2000
#24,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Mcelhinney
An Irish surname meaning "son of the wealthy one" or "son of the prosperous one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,157 Americans carry the last name Mcelhinney. That puts it at #25,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 296,244 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelhinney 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 Mcelhinney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 296,244
Census rank
#25,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,009 bearers of the surname Mcelhinney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcelhinney
The surname MCELHINNEY is of Scottish origin, emerging from the historical region of Galloway in southwestern Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is a territorial name, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Illeathain," meaning "son of the servant of St. John." This suggests the name's bearers may have been associated with a church or monastery dedicated to St. John.
The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the 16th century, with variations in spelling such as McElhinney, McIlhinney, and McIlhenney. These spelling differences likely arose due to the inconsistencies in transcribing Gaelic names into English during that time period.
One notable bearer of the name was John McIlhinney, a Scottish merchant and shipowner from Stranraer, Wigtownshire, who lived from 1775 to 1842. He played a significant role in the development of trade and commerce in the region.
Another individual of note was William McIlhenney, born in 1810 in Ayrshire, Scotland. He emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became a successful businessman in Philadelphia, establishing the McIlhenney Company, which produced the famous Tabasco sauce.
In the early 20th century, John McElhinney (1876-1938) was a prominent Irish nationalist and politician who served as a member of the Irish Republican Army and later as a member of the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) for the Sinn Féin party.
The name MCELHINNEY has also been associated with notable figures in the fields of education and literature. For example, Dr. James McElhinney (1869-1949) was a distinguished Scottish educator and author who served as the principal of Aberdeen Grammar School and wrote several books on education and philosophy.
Another bearer of the name was the Scottish novelist and short story writer, Helen McElhinney (1910-1991), whose works explored themes of Scottish identity and the experiences of women in rural communities.
While the name MCELHINNEY has roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, where bearers of the name have made significant contributions across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelhinney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcelhinney 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 Mcelhinney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 941
- Two or more races3.2% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelhinney
Mcelhinney 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
#24,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,024
+48 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 331 places
2020
#25,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,009
-15 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,115 | 976 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,446 | 1,024 | 0.35 | +48 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 331 places |
| 2020 | #25,619 | 1,009 | 0.34 | -15 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 1,173 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 Mcelhinney 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 | #24,446 | #25,619 | -4.8% |
| Count | 1,024 | 1,009 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.34 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelhinney bearers went from 1,024 to 1,009 (-1.5% change). The surname moved down 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,446 to #25,619.
FAQ
Mcelhinney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelhinney?
Name Census estimates that about 1,157 living Americans carry the surname Mcelhinney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 296,244 residents.
How common is Mcelhinney?
Mcelhinney ranks #25,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,009 people with the surname Mcelhinney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Mcelhinney.
Has Mcelhinney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelhinney went from 1,024 recorded bearers to 1,009. That is a decrease of 15 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,446 to #25,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelhinney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mcelhinney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (941 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelhinney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mcelhinney (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 Mcelhinney mean?
An Irish surname meaning "son of the wealthy one" or "son of the prosperous 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 Mcelhinney (0.34 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 Mcelhinney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.