2000
#5,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.32
Rare Last name
Mcdougall
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacDhùghaill," meaning "son of Dùghall" (a personal name meaning "dark stranger").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,428 Americans carry the last name Mcdougall. That puts it at #5,208 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcdougall 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 Mcdougall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,144
Census rank
#5,208
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,478 bearers of the surname Mcdougall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5208th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougall, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcdougall
The surname McDougall has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, emerging in the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic 'mac Dhughail', meaning 'son of Dougal'. Dougal itself is a Scottish variant of the name Dugald, which stems from the Old Norse name Dufgall, composed of the elements 'dufr' meaning 'dove' and 'gall' meaning 'stranger'.
McDougall is among the many surnames that arose as a patronymic, identifying an individual as the son or descendant of a specific person. This naming convention became increasingly common in Scotland and throughout Europe during the Middle Ages as populations grew and identification beyond a single name became necessary.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the McDougall name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1438, where a John McDougall is mentioned. The name is also found in various historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland.
Notably, the McDougall family was prominent in the Scottish clan system, with the Clan MacDougall originating in Argyll and Lorn. The clan's ancestral lands included the islands of Lorn, Mull, and parts of Argyll. The clan chief's seat was Dunollie Castle, near Oban.
Among the notable individuals bearing the McDougall surname throughout history are John McDougall (1718-1786), a Scottish inventor and founder of the first successful mechanical spinning mill in Britain; James McDougall (1810-1865), a Scottish-American businessman and abolitionist; and Sir William McDougall (1822-1905), a Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the first Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories.
Other prominent figures include Gladys McDougall (1905-1976), an Australian social worker and activist for women's rights; and Ian McDougall (1938-2022), an Australian geologist and expert on the dating of volcanic rocks.
While the McDougall name is predominantly Scottish in origin, it has since spread worldwide, with notable bearers in various countries and regions. The name has also undergone various spelling variations over time, such as MacDougall, MacDougle, and McDougal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcdougall
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougall, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcdougall 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 Mcdougall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 5,504
- Two or more races4.3% · 278
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 277
- Black or African American4.1% · 267
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcdougall
Mcdougall 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
#5,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,655
+397 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#5,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,478
-177 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,144 | 6,258 | 2.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,242 | 6,655 | 2.26 | +397 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #5,208 | 6,478 | 2.17 | -177 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 34 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 Mcdougall 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 | #5,242 | #5,208 | 0.6% |
| Count | 6,655 | 6,478 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.17 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcdougall bearers went from 6,655 to 6,478 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,242 to #5,208.
FAQ
Mcdougall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcdougall?
Name Census estimates that about 7,428 living Americans carry the surname Mcdougall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,144 residents.
How common is Mcdougall?
Mcdougall ranks #5,208 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 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 6,478 people with the surname Mcdougall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 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 Mcdougall.
Has Mcdougall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcdougall went from 6,655 recorded bearers to 6,478. That is a decrease of 177 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,242 to #5,208.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcdougall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdougall, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Mcdougall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (5,504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcdougall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Mcdougall (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 Mcdougall mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacDhùghaill," meaning "son of Dùghall" (a personal name meaning "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 Mcdougall (2.17 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 Mcdougall?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.