2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mccleish
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "mac gille Iosa" meaning "son of the servant of Jesus".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mccleish. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccleish 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Mccleish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccleish, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccleish
The surname McCleish is of Scottish origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from the lands of Cliesh or Cleish, located in the parish of Tulliebole, Kinross-shire. The name itself is believed to have evolved from the Gaelic "Clais," meaning "a hollow" or "a trench."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "de Clyss." This was a document that recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 15th century, the name was recorded as "Cleische" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were financial records kept by the Scottish government. These records mention a John de Cleische, who was a landowner in Kinross-shire during the reign of King James II (1437-1460).
The spelling of the name evolved over time, with variations such as "Cleish," "Cleysh," and "Clish" appearing in various historical documents. The prefix "Mc" or "Mac," meaning "son of," was added to the name in later centuries, leading to the modern form of "McCleish."
One notable figure in Scottish history bearing this surname was Sir Thomas McCleish, a prominent lawyer and judge who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1598 to 1610 and was appointed to the Court of Session in 1610.
Another individual of note was John McCleish (1792-1865), a Scottish minister and writer who authored several works on theology and church history. He served as the minister of the parish of Bunkle and Preston in Berwickshire for over 40 years.
In the literary world, Robert McCleish (1886-1962) was a Scottish author and poet who wrote several novels and collections of poetry, including "The Clydesiders" and "The Mearns Quair."
The McCleish name has also been associated with military service. Major General William McCleish (1893-1970) was a distinguished British Army officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions during the Battle of Loos in 1915.
Finally, Sir Iain McCleish (born 1943) is a notable figure in the world of business and finance. He served as the Chairman of the Scottish Investment Trust and was knighted in 2006 for his services to the financial industry in Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccleish
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccleish, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccleish 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 Mccleish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccleish
Mccleish appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 8,012 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 Mccleish 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 | #153,769 | #145,757 | 5.2% |
| Count | 106 | 115 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccleish bearers went from 106 to 115 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 8,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mccleish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccleish?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mccleish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mccleish?
Mccleish ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Mccleish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Mccleish.
Has Mccleish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccleish went from 106 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 9 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccleish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccleish, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Mccleish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccleish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Mccleish (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 Mccleish mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "mac gille Iosa" meaning "son of the servant of Jesus". 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 Mccleish (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 Mccleish?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.