2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcdougale
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic meaning "son of the dark stranger".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Mcdougale. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcdougale 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.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Mcdougale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougale, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcdougale
The surname McDougale originates from Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "MacDhughail," meaning "son of Dougal." Dougal itself is a Scottish form of the Irish name "Dugall," which means "dark stranger."
The McDougale clan was initially based in the region of Argyll, on the western coast of Scotland. The name is also closely associated with the Isle of Islay, where many members of the clan settled. Early records show various spellings, such as "MacDougal," "McDougall," and "McDougald."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which mention a "Dougall McDougall." The name also appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where several individuals swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
Notable figures bearing the surname McDougale include Sir John McDougall (c. 1370-1426), a Scottish knight who fought in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. Another prominent member was Alexander McDougall (1732-1786), a Scottish-American who served as a major general during the American Revolutionary War.
In the literary world, the name is associated with William McDougall (1822-1905), a Scottish philosopher and psychologist who made significant contributions to the field of psychology. He is known for his work on the theory of instincts and the concept of "McDougall's Hormic Psychology."
Other notable individuals include James McDougall (1810-1889), a Scottish-American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California, and James Dougal McDougall (1832-1918), a Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist who founded McDougall & Cowans, a successful flour milling company in Montreal.
The McDougale surname has a rich history and has been carried by numerous individuals across various fields, from military leaders and politicians to scholars and businessmen, reflecting the Scottish heritage of this proud clan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcdougale
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougale, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcdougale 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 Mcdougale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.2% · 70
- Black or African American30.3% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcdougale
Mcdougale 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,097 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,097 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 Mcdougale 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 | #142,108 | #150,205 | -5.7% |
| Count | 117 | 109 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcdougale bearers went from 117 to 109 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,097 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,205.
FAQ
Mcdougale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcdougale?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Mcdougale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Mcdougale?
Mcdougale ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Mcdougale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mcdougale.
Has Mcdougale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcdougale went from 117 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcdougale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougale, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Mcdougale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.2% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcdougale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.2%), Black (30.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Mcdougale (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 Mcdougale mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic meaning "son of the dark 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 Mcdougale (0.04 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 last name Mcdougale?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mcdougale is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.