2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcgay
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "mac Aidh" meaning "son of Aodh" or "son of fire".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Mcgay. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgay 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Mcgay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgay, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (36.3%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgay
The surname MCGAY has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic name "MacGhie," which means "son of the servant" or "son of the humble one." The prefix "Mac" indicates a patronymic name, meaning "son of."
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "MacGhie," "MacGhee," or "MacGhye." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling and the regional dialects of the time. The name first appeared in records from the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the areas of Argyll and the Hebrides.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a person named "Gillemor MacGhie" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in Scotland by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name MCGAY appears in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls and fealty rolls submitted to King Edward I of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This document includes the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to the English crown during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Historically, the MCGAY surname has been associated with various clans and families in the Scottish Highlands. One notable figure was John McGay, a prominent churchman and Bishop of Aberdeen in the late 16th century (c. 1545-1615). Another individual of note was Sir Duncan McGay (c. 1630-1692), a Scottish soldier and loyalist who fought for King Charles II during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the MCGAY name appears in various parish records and historical documents from the Scottish Highlands. For example, Angus McGay (c. 1700-1780) was a Scottish poet and bard from the Isle of Skye, known for his Gaelic compositions.
Another notable figure was Sir James McGay (1775-1843), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland and later as a judge of the Court of Session, the highest civil court in Scotland.
The MCGAY surname has also been associated with place names in Scotland, such as McGay's Hill in Argyll and McGay's Burn in Perthshire. These place names likely derived from individuals or families bearing the surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgay
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgay, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (36.3%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgay 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 Mcgay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.8% · 63
- Black or African American36.3% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgay
Mcgay 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,418 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,479 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 19,418 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 2,479 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 Mcgay 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 | #157,234 | #154,755 | 1.6% |
| Count | 103 | 102 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgay bearers went from 103 to 102 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 2,479 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,755.
FAQ
Mcgay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgay?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Mcgay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Mcgay?
Mcgay ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Mcgay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mcgay.
Has Mcgay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgay went from 103 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgay, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (36.3%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Mcgay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (63 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.8%), Black (36.3%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Mcgay (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 Mcgay mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "mac Aidh" meaning "son of Aodh" or "son of fire". 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 Mcgay (0.03 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 last name Mcgay?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mcgay? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.