2000
#30,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Mcgalliard
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Rìgh" meaning "son of the king's servant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 820 Americans carry the last name Mcgalliard. That puts it at #34,185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 417,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgalliard 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
820
1 in 417,993
Census rank
#34,185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
715
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 715 bearers of the surname Mcgalliard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgalliard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgalliard
The surname McGalliard is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Galliard", which may have been a nickname for someone with a cheerful or lively disposition.
The name is thought to have originated in the Highlands region of Scotland, particularly in the areas around Inverness and Aberdeenshire. Some of the earliest recorded spellings of the name include McGalliard, McGallyard, and McGalyard.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls from 1296, which mention a John McGalliard who was a tenant farmer in the village of Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire.
In the 15th century, a family of McGalliards is recorded as holding lands in the parish of Avoch, near Inverness. A notable member of this family was Angus McGalliard, who fought alongside the Earl of Huntly at the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594.
During the 17th century, the McGalliards were among the Scottish settlers who migrated to Ulster, Ireland, as part of the Plantation of Ulster. This led to the establishment of several branches of the family in counties such as Antrim and Londonderry.
One famous figure with the surname was Sir Alexander McGalliard (1685-1749), a Scottish-born soldier and landowner who served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1721 to 1726. He was instrumental in suppressing piracy in the Caribbean during his tenure.
Another notable McGalliard was John McGalliard (1789-1858), a Scottish-born merchant and shipping magnate who made his fortune in the West Indies trade. He played a significant role in the development of the city of Glasgow in the early 19th century.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was that of James McGalliard (1756-1832), a Scottish immigrant who served as a captain in the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Virginia and became a prominent landowner and farmer.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the McGalliard name can be found scattered across various parts of the United States, with concentrations in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and California, likely reflecting the migration patterns of Scottish and Scots-Irish immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgalliard
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgalliard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgalliard 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 Mcgalliard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 645
- Black or African American6.0% · 43
- Two or more races2.5% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgalliard
Mcgalliard 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
#32,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 704
-26 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,368 places
2020
#34,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 715
+11 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,553 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,264 | 730 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,632 | 704 | 0.24 | -26 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2,368 places |
| 2020 | #34,185 | 715 | 0.24 | +11 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 1,553 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 Mcgalliard 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 | #32,632 | #34,185 | -4.8% |
| Count | 704 | 715 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgalliard bearers went from 704 to 715 (+1.6% change). The surname moved down 1,553 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,632 to #34,185.
FAQ
Mcgalliard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgalliard?
Name Census estimates that about 820 living Americans carry the surname Mcgalliard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 417,993 residents.
How common is Mcgalliard?
Mcgalliard ranks #34,185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 715 people with the surname Mcgalliard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (820), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Mcgalliard.
Has Mcgalliard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgalliard went from 704 recorded bearers to 715. That is an increase of 11 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,632 to #34,185.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgalliard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgalliard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Mcgalliard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgalliard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (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 Mcgalliard (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 Mcgalliard mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Rìgh" meaning "son of the king's servant". 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 Mcgalliard (0.24 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 Americans have the surname Mcgalliard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.