2000
#4,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,907
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Mcgarry
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Garaidh," derived from a personal name meaning "gentleness" or "decency."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,948 Americans carry the last name Mcgarry. That puts it at #4,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgarry 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 Mcgarry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,125
Census rank
#4,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,931 bearers of the surname Mcgarry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgarry, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgarry
The surname McGarry originated in Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic name MacGaradha, which means "son of Garaidh". Garaidh was a personal name that came from the Old Irish word gár, meaning "near" or "close".
The McGarry name can be traced back to the 11th century in County Fermanagh, Ulster Province, where it was first recorded as MacGaraidhe. The family was part of the ancient Gaelic clans that inhabited the region.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name McGarry appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, dating back to the year 1131. The entry refers to Mael Mhuire Mac Garadha, who was described as a notable cleric.
In the 16th century, the McGarry surname was found in various parts of Ireland, including Counties Fermanagh, Cavan, and Monaghan. Historical records from this period show variations in the spelling, such as McGarry, McGarrey, and McGarray.
Notable individuals with the surname McGarry include:
1. Sir John McGarry (1730-1801), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
2. Patrick McGarry (1808-1891), an Irish-born Catholic priest and educational advocate who founded several schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
3. Nicol Williamson McGarry (1835-1913), a Scottish-born politician and journalist who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
4. William McGarry (1865-1940), an Australian politician and the 16th Premier of New South Wales from 1920 to 1921.
5. Francis Patrick McGarry (1867-1936), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, from 1910 to 1936.
The McGarry name has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as McGarry's Cross in County Fermanagh and McGarry's Hill in County Monaghan, reflecting the historical presence of the family in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgarry
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgarry, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgarry 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 Mcgarry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 6,306
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 280
- Two or more races3.0% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 66
- Black or African American0.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgarry
Mcgarry 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
#5,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,982
+75 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Down 334 places
2020
#4,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,931
-51 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Up 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,692 | 6,907 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,026 | 6,982 | 2.37 | +75 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 334 places |
| 2020 | #4,926 | 6,931 | 2.32 | -51 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 100 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 Mcgarry 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 | #5,026 | #4,926 | 2.0% |
| Count | 6,982 | 6,931 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.37 | 2.32 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgarry bearers went from 6,982 to 6,931 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,026 to #4,926.
FAQ
Mcgarry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgarry?
Name Census estimates that about 7,948 living Americans carry the surname Mcgarry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,125 residents.
How common is Mcgarry?
Mcgarry ranks #4,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,931 people with the surname Mcgarry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,948), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcgarry.
Has Mcgarry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgarry went from 6,982 recorded bearers to 6,931. That is a decrease of 51 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,026 to #4,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgarry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgarry, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mcgarry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (6,306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgarry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mcgarry (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 Mcgarry mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Garaidh," derived from a personal name meaning "gentleness" or "decency." 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 Mcgarry (2.32 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 common is the surname Mcgarry?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mcgarry on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.