2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcdugald
Irish surname "son of the brown-haired or dark-haired one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Mcdugald. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcdugald 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 Mcdugald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Mcdugald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdugald, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcdugald
The surname McDugald has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late medieval period. It is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname McDonald, which is derived from the Gaelic personal name Domhnall. This name is composed of the elements "domhnu," meaning "world," and "val," meaning "rule" or "chief," suggesting the name originally referred to a prominent leader or chieftain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McDugald spelling can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1506, which mentioned a John McDugald from the county of Argyll. This region, located in the western Highlands of Scotland, was a stronghold of the clan Donald, from which the surname is believed to have originated.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the McDugald name appeared in various Scottish records and manuscripts, including parish registers and court documents. One notable figure was Robert McDugald, a Presbyterian minister who was born in Ayrshire in 1640 and later served as the minister of Kilwinning.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many individuals bearing the McDugald surname emigrated from Scotland to other parts of the British Empire, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. One such individual was John McDugald, who was born in Argyll in 1748 and later settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he worked as a farmer and fisherman.
Another notable McDugald was Archibald McDugald, a Scottish-born Australian politician and merchant who was born in 1810 in Argyll. He emigrated to Australia in the 1830s and became a successful businessman in Sydney, later serving as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the McDugald surname was William McDugald, who was born in Scotland in 1775 and later settled in North Carolina. He served as a member of the North Carolina House of Commons in the early 19th century.
Overall, the surname McDugald has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands, with its origins dating back to the medieval era. While not as common as the McDonald spelling, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcdugald
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdugald, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcdugald 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 Mcdugald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 95
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcdugald
Mcdugald 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,676 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 17,676 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 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 Mcdugald 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 | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcdugald bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Mcdugald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcdugald?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Mcdugald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Mcdugald?
Mcdugald ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Mcdugald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Mcdugald.
Has Mcdugald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcdugald went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcdugald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcdugald, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Mcdugald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcdugald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Mcdugald (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 Mcdugald mean?
Irish surname "son of the brown-haired or dark-haired one". 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 Mcdugald (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 are called Mcdugald?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Mcdugald at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.