2000
#30,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 714
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Mccole
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the young person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 755 Americans carry the last name Mccole. That puts it at #36,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 453,979 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccole 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 Mccole with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
755
1 in 453,979
Census rank
#36,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
658
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 658 bearers of the surname Mccole in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccole, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccole
The surname McCole has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest known examples dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Colla, which means "son of Colla." Colla was a popular given name in medieval Ireland and is derived from the Old Irish word "colldha," meaning "strong" or "mighty."
The McCole name is most commonly associated with County Donegal in Ulster, where it was particularly prevalent in the baronies of Raphoe and Kilmacrenan. However, it also has strong roots in other parts of Ulster, such as County Derry and County Tyrone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCole surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which were legal documents issued by the English government in Ireland. In these records, dated around 1594, there are references to individuals named "McCoole" and "M'Coole."
Another notable early mention of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals record the death of a man named "Aodh Mac Colla" in the year 1604.
In the 17th century, during the tumultuous period of the Confederate Wars and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, several individuals bearing the McCole surname are mentioned in various historical records. For example, a man named Phelim McCole is listed as a landowner in the Civil Survey of 1654-56, which documented the transfer of lands from Catholic to Protestant ownership in Ireland.
As the centuries passed, the McCole name spread beyond its Ulster origins, with members of the family establishing themselves in other parts of Ireland and abroad. One notable figure was John McCole (1738-1819), a successful merchant and landowner from County Donegal who served as High Sheriff of the county in 1795.
Another notable McCole was Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness McCole (1839-1911), a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor awarded for valor in the British Empire. McCole was born in County Donegal and earned his Victoria Cross for his actions during the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1879.
In more recent times, the McCole surname has been carried by individuals such as James McCole (1924-2017), a Scottish-born author and journalist who wrote extensively about Irish history and culture. Additionally, Michael McCole (born 1962) is a prominent American attorney and legal scholar who has served as the Dean of the University of Vermont Law School.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccole
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccole, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccole 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 Mccole surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 590
- Black or African American6.4% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 14
- Two or more races1.7% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccole
Mccole 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
#35,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 628
-86 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 4,973 places
2020
#36,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 658
+30 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 806 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,791 | 714 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,764 | 628 | 0.21 | -86 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 4,973 places |
| 2020 | #36,570 | 658 | 0.22 | +30 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 806 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 Mccole 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 | #35,764 | #36,570 | -2.3% |
| Count | 628 | 658 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.22 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccole bearers went from 628 to 658 (+4.8% change). The surname moved down 806 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,764 to #36,570.
FAQ
Mccole surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccole?
Name Census estimates that about 755 living Americans carry the surname Mccole. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 453,979 residents.
How common is Mccole?
Mccole ranks #36,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 658 people with the surname Mccole. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (755), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Mccole.
Has Mccole become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccole went from 628 recorded bearers to 658. That is an increase of 30 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,764 to #36,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccole?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccole, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Mccole in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (590 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccole appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Black (6.4%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Mccole (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 Mccole mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the young person". 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 Mccole (0.22 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 are called Mccole?
See how many people have the surname Mccole on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.