2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mccluskie
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Lochaidh meaning "son of the boatman or mariner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mccluskie. 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 Mccluskie 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 Mccluskie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
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 Mccluskie 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 Mccluskie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccluskie
The surname MCCLUSKIE is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Scottish Gaelic word "cluaidh", which means "people of the cluain" or "meadow land". The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" denotes the patronymic form, meaning "son of".
The earliest recorded mention of the name MCCLUSKIE can be found in the records of Ayrshire, Scotland, where it appears as "McCluskie" in the late 16th century. This spelling variation is likely due to the phonetic translation from the Gaelic language to English.
During the 17th century, the name MCCLUSKIE appeared in various parish records and legal documents across Scotland, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. This suggests that the name was relatively widespread in the central and western parts of the country.
One notable historical figure with the surname MCCLUSKIE was Robert McCluskie, a Scottish merchant and landowner who lived in the late 17th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Glasgow and owned several properties in the area.
In the 18th century, the name MCCLUSKIE continued to appear in Scottish records, with several individuals bearing the name serving in the British military. One such person was Captain John McCluskie, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Military Cross for his bravery in battle in 1815.
As the 19th century progressed, the MCCLUSKIE name began to spread beyond Scotland, with many individuals emigrating to other parts of the British Empire and the United States. One notable figure from this period was Sir William McCluskie, a Scottish-born entrepreneur who made his fortune in the textile industry in England. He was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1872 for his contributions to British industry.
Another prominent bearer of the MCCLUSKIE name was Alexander McCluskie, a Scottish-American author and historian who lived from 1842 to 1918. He wrote extensively about Scottish culture and heritage, and his works are considered valuable resources for understanding the history of Scotland.
Throughout the centuries, the MCCLUSKIE name has maintained its strong Scottish roots, with various spelling variations emerging over time. While the name may have originated from a specific region within Scotland, it has since become a part of the broader Scottish cultural identity and continues to be a source of pride for those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccluskie
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccluskie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccluskie 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 Mccluskie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccluskie
Mccluskie 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,649 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 Mccluskie 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 | #142,108 | #145,757 | -2.6% |
| Count | 117 | 115 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccluskie bearers went from 117 to 115 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mccluskie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccluskie?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mccluskie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mccluskie?
Mccluskie 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 Mccluskie. 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 Mccluskie.
Has Mccluskie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccluskie went from 117 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccluskie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccluskie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mccluskie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccluskie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mccluskie (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 Mccluskie mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Lochaidh meaning "son of the boatman or mariner." 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 Mccluskie (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 Mccluskie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.