2000
#12,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Mcfalls
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Phail, meaning "son of Paul," likely referring to an early ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,585 Americans carry the last name Mcfalls. That puts it at #13,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcfalls 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
2.6K
1 in 132,594
Census rank
#13,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,254 bearers of the surname Mcfalls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfalls, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcfalls
The surname MCFALLS is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "mac" meaning "son of" and "fall" or "fal" meaning "scattered" or "wandering." The name likely originated in the Scottish Highlands during the 12th or 13th century, referring to a family or individual who had dispersed or wandered from their original clan lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland from 1454, which mentions a John McFall as a landowner in the county of Ayr. Another early reference is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1513, which lists a Duncan McFaill as a tenant farmer in the region of Argyll.
In the 16th century, the MCFALLS name appeared in the records of the Clan Gordon, one of the most powerful and influential clans in the Scottish Highlands. It is believed that some MCFALLS families may have been part of the Gordon clan or allied with them through marriage or military service.
Notable individuals with the MCFALLS surname include John McFalls (1642-1721), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who immigrated to Ulster, Ireland, and later became a prominent figure in the Irish Presbyterian Church. Another notable bearer of the name was William McFalls (1787-1864), a Scottish-born engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Erie Canal in New York.
In the 19th century, a MCFALLS family from Dumfriesshire, Scotland, gained prominence in the field of agriculture and livestock breeding. Robert McFalls (1811-1885) was a renowned cattle breeder and exhibitor, winning numerous prizes at agricultural shows throughout Scotland and England.
The MCFALLS name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McFall's Hill in Renfrewshire and McFall's Loch in Argyllshire, further reinforcing the name's Scottish heritage and geographical roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcfalls
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfalls, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcfalls 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 Mcfalls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 1,951
- Black or African American6.3% · 142
- Two or more races4.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcfalls
Mcfalls 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
#12,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,433
+62 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 614 places
2020
#13,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,254
-179 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,078 | 2,371 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,692 | 2,433 | 0.82 | +62 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 614 places |
| 2020 | #13,021 | 2,254 | 0.75 | -179 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 329 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 Mcfalls 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 | #12,692 | #13,021 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,433 | 2,254 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.75 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcfalls bearers went from 2,433 to 2,254 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 329 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,692 to #13,021.
FAQ
Mcfalls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcfalls?
Name Census estimates that about 2,585 living Americans carry the surname Mcfalls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,594 residents.
How common is Mcfalls?
Mcfalls ranks #13,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,254 people with the surname Mcfalls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Mcfalls.
Has Mcfalls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcfalls went from 2,433 recorded bearers to 2,254. That is a decrease of 179 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,692 to #13,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcfalls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfalls, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mcfalls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (1,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcfalls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (6.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mcfalls (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 Mcfalls mean?
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Phail, meaning "son of Paul," likely referring to an early ancestor. 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 Mcfalls (0.75 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 Mcfalls?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.