2000
#7,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Mcentire
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a carpenter or joiner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,554 Americans carry the last name Mcentire. That puts it at #8,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,264 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcentire 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
4.6K
1 in 75,264
Census rank
#8,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,971 bearers of the surname Mcentire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcentire, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcentire
The surname McEntire has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" and "an t-saoir," meaning "son of the carpenter." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely skilled craftsmen or artisans.
The name is thought to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Perthshire. Early records show variations in spellings, such as McIntyre, MacIntyre, and McEntyre, reflecting the phonetic nature of Scottish naming practices.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded homages sworn to King Edward I of England. The entry "Gillecrist Macansair" is believed to be an early spelling of the surname.
In the 17th century, the McEntire name appears in the records of the Scottish Privy Council. In 1613, a certain Dougall McEntyre was charged with "oppression and violence" against his neighbors in Argyllshire.
Notable individuals bearing the McEntire surname include Sir John McIntyre (1759-1833), a Scottish businessman and member of the British Parliament; William McIntyre (1768-1832), a Scottish minister and writer; and Duncan Ban McIntyre (1724-1812), a renowned Scottish Gaelic poet.
Another prominent figure was Sir Archibald McIntyre (1770-1828), a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1804 to 1808.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the McEntire name dates back to 1776, when James McEntire served in the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout history, the McEntire surname has been associated with various professions, including carpenters, farmers, merchants, and military personnel. The name has also been linked to several place names in Scotland, such as McIntyre's Muir and McIntyre's Mount.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcentire
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcentire, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcentire 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 Mcentire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 3,366
- Black or African American5.3% · 211
- Two or more races4.9% · 194
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcentire
Mcentire 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
#8,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,115
+169 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 277 places
2020
#8,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,971
-144 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,765 | 3,946 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,042 | 4,115 | 1.40 | +169 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 277 places |
| 2020 | #8,002 | 3,971 | 1.33 | -144 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 40 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 Mcentire 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 | #8,042 | #8,002 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,115 | 3,971 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.33 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcentire bearers went from 4,115 to 3,971 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,042 to #8,002.
FAQ
Mcentire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcentire?
Name Census estimates that about 4,554 living Americans carry the surname Mcentire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,264 residents.
How common is Mcentire?
Mcentire ranks #8,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,971 people with the surname Mcentire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcentire.
Has Mcentire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcentire went from 4,115 recorded bearers to 3,971. That is a decrease of 144 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,042 to #8,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcentire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcentire, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mcentire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (3,366 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcentire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mcentire (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 Mcentire mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a carpenter or joiner. 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 Mcentire (1.33 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 common is the surname Mcentire?
You can see how common the surname Mcentire is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.