2000
#11,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Mccrae
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Raith," meaning "son of grace" or "son of prosperity."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,115 Americans carry the last name Mccrae. That puts it at #11,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccrae 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 Mccrae with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,033
Census rank
#11,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,716 bearers of the surname Mccrae in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccrae, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccrae
The surname McCrae is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic name MacRath or MacCraith, which means "son of Grace" or "son of Wrath". It is believed to have first appeared in the Scottish Highlands during the 12th or 13th century.
The name McCrae can be traced back to the ancient Scottish clan system, where clans were organized around a common ancestor. The MacRath or MacCraith clan was likely centered in the western Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Isles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McCrae can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage letters written to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, a "Gillemichel M'Crath" from the county of Dunbarton is mentioned, indicating the presence of the name in Scotland during the late 13th century.
Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as McCrae, McCray, and McCrea emerging. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the interpretation of the name by record-keepers.
Notable individuals with the surname McCrae include Sir Thomas McCrae (1870-1935), a Canadian physician and professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and John McCrae (1872-1918), a Canadian poet and physician who wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" during World War I.
Another prominent figure was Robert McCrae (1808-1887), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and pastoralist who played a significant role in the early settlement of Victoria, Australia. Additionally, George Gordon McCrae (1833-1927), a Scottish-born Australian author and pioneer, is remembered for his literary works depicting life in early colonial Victoria.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name McCrae is found in the records of James McCrae, who was born in Scotland in 1687 and later emigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century.
While the origins of the surname McCrae can be traced back to Scotland, its bearers have made significant contributions across various fields throughout history, including medicine, literature, exploration, and more, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and historical landscapes of several nations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccrae
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccrae, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccrae 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 Mccrae surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.9% · 1,627
- White29.5% · 800
- Two or more races5.8% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccrae
Mccrae 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
#11,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,754
+243 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 64 places
2020
#11,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,716
-38 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 286 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,500 | 2,511 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,436 | 2,754 | 0.93 | +243 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 64 places |
| 2020 | #11,150 | 2,716 | 0.91 | -38 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 286 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 Mccrae 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 | #11,436 | #11,150 | 2.5% |
| Count | 2,754 | 2,716 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.91 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccrae bearers went from 2,754 to 2,716 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 286 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,436 to #11,150.
FAQ
Mccrae surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccrae?
Name Census estimates that about 3,115 living Americans carry the surname Mccrae. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,033 residents.
How common is Mccrae?
Mccrae ranks #11,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,716 people with the surname Mccrae. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mccrae.
Has Mccrae become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccrae went from 2,754 recorded bearers to 2,716. That is a decrease of 38 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,436 to #11,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccrae?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccrae, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mccrae in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.9% (1,627 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccrae appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (59.9%), White (29.5%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Mccrae (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 Mccrae mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Raith," meaning "son of grace" or "son of prosperity." 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 Mccrae (0.91 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 are called Mccrae?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Mccrae at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.