2000
#4,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,787
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.52
Rare Last name
Mcdade
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Daibhéid," meaning "son of David."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,704 Americans carry the last name Mcdade. That puts it at #5,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,490 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcdade 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 Mcdade with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,490
Census rank
#5,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,718 bearers of the surname Mcdade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdade, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcdade
The surname McDade has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a variant of the Gaelic name Mac Dháibhídh, which means "son of David." The name likely originated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where many early bearers of the name were based.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1375, the annals mention a man named Donnchadh Mac Dháibhídh, who was a chieftain of the Clann Dhàibhídh sept (a branch of a larger Irish clan).
The McDade surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballymadade and Ballynadade, which may have derived from the Irish "Baile Mac Dháibhídh," meaning "the town of the sons of David."
In the 16th century, the McDade family had established a strong presence in County Antrim, particularly in the baronies of Glenarm and Carey. One notable figure from this period was Sir Hugh McDade (c. 1550-1620), who served as a member of the Irish Parliament and was involved in the Ulster Plantation.
During the 17th century, many McDades were among the Irish immigrants who fled to the American colonies, seeking refuge from the religious and political turmoil in their homeland. One of the earliest recorded McDades in America was John McDade, who settled in Philadelphia in the late 1600s.
Other notable individuals with the McDade surname include:
1. James McDade (1824-1906), an Irish-American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
2. Thomas McDade (1835-1915), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist, known for establishing the McDade Institute in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
3. Eugene McDade (1907-1976), an American actor and screenwriter, best known for his work on the television series "The Untouchables."
4. Alice McDade (1919-2003), an American actress and dancer, who appeared in several Broadway musicals and films.
5. Joseph McDade (1931-2017), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania for over three decades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcdade
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdade, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcdade 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 Mcdade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 4,247
- Black or African American28.2% · 1,892
- Two or more races4.2% · 283
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 227
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcdade
Mcdade 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
#4,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,119
+332 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#5,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,718
-401 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,772 | 6,787 | 2.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,945 | 7,119 | 2.41 | +332 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #5,057 | 6,718 | 2.25 | -401 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 112 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 Mcdade 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 | #4,945 | #5,057 | -2.3% |
| Count | 7,119 | 6,718 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.41 | 2.25 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcdade bearers went from 7,119 to 6,718 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,945 to #5,057.
FAQ
Mcdade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcdade?
Name Census estimates that about 7,704 living Americans carry the surname Mcdade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,490 residents.
How common is Mcdade?
Mcdade ranks #5,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.25 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 6,718 people with the surname Mcdade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,704), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.25 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 Mcdade.
Has Mcdade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcdade went from 7,119 recorded bearers to 6,718. That is a decrease of 401 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,945 to #5,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcdade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdade, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) 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 Mcdade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (4,247 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcdade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.2%), Black (28.2%), 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 Mcdade (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 Mcdade mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Daibhéid," meaning "son of David." 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 Mcdade (2.25 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 Mcdade?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.