2000
#7,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,182
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Mccready
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Rèidh" meaning "son of Ried" (an old personal name).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,574 Americans carry the last name Mccready. That puts it at #7,964 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,935 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccready 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 Mccready with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,935
Census rank
#7,964
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,989 bearers of the surname Mccready in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7964th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccready, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccready
The surname McCready is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Craidh" or "Mac Creadaidh", meaning "son of the believer" or "son of the devout one". This name can be traced back to the 12th century in the Scottish Highlands.
The earliest recorded instance of the name McCready appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting Scottish nobles swearing allegiance to King Edward I of England. One entry mentions a "Dugal McCredy" from Argyll.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McCready surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Ayr and Lanark. Variations in spelling included McCreadie, McCredie, and McCreidy. In the 1600s, a branch of the family settled in County Antrim, Ireland, leading to the spread of the name across Ulster.
Notable historical figures with the McCready surname include:
1. James McCready (1768-1835), a Presbyterian minister from North Carolina who played a significant role in the Second Great Awakening religious revival.
2. Robert McCready (1823-1911), an Irish-born American architect who designed several prominent buildings in Philadelphia, including the Masonic Temple and the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
3. Sir John McCready (1866-1935), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Cyprus from 1927 to 1932.
4. John McCready (1920-2004), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the Speaker of the Senate of Canada from 1977 to 1984.
5. William McCready (1937-2021), an American graphic designer and artist renowned for his work on the iconic "I ❤ NY" logo and campaign.
The surname McCready has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McCready's Linn, a waterfall near Dunfermline, and McCready's Hill in Ayr.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccready
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccready, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccready 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 Mccready surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 3,427
- Black or African American6.0% · 241
- Two or more races3.7% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccready
Mccready 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
#7,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,296
+114 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 387 places
2020
#7,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,989
-307 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 239 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,338 | 4,182 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,725 | 4,296 | 1.46 | +114 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 387 places |
| 2020 | #7,964 | 3,989 | 1.33 | -307 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 239 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 Mccready 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 | #7,725 | #7,964 | -3.1% |
| Count | 4,296 | 3,989 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.33 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccready bearers went from 4,296 to 3,989 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 239 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,725 to #7,964.
FAQ
Mccready surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccready?
Name Census estimates that about 4,574 living Americans carry the surname Mccready. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,935 residents.
How common is Mccready?
Mccready ranks #7,964 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,989 people with the surname Mccready. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,574), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Mccready.
Has Mccready become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccready went from 4,296 recorded bearers to 3,989. That is a decrease of 307 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,725 to #7,964.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccready?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccready, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mccready in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (3,427 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccready appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mccready (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 Mccready mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Rèidh" meaning "son of Ried" (an old personal 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 Mccready (1.33 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 share the surname Mccready?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.