2000
#5,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,560
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Mcculley
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Uighilin, meaning "son of Uighilin," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,679 Americans carry the last name Mcculley. That puts it at #6,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,355 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcculley 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 Mcculley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,355
Census rank
#6,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,952 bearers of the surname Mcculley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcculley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcculley
The surname McCulley has its origins in Scotland, with records tracing it back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "collie," which was a nickname for someone with dark or swarthy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Ayr, Scotland, where a John McCulley was listed in 1583. It is believed that the family may have originated from the region of Galloway, located in the southwestern part of Scotland.
In the 17th century, the McCulley surname appears in various historical documents, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1691, where a William McCulley is recorded as residing in the parish of Kirkmichael, Ayrshire.
A notable figure bearing the McCulley name was Sir Robert McCulley (1642-1708), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1692. He was knighted by King William III for his services to the Crown.
Another prominent McCulley was John McCulley (1758-1828), a Scottish-born American surveyor and cartographer who is credited with producing some of the earliest maps of the Ohio Territory and the state of Ohio.
In the 19th century, the surname gained prominence in the United States with the birth of John McCulley (1835-1895), a Confederate officer during the American Civil War who later became a successful businessman in Texas.
Another individual of note was William McCulley (1877-1961), an American author and screenwriter best known for creating the character of Zorro, the fictional masked vigilante. McCulley's works, including the novel "The Curse of Capistrano," helped popularize the Zorro legend.
Throughout history, variations in the spelling of the surname have been observed, such as McCully, McColley, and McColly, reflecting regional differences and phonetic adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcculley
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcculley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcculley 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 Mcculley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 4,126
- Black or African American7.4% · 364
- Two or more races4.2% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 156
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcculley
Mcculley 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
#6,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,450
-110 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 553 places
2020
#6,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,952
-498 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,716 | 5,560 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,269 | 5,450 | 1.85 | -110 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 553 places |
| 2020 | #6,566 | 4,952 | 1.66 | -498 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 297 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 Mcculley 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 | #6,269 | #6,566 | -4.7% |
| Count | 5,450 | 4,952 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.66 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcculley bearers went from 5,450 to 4,952 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 297 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,269 to #6,566.
FAQ
Mcculley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcculley?
Name Census estimates that about 5,679 living Americans carry the surname Mcculley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,355 residents.
How common is Mcculley?
Mcculley ranks #6,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 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 4,952 people with the surname Mcculley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,679), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 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 Mcculley.
Has Mcculley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcculley went from 5,450 recorded bearers to 4,952. That is a decrease of 498 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,269 to #6,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcculley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcculley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mcculley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (4,126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcculley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mcculley (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 Mcculley mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Uighilin, meaning "son of Uighilin," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Mcculley (1.66 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 Mcculley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.