2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcfeters
A patronymic surname of Scottish origin, meaning "son of Fetter".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Mcfeters. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcfeters 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Mcfeters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfeters, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcfeters
The surname MCFETERS has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the Scottish surname McFetridge, which itself is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Mac Phetaradh" or "Mac Pheadair," meaning "son of Phetaradh" or "son of Peadar."
The earliest recorded instances of the name MCFETERS can be found in the parish records of Ayrshire, Scotland, during the late 1500s. It is likely that the name originated in this region, as it was common for Scottish surnames to evolve through various spellings and phonetic variations.
One of the earliest known bearers of the MCFETERS surname was John McFeters, who was born in Ayr, Scotland, around 1620. Records show that he was a merchant and landowner in the area.
In the 17th century, the name MCFETERS began to appear in other parts of Scotland, including Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. During this time, the surname also started to make its way across the Atlantic to the American colonies.
One notable figure with the MCFETERS surname was William McFeters, born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1732. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia, and played a role in the American Revolutionary War as a supporter of the Patriot cause.
Another individual of note was James McFeters, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1790. He was a renowned scholar and linguist, known for his work in translating ancient Greek and Latin texts.
In the 19th century, the MCFETERS surname continued to spread throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. One notable bearer was John McFeters (1825-1898), a Scottish-born American industrialist who founded the McFeters Steel Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Another prominent figure was Sarah McFeters (1860-1944), an American educator and advocate for women's rights. She was born in Ohio and played a significant role in the suffrage movement, working to secure voting rights for women.
The MCFETERS surname has also been found in various parts of the world, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, likely due to migration patterns of Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcfeters
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfeters, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcfeters 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 Mcfeters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcfeters
Mcfeters 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,216 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,216 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,225 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 Mcfeters 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 | #147,253 | #145,028 | 1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 116 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcfeters bearers went from 112 to 116 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,225 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,028.
FAQ
Mcfeters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcfeters?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Mcfeters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Mcfeters?
Mcfeters ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Mcfeters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Mcfeters.
Has Mcfeters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcfeters went from 112 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcfeters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcfeters, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Mcfeters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcfeters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Mcfeters (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 Mcfeters mean?
A patronymic surname of Scottish origin, meaning "son of Fetter". 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 Mcfeters (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 are called Mcfeters?
See how many people are called Mcfeters on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.