2000
#1,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,975
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.03
Uncommon Last name
Mccracken
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a maker of sturdy leather shoes or boots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,804 Americans carry the last name Mccracken. That puts it at #1,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccracken 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 Mccracken with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,475
Census rank
#1,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,142 bearers of the surname Mccracken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccracken, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccracken
The surname McCracken has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 15th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "Crachadan," which is thought to be a personal name or derived from a place name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland in 1493, where it is spelled "McCrachan." This suggests that the name may have originated in the area around Glasgow or the western lowlands of Scotland.
The McCracken surname is also associated with the Clan Gregor, one of the oldest and most powerful clans in the Scottish Highlands. It is believed that some members of the clan adopted the name McCracken as a variant or alias to avoid persecution during the time when the Clan Gregor was outlawed.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records, including the Scottish Privy Council Records of 1581, which mention a "Johnne McCrachen." Another early record is the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1591, which lists a "Thomas McCracken."
One of the earliest known McCrackens was Sir Robert McCracken (c. 1580-1645), a Scottish landowner and member of the Scottish Parliament. He was involved in the Scottish Reformation and supported the National Covenant of 1638.
During the 17th century, the name spread beyond Scotland as some McCrackens migrated to Ireland. One notable figure was Henry McCracken (1767-1798), an Irish Presbyterian and a leader of the Society of United Irishmen, who was executed for his role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
Another prominent McCracken was William McCracken (1804-1863), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the 12th Mayor of New York City from 1857 to 1858.
In the 19th century, a branch of the McCracken family settled in Australia, with one of the earliest being James McCracken (1828-1888), a pioneer and settler in Victoria, Australia.
A more recent notable McCracken was James McCracken (1926-1988), an American operatic tenor who performed at the Metropolitan Opera and other major opera houses around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccracken
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccracken, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccracken 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 Mccracken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 16,126
- Two or more races3.9% · 704
- Black or African American3.2% · 580
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 520
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccracken
Mccracken 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
#1,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,287
+312 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 6.54
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#1,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,142
-1,145 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 6.07
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,732 | 18,975 | 7.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,862 | 19,287 | 6.54 | +312 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #1,939 | 18,142 | 6.07 | -1,145 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 77 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 Mccracken 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 | #1,862 | #1,939 | -4.1% |
| Count | 19,287 | 18,142 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.54 | 6.07 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccracken bearers went from 19,287 to 18,142 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,862 to #1,939.
FAQ
Mccracken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccracken?
Name Census estimates that about 20,804 living Americans carry the surname Mccracken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,475 residents.
How common is Mccracken?
Mccracken ranks #1,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,142 people with the surname Mccracken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mccracken.
Has Mccracken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccracken went from 19,287 recorded bearers to 18,142. That is a decrease of 1,145 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,862 to #1,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccracken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccracken, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Mccracken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (16,126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccracken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (3.2%). 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 Mccracken (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 Mccracken mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a maker of sturdy leather shoes or boots. 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 Mccracken (6.07 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 Mccracken?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mccracken is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.