2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mcgall
From a Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Gille' meaning 'son of the servant lad'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Mcgall. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgall 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 Mcgall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Mcgall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgall
The surname McGall has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "gall" meaning "stranger" or "foreigner." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals of foreign descent or those who had settled in Scotland from abroad.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls from Scottish nobles swearing allegiance to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name appears as "Macgal" and "Macgalle," indicating the variations in spelling that existed during that time.
In the 14th century, the McGall name was associated with the lands of Galloway in southwestern Scotland. Historical records show that a certain Duncan McGall held lands in the parish of Kirkcudbright, in what is now Dumfries and Galloway, during the reign of King David II (1329-1371).
As the centuries progressed, the McGall name spread across Scotland, with various branches establishing themselves in different regions. Notably, in the 16th century, a prominent individual named John McGall (1522-1587) served as the Bishop of Galloway and played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
Another noteworthy figure bearing the McGall surname was Sir James McGall (1744-1826), a Scottish merchant and politician. He served as the Lord Provost of Glasgow and was influential in the city's economic and cultural development during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the literary world, Andrew McGall (1719-1789) was a Scottish poet and songwriter, best known for his collection of poems titled "The Twa Herds, or, The Hunter's Camp." His work contributed to the preservation of Scottish folklore and tradition.
The McGall name also found its way across the Atlantic, with individuals bearing this surname contributing to the development of various regions in North America. One such example is Robert McGall (1784-1854), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Upper Canada (now Ontario) and played a role in the establishment of the town of Goderich.
Throughout history, the McGall surname has been associated with various locations and place names, including Galloway, Kirkcudbright, and Glasgow in Scotland, as well as Goderich in Canada. The spelling variations have included Macgal, Macgalle, McGall, and McGaull, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgall
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgall 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 Mcgall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgall
Mcgall 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-9 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,812 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 14,812 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,463 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 Mcgall 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 | #133,048 | #143,511 | -7.9% |
| Count | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgall bearers went from 127 to 118 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #143,511.
FAQ
Mcgall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgall?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Mcgall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Mcgall?
Mcgall ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Mcgall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Mcgall.
Has Mcgall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgall went from 127 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Mcgall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Black (2.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Mcgall (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 Mcgall mean?
From a Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Gille' meaning 'son of the servant lad'. 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 Mcgall (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 Americans have the surname Mcgall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.