2000
#3,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.92
Uncommon Last name
Mccloskey
An Irish surname derived from a Gaelic nickname meaning "son of the servant of Blaise."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,061 Americans carry the last name Mccloskey. That puts it at #3,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccloskey 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 Mccloskey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,418
Census rank
#3,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,518 bearers of the surname Mccloskey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccloskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccloskey
The surname McCloskey has its origins in Ireland, specifically in the northern counties of Ulster. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Mac Bhloscaidh, which means "son of the freckled or speckled one." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a freckled or spotted complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name McCloskey can be traced back to the 16th century in Ulster. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ferdoragh McCloskey, who was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1536.
In the 17th century, the McCloskey name appeared in several historical records, such as the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663-1665, which were tax records compiled in Ireland. These records provide valuable insights into the distribution of the name across various counties in Ulster during that time period.
One notable figure bearing the McCloskey surname was Sir Andrew McCloskey (1700-1778), an Irish politician and landowner from County Derry. He served as a member of the Irish House of Commons and was involved in local administration and philanthropic endeavors.
Another prominent McCloskey was John McCloskey (1810-1885), an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first American-born cardinal. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and became the Archbishop of New York in 1864, before being elevated to the cardinalate in 1875.
In the 19th century, the McCloskey name became more widespread in the United States due to Irish immigration. One notable bearer was John McCloskey (1834-1901), an American attorney and politician from New York who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
The name McCloskey has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McCloskey's Bridge in County Donegal and McCloskey's Lane in County Antrim. These place names reflect the historical presence of the McCloskey family in these areas.
Throughout history, the McCloskey surname has undergone various spellings, including McCluskey, MacCloskey, and McClushkey, among others. These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and the phonetic interpretations of the name by record-keepers and scribes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccloskey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccloskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccloskey 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 Mccloskey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 9,641
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 364
- Two or more races2.3% · 240
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 145
- Black or African American0.6% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccloskey
Mccloskey 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
#3,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,756
+174 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.65
Rank movement Down 204 places
2020
#3,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,518
-238 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.52
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,132 | 10,582 | 3.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,336 | 10,756 | 3.65 | +174 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 204 places |
| 2020 | #3,345 | 10,518 | 3.52 | -238 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 9 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 Mccloskey 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 | #3,336 | #3,345 | -0.3% |
| Count | 10,756 | 10,518 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.65 | 3.52 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccloskey bearers went from 10,756 to 10,518 (-2.2% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,336 to #3,345.
FAQ
Mccloskey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccloskey?
Name Census estimates that about 12,061 living Americans carry the surname Mccloskey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,418 residents.
How common is Mccloskey?
Mccloskey ranks #3,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,518 people with the surname Mccloskey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Mccloskey.
Has Mccloskey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccloskey went from 10,756 recorded bearers to 10,518. That is a decrease of 238 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,336 to #3,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccloskey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccloskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Mccloskey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (9,641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccloskey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Mccloskey (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 Mccloskey mean?
An Irish surname derived from a Gaelic nickname meaning "son of the servant of Blaise." 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 Mccloskey (3.52 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 Mccloskey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.