2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcelhoe
Irish surname originating from Ulster possibly meaning "tonsured one" or "bald one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Mcelhoe. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelhoe 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Mcelhoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcelhoe
The surname McElhoe is of Irish and Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Giolla Iosa" meaning "servant of Jesus." The name is believed to have originated in the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 15th centuries, in the regions of Ulster and Ayrshire.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be in the Ulster Annals of 1432, where it is written as "MacGillies." Similar spellings such as "MacGilliese," "MacIllies," and "MacIlhose" are also found in various historical documents from the 15th to 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname is Fergus McIlhose, a Scottish nobleman from Ayrshire who was mentioned in a charter from 1479. In the 16th century, the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, with a record of Johnne McElhose from Edinburgh in 1594.
During the 17th century, the name was well-established in both Ireland and Scotland. Notably, Archibald McElhoe, a Scottish minister, was born in Ayrshire in 1620 and later served as the minister of Kilwinning Parish from 1653 until his death in 1686.
In Ireland, the surname was particularly prevalent in County Antrim and County Down. One notable individual was Patrick McElhoe, a landowner from Ballymoney, County Antrim, who was involved in a legal dispute over property rights in 1698, as recorded in the Irish Chancery Rolls.
Another significant figure was James McElhoe, born in County Down in 1745, who fought in the American Revolutionary War as a member of the Continental Army. He later settled in Pennsylvania and his descendants continued to use the McElhoe surname.
Other notable individuals with this surname include William McElhoe, a Scottish painter born in Glasgow in 1824, who was known for his landscapes and portraits, and John McElhoe, an Irish author and journalist from Derry, born in 1876, who wrote several books on Irish history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelhoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcelhoe 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 Mcelhoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 97
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelhoe
Mcelhoe 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,437 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 807 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,437 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 807 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 Mcelhoe 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 | #151,532 | #152,339 | -0.5% |
| Count | 108 | 106 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelhoe bearers went from 108 to 106 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 807 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,339.
FAQ
Mcelhoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelhoe?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Mcelhoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Mcelhoe?
Mcelhoe ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Mcelhoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Mcelhoe.
Has Mcelhoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelhoe went from 108 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelhoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mcelhoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelhoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mcelhoe (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 Mcelhoe mean?
Irish surname originating from Ulster possibly meaning "tonsured one" or "bald 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 Mcelhoe (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 have the last name Mcelhoe?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Mcelhoe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.