2000
#5,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,971
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Rare Last name
Mccrea
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Rèidh," meaning "son of Rae" or "son of the smooth one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,957 Americans carry the last name Mccrea. That puts it at #5,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,268 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccrea 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 Mccrea with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,268
Census rank
#5,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,067 bearers of the surname Mccrea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccrea, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccrea
The surname McCrea is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words 'mac' meaning 'son of' and 'cruidh' meaning 'cattle' or 'herd'. It was initially used as a descriptive name for someone who worked as a cattle herder or was associated with cattle farming.
The McCrea surname is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the areas around Argyll and the Hebrides Islands. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century, with variations in spelling such as McCrea, McCray, and McCree.
One of the earliest known references to the McCrea name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "William McCrea" is listed among the names from the county of Ayr.
In the 17th century, the McCrea family played a prominent role in the Scottish Covenanter movement, which sought to preserve the Presbyterian form of church government in Scotland. John McCrea (1590-1670) was a well-known Covenanter minister and author who was imprisoned for his beliefs.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the McCrea surname was Jane McCrea (1752-1777), a loyalist living in New York during the American Revolutionary War. Her tragic death at the hands of Native American allies of the British became a rallying cry for the American cause.
Other notable McCreas throughout history include:
1. William McCrea (1809-1883), an Irish Presbyterian minister and a leader of the evangelical movement in Ulster.
2. Thomas McCrea (1808-1892), a Scottish-born Canadian politician and judge who served as the fourth Premier of Nova Scotia.
3. Jane McCrea (1909-2002), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and films.
4. John McCrea (1935-2011), a Canadian singer-songwriter and co-founder of the folk group The Travellers.
5. Robert McCrea (1853-1926), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco).
The McCrea surname has been associated with various place names, including McCrea Brook in Nova Scotia and McCrea Village in Ontario, Canada, further highlighting the family's historical presence in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccrea
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccrea, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccrea 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 Mccrea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.9% · 3,936
- Black or African American26.3% · 1,598
- Two or more races3.5% · 214
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccrea
Mccrea 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
#5,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,320
+349 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#5,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,067
-253 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,366 | 5,971 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,504 | 6,320 | 2.14 | +349 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #5,540 | 6,067 | 2.03 | -253 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 36 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 Mccrea 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 | #5,504 | #5,540 | -0.7% |
| Count | 6,320 | 6,067 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.03 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccrea bearers went from 6,320 to 6,067 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,504 to #5,540.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccrea
FAQ
Mccrea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccrea?
Name Census estimates that about 6,957 living Americans carry the surname Mccrea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,268 residents.
How common is Mccrea?
Mccrea ranks #5,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,067 people with the surname Mccrea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,957), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mccrea.
Has Mccrea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccrea went from 6,320 recorded bearers to 6,067. That is a decrease of 253 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,504 to #5,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccrea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccrea, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mccrea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.9% (3,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccrea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.9%), Black (26.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mccrea (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 Mccrea mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Rèidh," meaning "son of Rae" or "son of the smooth one." 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 Mccrea (2.03 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 common is the surname Mccrea?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mccrea on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.