?
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a clay pit or clayey soil. 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 Mcclay (0.71 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 Mcclay?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Mcclay, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.