2000
#10,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,890
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Mcdougald
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Dùghallach," meaning "dark stranger" or "black stranger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,363 Americans carry the last name Mcdougald. That puts it at #10,451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcdougald 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 Mcdougald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,919
Census rank
#10,451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,933 bearers of the surname Mcdougald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougald, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.5%. The next largest groups are White (44.7%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcdougald
The surname MCDOUGALD is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name MacDhughail, which means "son of Dougal". Dougal itself is a Scottish form of the name Dugald, which comes from the Gaelic name Dualghall, meaning "dark stranger".
The earliest recorded instance of the name MCDOUGALD can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage letters written to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacDugal" in these rolls, which were signed by Scottish nobles and landowners after the king's conquest of Scotland.
In the 15th century, the name MCDOUGALD was associated with the Clan MacDougall, a powerful Scottish clan based in Argyll and Lorne. The clan's ancestral seat was Dunollie Castle, located near Oban in the Scottish Highlands.
One notable bearer of the name MCDOUGALD was Dougal MacDougall, the 12th Chief of the Clan MacDougall, who lived in the late 16th century. He played a prominent role in the clan's conflicts with the neighboring Campbell clan.
Another historical figure with the name MCDOUGALD was Dougal McDougall, a Scottish explorer and trader who was born around 1715. He was one of the first Europeans to explore the interior of British Columbia and the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
In the 19th century, the name MCDOUGALD was also found in the United States, where it was sometimes spelled as "McDOUGALD". One notable American with this surname was John Breckinridge McDougald (1829-1865), a Confederate officer who served in the American Civil War.
Other notable bearers of the MCDOUGALD name include the Scottish author and journalist Duncan McDougald (1855-1914), the Canadian politician and businessman Alexander McDougald (1855-1934), and the American artist and sculptor Asa McDougald (1885-1953).
The MCDOUGALD surname has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in Scottish heritage and culture. While the spelling and pronunciation may have varied over time, the name's origins can be traced back to the Gaelic name Dualghall and the powerful Clan MacDougall of Argyll.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcdougald
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougald, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.5%. The next largest groups are White (44.7%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcdougald 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 Mcdougald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.5% · 1,363
- White44.7% · 1,311
- Two or more races5.5% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcdougald
Mcdougald 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
#10,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,122
+232 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 86 places
2020
#10,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
-189 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,234 | 2,890 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,320 | 3,122 | 1.06 | +232 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 86 places |
| 2020 | #10,451 | 2,933 | 0.98 | -189 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 131 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 Mcdougald 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 | #10,320 | #10,451 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,122 | 2,933 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.98 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcdougald bearers went from 3,122 to 2,933 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,320 to #10,451.
FAQ
Mcdougald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcdougald?
Name Census estimates that about 3,363 living Americans carry the surname Mcdougald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,919 residents.
How common is Mcdougald?
Mcdougald ranks #10,451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,933 people with the surname Mcdougald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Mcdougald.
Has Mcdougald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcdougald went from 3,122 recorded bearers to 2,933. That is a decrease of 189 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,320 to #10,451.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcdougald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougald, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.5%. The next largest groups are White (44.7%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcdougald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.5% (1,363 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcdougald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.5%), White (44.7%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Mcdougald (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 Mcdougald mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Dùghallach," meaning "dark stranger" or "black stranger." 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 Mcdougald (0.98 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 have the surname Mcdougald?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.