2000
#2,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,892
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.15
Uncommon Last name
Mcdonnell
A surname of Irish origin, meaning "son of Dómhnall," derived from the Irish Gaelic name Dómhnall, meaning "world ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,850 Americans carry the last name Mcdonnell. That puts it at #2,546 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcdonnell 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 Mcdonnell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,625
Census rank
#2,546
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,822 bearers of the surname Mcdonnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2546th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdonnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcdonnell
The surname McDonnell is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Domhnall," which means "ruler of the world." This name was Anglicized as Donald, and the prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of."
The McDonnell clan was centered in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles, particularly on the islands of Islay and Kintyre. The name first appeared in written records in the 12th century, with some early spellings including MacDomhnaill, MacConnell, and McDonill.
In the 14th century, the MacDonnells of Islay became a powerful branch of the clan, with John Mor McDonnell (1337-1395) serving as Lord of the Isles. His descendants played a significant role in Scottish history, including Angus Og McDonnell (1454-1490), who led a rebellion against King James IV in 1489.
The Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, mentions several notable McDonnells, such as Turlough Luineach McDonnell (1567-1593), a chieftain in Ulster, and Rory Og McDonnell (1560-1610), who fought against English forces in Ireland.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, many McDonnells migrated from Scotland to Ireland, particularly to counties Antrim and Down. One prominent figure was Randal McDonnell (1609-1683), the 1st Earl of Antrim, who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
In the United States, the McDonnell name has been associated with several notable individuals, including John McDonnell (1854-1923), a Irish-American labor leader and politician, and James McDonnell (1899-1967), the founder of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, a major aerospace company.
Other famous McDonnells include:
- Alasdair McDonnell (born 1944), an Irish politician and leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
- John Francis McDonnell (1837-1892), an Irish-American Roman Catholic bishop.
- John McDonnell (born 1951), a British politician and former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
- Myles McDonnell (1950-2020), an Irish singer-songwriter and musician.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcdonnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdonnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcdonnell 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 Mcdonnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 12,625
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 508
- Two or more races2.6% · 361
- Black or African American1.4% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcdonnell
Mcdonnell 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
#2,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,309
+417 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 4.85
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#2,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,822
-487 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,390 | 13,892 | 5.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,532 | 14,309 | 4.85 | +417 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #2,546 | 13,822 | 4.62 | -487 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 14 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 Mcdonnell 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 | #2,532 | #2,546 | -0.6% |
| Count | 14,309 | 13,822 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.85 | 4.62 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcdonnell bearers went from 14,309 to 13,822 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,532 to #2,546.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcdonnell
FAQ
Mcdonnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcdonnell?
Name Census estimates that about 15,850 living Americans carry the surname Mcdonnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,625 residents.
How common is Mcdonnell?
Mcdonnell ranks #2,546 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,822 people with the surname Mcdonnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,850), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Mcdonnell.
Has Mcdonnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcdonnell went from 14,309 recorded bearers to 13,822. That is a decrease of 487 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,532 to #2,546.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcdonnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdonnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mcdonnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (12,625 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcdonnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mcdonnell (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 Mcdonnell mean?
A surname of Irish origin, meaning "son of Dómhnall," derived from the Irish Gaelic name Dómhnall, meaning "world ruler." 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 Mcdonnell (4.62 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 Mcdonnell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.