2000
#1,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,205
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.20
Uncommon Last name
Mcfadden
Son of little Patrick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,104 Americans carry the last name Mcfadden. That puts it at #1,125 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,764 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcfadden 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 Mcfadden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
35K
1 in 9,764
Census rank
#1,125
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,612 bearers of the surname Mcfadden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1125th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfadden, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcfadden
The surname McFadden has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic name, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Fáidín," which means "little prophet" or "diminutive of Áed." The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" indicates "son of" in Gaelic.
The earliest known record of the McFadden name can be traced back to the late 12th century, when it appeared as "MacFadyn" in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage renderings made to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Ayrshire, where the McFaddens were a prominent family.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McFaddens were actively involved in the Scottish clan conflicts and wars of the time. Notable figures from this period include Fergus McFadden, a renowned warrior who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including MacFadden, McFadyen, and McFaden, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "McFadden" can be found in the Bute Presbytery Records of 1638.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, many McFaddens emigrated from Scotland to various parts of the world, including Ireland, England, and North America. One notable figure from this period is Sir John McFadden (1756-1836), an Irish-born British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a member of the Irish Parliament.
Another prominent individual was John McFadden (1786-1858), an Irish-born American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century.
In the literary world, Frank Patrick McFadden (1889-1942) was an American novelist and short story writer known for his works set in the American West, including the novel "The Clan McFadden."
More recently, Brian McFadden (born 1980) is an Irish singer and former member of the popular boy band Westlife, while John McFadden (born 1966) is a Scottish actor best known for his roles in television shows like "M.I. High" and "The Crew."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcfadden
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfadden, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcfadden 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 Mcfadden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.9% · 18,034
- Black or African American33.2% · 10,159
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,247
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 935
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 163
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcfadden
Mcfadden 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
#1,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,839
+1,634 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 10.79
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#1,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,612
-1,227 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 10.24
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,058 | 30,205 | 11.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,098 | 31,839 | 10.79 | +1,634 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #1,125 | 30,612 | 10.24 | -1,227 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 27 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 Mcfadden 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 | #1,098 | #1,125 | -2.5% |
| Count | 31,839 | 30,612 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 10.79 | 10.24 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcfadden bearers went from 31,839 to 30,612 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,098 to #1,125.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcfadden
FAQ
Mcfadden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcfadden?
Name Census estimates that about 35,104 living Americans carry the surname Mcfadden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,764 residents.
How common is Mcfadden?
Mcfadden ranks #1,125 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,612 people with the surname Mcfadden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Mcfadden.
Has Mcfadden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcfadden went from 31,839 recorded bearers to 30,612. That is a decrease of 1,227 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,098 to #1,125.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcfadden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfadden, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mcfadden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.9% (18,034 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcfadden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.9%), Black (33.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mcfadden (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 Mcfadden mean?
Son of little Patrick. 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 Mcfadden (10.24 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 surname Mcfadden?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.