2000
#76,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Mccovey
An Irish surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 330 Americans carry the last name Mccovey. That puts it at #72,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,038,650 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccovey 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
330
1 in 1,038,650
Census rank
#72,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
288
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 288 bearers of the surname Mccovey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 72692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccovey, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccovey
The surname McCovey originated in Scotland, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cumhaidh," which translates to "peaceful" or "quiet." This suggests the name may have originally referred to the son of a man with a calm or tranquil demeanor.
Variations of the spelling include McCovey, McCouie, and McCowie, all of which can be found in historical documents from various regions of Scotland. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Ayr Parish Register of 1604, where a John McCovey was listed as a resident.
In the 17th century, the McCoveys were prominent landowners in the Scottish counties of Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. A notable figure from this period was Robert McCovey (1635-1701), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the town of Kilwinning, Ayrshire.
As the Scottish diaspora spread throughout the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries, the McCovey name began to appear in various parts of the world. James McCovey (1756-1828), a soldier in the British Army, was among the earliest bearers of the name to settle in North America, having fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Another historically significant figure was Alexander McCovey (1819-1892), a Scottish-born engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of several major railroads in the United States, including the Union Pacific Railroad.
In the 20th century, the name gained recognition through the achievements of baseball player Willie McCovey (1938-2018), a Hall of Famer who spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants. His impressive batting records and contributions to the sport have made him one of the most famous individuals to carry the McCovey surname.
Other notable McCoveys include:
1. John McCovey (1917-2003), a British World War II veteran and recipient of the Military Cross for his bravery.
2. Sarah McCovey (1888-1976), a prominent suffragette and women's rights activist in New Zealand.
3. Michael McCovey (born 1952), a celebrated American artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings.
4. Eileen McCovey (1921-2008), an Australian author and poet who wrote several acclaimed works exploring her Scottish heritage.
5. David McCovey (born 1967), a Scottish entrepreneur and co-founder of a successful technology startup in Silicon Valley.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccovey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccovey, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccovey 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 Mccovey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native66.7% · 192
- Black or African American21.2% · 61
- Two or more races6.9% · 20
- White2.4% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccovey
Mccovey 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
#74,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 259
+26 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 2,092 places
2020
#72,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 288
+29 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 1,916 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,700 | 233 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74,608 | 259 | 0.09 | +26 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,092 places |
| 2020 | #72,692 | 288 | 0.10 | +29 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 1,916 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 Mccovey 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 | #74,608 | #72,692 | 2.6% |
| Count | 259 | 288 | 11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccovey bearers went from 259 to 288 (+11.2% change). The surname moved up 1,916 positions in the national ranking, going from #74,608 to #72,692.
FAQ
Mccovey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccovey?
Name Census estimates that about 330 living Americans carry the surname Mccovey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,038,650 residents.
How common is Mccovey?
Mccovey ranks #72,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 288 people with the surname Mccovey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (330), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Mccovey.
Has Mccovey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccovey went from 259 recorded bearers to 288. That is an increase of 29 (+11.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #74,608 to #72,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccovey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccovey, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mccovey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccovey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (66.7%), Black (21.2%), Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Mccovey (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 Mccovey mean?
An Irish surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Mccovey (0.10 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 surname Mccovey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.