2000
#13,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Mccubbin
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacUibein," meaning "son of Uibein," a personal name of unknown origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,454 Americans carry the last name Mccubbin. That puts it at #13,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,672 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccubbin 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 Mccubbin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,672
Census rank
#13,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,140 bearers of the surname Mccubbin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccubbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccubbin
The surname McCubbin is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Cuibne," meaning "poor" or "humble." It first appeared in the region of Argyll and the Hebrides islands off the western coast of Scotland in the 13th century.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name was MacCubbin, found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1296. Over time, various spellings emerged, such as McCubbine, McCubbing, and McCubben, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations.
One of the earliest documented references to the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The Ragman Rolls mention a "John McCubbin" from the Hebrides islands.
In the 16th century, the McCubbin family established themselves in Ayrshire, a county in southwestern Scotland. Several members of the family were recorded in the Parish Registers of Ayr during this period, including John McCubbin (born 1541) and Robert McCubbin (born 1578).
During the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, some McCubbins embraced the Protestant faith and were among the early adherents of the Church of Scotland. One notable figure was Reverend James McCubbin (1560-1633), a Presbyterian minister who served in the parish of Dairy, Ayrshire.
In the 17th century, the McCubbins became prominent landowners and merchants in the Scottish Lowlands. Sir Alexander McCubbin (1621-1695), a successful merchant from Glasgow, acquired substantial estates in Lanarkshire and was knighted by King Charles II in 1665.
As the centuries passed, members of the McCubbin family migrated to various parts of the British Empire, including Ireland, England, and North America. One of the earliest records of the name in America is that of William McCubbin, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1745.
Notable individuals bearing the McCubbin surname include Sir Samuel McCubbin (1791-1867), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War, and Frederic McCubbin (1855-1917), an acclaimed Australian painter known for his landscapes depicting the Australian bush.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccubbin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccubbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccubbin 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 Mccubbin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 1,896
- Two or more races4.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 64
- Black or African American2.3% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccubbin
Mccubbin 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
#13,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,265
+127 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 333 places
2020
#13,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,140
-125 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,112 | 2,138 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,445 | 2,265 | 0.77 | +127 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 333 places |
| 2020 | #13,571 | 2,140 | 0.72 | -125 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 126 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 Mccubbin 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 | #13,445 | #13,571 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,265 | 2,140 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.72 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccubbin bearers went from 2,265 to 2,140 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,445 to #13,571.
FAQ
Mccubbin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccubbin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,454 living Americans carry the surname Mccubbin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,672 residents.
How common is Mccubbin?
Mccubbin ranks #13,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,140 people with the surname Mccubbin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Mccubbin.
Has Mccubbin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccubbin went from 2,265 recorded bearers to 2,140. That is a decrease of 125 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,445 to #13,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccubbin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccubbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mccubbin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (1,896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccubbin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mccubbin (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 Mccubbin mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacUibein," meaning "son of Uibein," a personal name of unknown origin. 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 Mccubbin (0.72 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 Mccubbin?
See how many people have the last name Mccubbin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.