2000
#475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.23
Uncommon Last name
Mccormick
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cormaic," meaning "son of Cormac," a given name meaning "charioteer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 70,045 Americans carry the last name Mccormick. That puts it at #543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccormick 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 Mccormick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
70K
1 in 4,893
Census rank
#543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 61,083 bearers of the surname Mccormick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccormick, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccormick
The surname McCormick is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Cormaic, which means "son of Cormac." Cormac is an ancient Gaelic personal name believed to be derived from the words "cor," meaning "charioteer," and "macc," meaning "son." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to the occupation of a charioteer or someone who worked with chariots.
The McCormick surname first appeared in records in the 12th century, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles of Scotland. It is believed to be one of the oldest Scottish surnames, with the earliest recorded bearers being descendants of the Dalriadic kingdom, which spanned parts of western Scotland and northeastern Ireland.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were administrative records of the Scottish Crown. This suggests that the McCormicks held positions of importance during that time. The name was also mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of acts of homage rendered to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landholders.
One of the earliest notable McCormicks was Cormac Mac Cormaic, a 13th-century chief of the Clan MacCormick, who was recorded in the Chronicles of the Kings of Man and the Isles. In the 16th century, Gilbride McCormick was a prominent Scottish clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Armagh from 1532 to 1551.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Michael McCormick (1800-1879), an Irish-born businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. He was instrumental in the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
In the field of literature, Robert McCormick (1800-1890) was a Scottish-born American newspaper publisher and businessman who founded the Chicago Tribune. His grandson, Robert R. McCormick (1880-1955), continued the family tradition and served as the publisher and editor of the Chicago Tribune for many years.
Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809-1884) was an American inventor and entrepreneur who revolutionized agriculture with his mechanical reaper. He founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which later became part of the International Harvester Company.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the McCormick surname throughout history, reflecting the name's Scottish roots and its spread to various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccormick
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccormick, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccormick 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 Mccormick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 51,578
- Black or African American7.3% · 4,463
- Two or more races3.6% · 2,189
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 450
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 301
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccormick
Mccormick 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
#532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,649
+986 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 21.58
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,083
-2,566 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 20.44
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #475 | 62,663 | 23.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #532 | 63,649 | 21.58 | +986 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #543 | 61,083 | 20.44 | -2,566 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 11 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 Mccormick 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 | #532 | #543 | -2.1% |
| Count | 63,649 | 61,083 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 21.58 | 20.44 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccormick bearers went from 63,649 to 61,083 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #532 to #543.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccormick
FAQ
Mccormick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccormick?
Name Census estimates that about 70,045 living Americans carry the surname Mccormick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,893 residents.
How common is Mccormick?
Mccormick ranks #543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 61,083 people with the surname Mccormick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (70,045), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Mccormick.
Has Mccormick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccormick went from 63,649 recorded bearers to 61,083. That is a decrease of 2,566 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #532 to #543.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccormick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccormick, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mccormick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (51,578 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccormick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mccormick (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 Mccormick mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cormaic," meaning "son of Cormac," a given name meaning "charioteer." 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 Mccormick (20.44 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 Mccormick?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.