2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcconoughey
A Scottish-Irish surname derived from a nickname meaning "descendant of the skillful one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Mcconoughey. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcconoughey 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Mcconoughey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconoughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcconoughey
The surname McConoughey is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic MacConchobhair, meaning "descendant of the high-born descendant." It originated in the ancient Irish kingdom of Connacht, specifically in County Sligo and County Leitrim.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears as "MacConchobhair" and refers to members of the influential O'Conor dynasty, who ruled Connacht from the 5th to the 16th century.
In the 14th century, the name was anglicized to various spellings, including McConoughey, McConoghie, and McConaghy. This was common practice as Irish names were adapted to English phonetics during the English conquest of Ireland.
One notable historical figure with the McConoughey surname was Rory McConoughey, a 16th-century Irish chieftain who led a rebellion against English rule in Ulster. He was eventually captured and executed in 1589.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which documented households in Ireland for taxation purposes. The name appears as "McConaghy" in County Antrim.
In the late 18th century, many Irish families bearing the McConoughey name emigrated to North America, fleeing poverty and persecution. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is John McConoughey, born in 1773 in Pennsylvania.
Notable individuals with the McConoughey surname include:
1. Alexander McConoughey (1788-1868), an Irish-American farmer and soldier who fought in the War of 1812.
2. William McConoughey (1807-1888), a Scottish-born American minister and educator who founded McConoughey Seminary in Pennsylvania.
3. Robert McConoughey (1819-1891), an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
4. James McConoughey (1851-1931), a Scottish-American businessman and founder of the McConoughey Foundry and Machine Company in Ohio.
5. Mary McConoughey (1875-1958), an American social worker and advocate for children's rights, known for her work in establishing the first juvenile court system in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcconoughey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconoughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcconoughey 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 Mcconoughey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 93
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcconoughey
Mcconoughey 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+16 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,425 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-35 bearers (-25.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 29,252 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +16 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 4,425 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -35 bearers (-25.7%) | Down 29,252 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 Mcconoughey 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 | #126,018 | #155,270 | -23.2% |
| Count | 136 | 101 | -25.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -32.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcconoughey bearers went from 136 to 101 (-25.7% change). The surname moved down 29,252 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #155,270.
FAQ
Mcconoughey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcconoughey?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Mcconoughey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Mcconoughey?
Mcconoughey ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Mcconoughey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mcconoughey.
Has Mcconoughey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcconoughey went from 136 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 35 (-25.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcconoughey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconoughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Mcconoughey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcconoughey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Mcconoughey (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 Mcconoughey mean?
A Scottish-Irish surname derived from a nickname meaning "descendant of the skillful one". 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 Mcconoughey (0.03 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 common is the surname Mcconoughey?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mcconoughey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.