2000
#31,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Mccotter
A surname derived from Scottish Gaelic "Mac Ò(gh)taire" meaning "son of the devotee or pilgrim".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 847 Americans carry the last name Mccotter. That puts it at #33,232 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 404,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccotter 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 Mccotter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
847
1 in 404,669
Census rank
#33,232
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
739
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 739 bearers of the surname Mccotter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33232nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccotter, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccotter
The surname McCotter is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Otter" or "Ottar." This name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century and was initially found in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles of Scotland.
The name McCotter can be traced back to the ancient manuscript known as the Ragman Rolls, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England in the late 13th century. One notable early bearer of the name was Donald McCotter, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1502.
In the 16th century, the McCotter name appeared in various records, including the Presbytery Records of Lanark in 1593, which mentioned John McCotter. Another early reference can be found in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland from 1608, where a certain Robert McCotter was mentioned.
One of the earliest known McCotters was Alexander McCotter, who was born in Argyll, Scotland, around 1620. He was a prominent figure in the Scottish Highlands and is recorded as having participated in the Jacobite uprisings of the late 17th century.
Another notable McCotter was Sir James McCotter (1678-1743), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1725 to 1737. He played a significant role in the prosecution of Jacobite rebels after the failed uprising of 1715.
In the 18th century, the McCotter name can be found in various records from the Isle of Islay, one of the Inner Hebrides islands of Scotland. The Reverend Archibald McCotter (1736-1804) was a well-known Presbyterian minister who served as the minister of Kilchoman Parish on the island of Islay from 1766 until his death.
The McCotter surname has also been associated with place names in Scotland, such as McCotter's Glen in Argyll and McCotter's Hill in Lanarkshire. These place names suggest that the McCotter family may have held lands or had a significant presence in these areas during earlier times.
While the surname McCotter is primarily Scottish in origin, it has also been found in other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, likely due to migration and the spread of the Scottish diaspora over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccotter
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccotter, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccotter 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 Mccotter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 536
- Black or African American21.2% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 25
- Two or more races1.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccotter
Mccotter 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
#32,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 716
+15 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 932 places
2020
#33,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 739
+23 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,271 | 701 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,203 | 716 | 0.24 | +15 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 932 places |
| 2020 | #33,232 | 739 | 0.25 | +23 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 1,029 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 Mccotter 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 | #32,203 | #33,232 | -3.2% |
| Count | 716 | 739 | 3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.25 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccotter bearers went from 716 to 739 (+3.2% change). The surname moved down 1,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,203 to #33,232.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccotter
FAQ
Mccotter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccotter?
Name Census estimates that about 847 living Americans carry the surname Mccotter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 404,669 residents.
How common is Mccotter?
Mccotter ranks #33,232 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 739 people with the surname Mccotter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (847), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Mccotter.
Has Mccotter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccotter went from 716 recorded bearers to 739. That is an increase of 23 (+3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,203 to #33,232.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccotter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccotter, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mccotter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccotter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (21.2%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mccotter (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 Mccotter mean?
A surname derived from Scottish Gaelic "Mac Ò(gh)taire" meaning "son of the devotee or pilgrim". 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 Mccotter (0.25 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 last name Mccotter?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mccotter? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.