2000
#30,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 709
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Mcelheny
A Scottish surname originating as a patronymic form of the personal name Eluned.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 843 Americans carry the last name Mcelheny. That puts it at #33,375 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 406,589 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelheny 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
843
1 in 406,589
Census rank
#33,375
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
735
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 735 bearers of the surname Mcelheny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33375th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelheny, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcelheny
The surname McElheny is of Scottish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the Gaelic personal name 'Eileney' or 'Elney', which means 'island' or 'islet'. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived on or near an island or islet in Scotland.
The name is believed to have originated in the Hebrides, a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be 'McElheny' in the 16th century, though variations such as 'McElhinney' and 'McIlhinney' were also common.
One notable historical reference to the name can be found in the Scottish clan records of the 17th century, where a McElheny is mentioned as a member of the Clan Donald, one of the largest and most powerful clans in the Scottish Highlands.
The earliest recorded bearer of the name was John McElheny, born in the late 15th century on the Isle of Islay, one of the Hebrides islands. His descendants are believed to have spread throughout Scotland and Ireland in the following centuries.
Another significant figure in the history of the name was Robert McElheny (1756-1834), a Scottish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania. He is considered one of the earliest McElhenys to emigrate to the United States.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence through the achievements of William McElheny (1810-1888), a Scottish-American businessman and industrialist who founded the McElheny Glass Company in Wellsburg, West Virginia. This company played a significant role in the early glass industry of the United States.
Other notable individuals with the surname McElheny include:
1. John McElheny (1846-1919), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
2. Victor McElheny (1924-2020), an American science journalist and author, best known for his work on the history of nuclear energy.
3. Kristine McElheny (born 1962), an American artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public installations.
4. James McElheny (born 1976), an American artist and sculptor, known for his works exploring the intersections of art, science, and philosophy.
While the name McElheny may have evolved over time and spread across various regions, its roots can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides islands, where it originated as a patronymic name reflecting the connection of its earliest bearers to specific islands or islets.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelheny
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelheny, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcelheny 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 Mcelheny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 667
- Two or more races4.4% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 19
- Black or African American1.2% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelheny
Mcelheny 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
#32,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 698
-11 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,895 places
2020
#33,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 735
+37 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 510 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,970 | 709 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,865 | 698 | 0.24 | -11 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 1,895 places |
| 2020 | #33,375 | 735 | 0.25 | +37 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 510 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 Mcelheny 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 | #32,865 | #33,375 | -1.6% |
| Count | 698 | 735 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.25 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelheny bearers went from 698 to 735 (+5.3% change). The surname moved down 510 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,865 to #33,375.
FAQ
Mcelheny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelheny?
Name Census estimates that about 843 living Americans carry the surname Mcelheny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 406,589 residents.
How common is Mcelheny?
Mcelheny ranks #33,375 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 735 people with the surname Mcelheny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (843), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Mcelheny.
Has Mcelheny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelheny went from 698 recorded bearers to 735. That is an increase of 37 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,865 to #33,375.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelheny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelheny, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Mcelheny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (667 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelheny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Mcelheny (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 Mcelheny mean?
A Scottish surname originating as a patronymic form of the personal name Eluned. 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 Mcelheny (0.25 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 Mcelheny?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Mcelheny, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.