2000
#47,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Mcconaughey
Irish surname referring to a descendant of Conchobhar, an ancient Irish personal name meaning "high desire".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 486 Americans carry the last name Mcconaughey. That puts it at #52,802 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 705,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcconaughey 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.
Bearers in the US
486
1 in 705,256
Census rank
#52,802
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
424
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 424 bearers of the surname Mcconaughey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52802nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconaughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcconaughey
The surname McConaughey is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Conmhidhe, which means "son of the descendant of hound" or "son of the wolf-dog." It is believed to have originated in the 16th century in the northern counties of Ireland, particularly in County Donegal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a renowned Irish chronicle that spans from the earliest times to 1616. The name is mentioned in an entry dated 1590, referring to a member of the McConaughey clan.
The McConaugheys were part of the Gaelic nobility in Ireland and were associated with the territories of East Donegal and West Tyrone. They were known as a powerful sept (clan) in the region and were allies of the influential O'Neill family.
In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Irish families, including the McConaugheys, were dispossessed of their lands, leading to their dispersal throughout Ireland and eventually to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia.
One notable figure in the McConaughey family history is John McConaughey (1725-1807), an Irish-born Presbyterian minister who emigrated to America in the mid-18th century and became a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable McConaughey is James McConaughey (1789-1869), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada (now Ontario) in the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, the surname McConaughey began to appear in various spellings, such as McConaghy, McConaghay, and McConoghie, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that occurred as the name spread across different regions.
One of the most well-known bearers of the McConaughey surname in modern times is Matthew McConaughey (born 1969), the Academy Award-winning American actor known for his roles in films such as "Dallas Buyers Club," "Interstellar," and "The Wolf of Wall Street."
Other notable individuals with the McConaughey surname include John McConaughey (1933-2022), an American businessman and philanthropist, and Suzanna McConaughey (born 1945), an American singer and songwriter.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcconaughey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconaughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcconaughey 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 Mcconaughey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 401
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 13
- Two or more races1.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcconaughey
Mcconaughey 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
#49,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 427
+11 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 1,430 places
2020
#52,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 424
-3 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 3,534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,838 | 416 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,268 | 427 | 0.14 | +11 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 1,430 places |
| 2020 | #52,802 | 424 | 0.14 | -3 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 3,534 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 Mcconaughey 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 | #49,268 | #52,802 | -7.2% |
| Count | 427 | 424 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcconaughey bearers went from 427 to 424 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 3,534 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,268 to #52,802.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcconaughey
FAQ
Mcconaughey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcconaughey?
Name Census estimates that about 486 living Americans carry the surname Mcconaughey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 705,256 residents.
How common is Mcconaughey?
Mcconaughey ranks #52,802 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 424 people with the surname Mcconaughey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Mcconaughey.
Has Mcconaughey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcconaughey went from 427 recorded bearers to 424. That is a decrease of 3 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,268 to #52,802.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcconaughey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconaughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mcconaughey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcconaughey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mcconaughey (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 Mcconaughey mean?
Irish surname referring to a descendant of Conchobhar, an ancient Irish personal name meaning "high desire". 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 Mcconaughey (0.14 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 Mcconaughey?
Find out how common the surname Mcconaughey is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.