2000
#5,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Mccluskey
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Bhloscaidh," meaning "son of Bloscadh," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,973 Americans carry the last name Mccluskey. That puts it at #5,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccluskey 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 Mccluskey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,155
Census rank
#5,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,081 bearers of the surname Mccluskey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccluskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccluskey
The surname McCluskey has its origins in Ireland and dates back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name "Mac Lochlainn," which means "son of the Norwegian." This suggests that the name may have originally belonged to someone of Norse or Viking descent who settled in Ireland.
The earliest recorded use of the name McCluskey can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, there are references to a chieftain named Muircheartach Mac Lochlainn, who ruled the Kingdom of Ailech in the late 11th and early 12th centuries.
As the name spread throughout Ireland, it underwent various spelling changes and variations. Some of the earliest recorded spellings include McClushey, McCluskye, and McCluskay. These variations reflect the phonetic differences in how the name was pronounced in different regions.
One notable bearer of the McCluskey name was Sir John McCluskey (c. 1480-1550), an Irish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Nine Years' War against the English. He was awarded lands in County Down for his loyalty to the Crown.
Another significant figure was Patrick McCluskey (1692-1770), an Irish priest and author who was exiled from Ireland during the Penal Laws. He wrote extensively on the persecution of Catholics in Ireland and became a vocal advocate for religious tolerance.
In the 18th century, the McCluskey name gained prominence in Scotland, particularly in the Glasgow area. One notable Scotsman was John McCluskey (1766-1842), a successful merchant and philanthropist who helped establish several schools and charities in the city.
During the 19th century, many McCluskeys emigrated from Ireland and Scotland to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One such emigrant was William McCluskey (1811-1889), an Irish-born businessman who became a prominent figure in the early development of Melbourne, Australia.
Throughout history, the McCluskey name has been associated with various professions and achievements, from military service and religious leadership to business and philanthropy. While the name has evolved over centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Viking settlers who intermingled with the Irish population in the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccluskey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccluskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccluskey 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 Mccluskey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 5,369
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 237
- Two or more races3.7% · 226
- Black or African American2.6% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccluskey
Mccluskey 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
#5,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,301
+251 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 221 places
2020
#5,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,081
-220 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,297 | 6,050 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,518 | 6,301 | 2.14 | +251 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 221 places |
| 2020 | #5,525 | 6,081 | 2.03 | -220 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 7 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 Mccluskey 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 | #5,518 | #5,525 | -0.1% |
| Count | 6,301 | 6,081 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.03 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccluskey bearers went from 6,301 to 6,081 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,518 to #5,525.
FAQ
Mccluskey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccluskey?
Name Census estimates that about 6,973 living Americans carry the surname Mccluskey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,155 residents.
How common is Mccluskey?
Mccluskey ranks #5,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,081 people with the surname Mccluskey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,973), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mccluskey.
Has Mccluskey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccluskey went from 6,301 recorded bearers to 6,081. That is a decrease of 220 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,518 to #5,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccluskey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccluskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mccluskey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (5,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccluskey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mccluskey (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 Mccluskey mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Bhloscaidh," meaning "son of Bloscadh," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Mccluskey (2.03 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 Mccluskey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.