2000
#2,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.61
Uncommon Last name
Mccloud
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Leòid," meaning "son of Leod," likely referring to a Viking ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,363 Americans carry the last name Mccloud. That puts it at #2,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccloud 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 Mccloud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,741
Census rank
#2,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,141 bearers of the surname Mccloud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccloud, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccloud
The surname McCloud is of Scottish origin, originating in the 13th century from the Gaelic Mac Lòid or Mac Leòid, meaning "son of Leod". The name Leod is derived from the Old Norse name Ljótr, meaning "ugly" or "unlovely". The Clan MacLeod was one of the most powerful and influential clans in the Western Isles of Scotland, particularly on the Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebrides.
The earliest recorded reference to the name McCloud dates back to the late 13th century in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where it appears as "MacLeod". The name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document recording the names of Scottish noblemen who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.
One of the most notable figures in the history of the McCloud name was Sir Torquil MacLeod (c.1330-1390), a Scottish nobleman and chief of the Clan MacLeod. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence, fighting alongside Robert the Bruce against the English.
Another prominent McCloud was William McCloud (1590-1661), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1648. He was a leading figure in the Presbyterian Church and played a pivotal role in the Scottish Reformation.
In the 18th century, John McCloud (1734-1799) was a Scottish-born American military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served under General George Washington and was known for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
The name McCloud has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye, the ancestral home of the Clan MacLeod, and the town of Glenelg, where the McCloud clan had a strong presence.
Other notable individuals with the surname McCloud include Sir Norman McCloud (1878-1955), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Kenya from 1944 to 1952, and David McCloud (1945-2022), an American actor and director best known for his role in the television series "The Outer Limits".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccloud
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccloud, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccloud 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 Mccloud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.3% · 7,469
- Black or African American39.4% · 5,960
- Two or more races5.0% · 764
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 480
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccloud
Mccloud 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
#2,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,783
+658 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.35
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#2,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,141
-642 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 5.07
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,204 | 15,125 | 5.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,313 | 15,783 | 5.35 | +658 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #2,345 | 15,141 | 5.07 | -642 bearers (-4.1%) | 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 Mccloud 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 | #2,313 | #2,345 | -1.4% |
| Count | 15,783 | 15,141 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.35 | 5.07 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccloud bearers went from 15,783 to 15,141 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,313 to #2,345.
FAQ
Mccloud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccloud?
Name Census estimates that about 17,363 living Americans carry the surname Mccloud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,741 residents.
How common is Mccloud?
Mccloud ranks #2,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,141 people with the surname Mccloud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Mccloud.
Has Mccloud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccloud went from 15,783 recorded bearers to 15,141. That is a decrease of 642 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,313 to #2,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccloud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccloud, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Mccloud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.3% (7,469 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccloud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.3%), Black (39.4%), Two or More Races (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 Mccloud (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 Mccloud mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Leòid," meaning "son of Leod," likely referring to a Viking ancestor. 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 Mccloud (5.07 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 Mccloud?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Mccloud at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.