2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcelhatten
Derived from the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Illeathainn" meaning "son of the servant of St John".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Mcelhatten. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelhatten 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Mcelhatten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhatten, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcelhatten
The surname McElhatten originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "Mac" meaning son and "Illeathain" which translates to "the descendant of the servant." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who worked as a servant or attendant.
The name is believed to have its roots in the region of Argyll and the Hebrides, where it was first recorded in the late 12th century. Some of the earliest known spellings include MacIlleathain, MacIllihatyn, and MacElhatten. The latter spelling is thought to have emerged in the 16th century as a result of Anglicization.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name "Gillemichel M'Illechoan" appears in this document, which is believed to be an early variation of McElhatten.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the name McElhatten was Angus McElhatten, a renowned warrior and chieftain of the McElhatten clan. He is said to have played a significant role in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, where the Scottish forces defeated an invading army from the Kingdom of the Isles.
Another notable individual was Lachlan McElhatten, a 16th-century poet and bard from the Isle of Mull. His works, which were composed in Gaelic, are considered valuable pieces of Scottish literary heritage.
In the 17th century, Finlay McElhatten was a respected minister and scholar who served as the parish minister of Kilmartin in Argyll. He is known for his contributions to the translation of the Bible into Gaelic.
During the Jacobite risings of the 18th century, Duncan McElhatten was a notable figure who fought alongside the Jacobite forces. He was present at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, where the Jacobite cause was ultimately defeated.
The McElhatten surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, including Kilchatten in Argyll, which is believed to be derived from the Gaelic "Cill Chatten" meaning "the church of the descendants of Chatten."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelhatten
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhatten, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Mcelhatten 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 Mcelhatten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelhatten
Mcelhatten 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-12 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,262 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 21,262 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,554 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 Mcelhatten 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 | #152,628 | #154,182 | -1.0% |
| Count | 107 | 103 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelhatten bearers went from 107 to 103 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 1,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,182.
FAQ
Mcelhatten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelhatten?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Mcelhatten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Mcelhatten?
Mcelhatten ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Mcelhatten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mcelhatten.
Has Mcelhatten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelhatten went from 107 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelhatten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhatten, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Mcelhatten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelhatten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Mcelhatten (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 Mcelhatten mean?
Derived from the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Illeathainn" meaning "son of the servant of St John". 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 Mcelhatten (0.03 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 Mcelhatten?
Want to know how common the surname Mcelhatten is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.