2000
#404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.66
Uncommon Last name
Mcgee
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aodha," meaning "son of Hugh" or "son of Aodh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 81,770 Americans carry the last name Mcgee. That puts it at #453 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgee 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 Mcgee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
82K
1 in 4,192
Census rank
#453
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
71K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 71,307 bearers of the surname Mcgee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 453rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgee, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgee
The surname McGee has its origins in the Gaelic language of Ireland. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Gedhaigh, which means "son of Gedhaigh". The name Gedhaigh is derived from the word "gedh", meaning "wild goose".
The McGee surname is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century. It was first recorded in County Fermanagh, in the northern part of Ireland, where the name is most prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McGee surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Gilla-Pádraig Mac Gedhaigh" in the year 1162.
In the 16th century, the McGee family held lands in County Fermanagh and played a prominent role in the local politics and conflicts of the region. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "McGee", "McGhee", or "Magee".
A notable figure from this era was Cormac McGee, a chieftain who fought against the English forces during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603). He was killed in battle in 1600.
In the 17th century, many McGees were among the Irish emigrants who fled to continental Europe during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Some settled in Spain, France, and other European countries, where their name was often Hispanicized as "Maguez" or "Maguay".
One of the most famous bearers of the McGee surname was William McGee (1766-1832), an Irish-born soldier and explorer who served in the British Army and participated in several important expeditions in Australia and the Pacific region.
Another notable McGee was Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1825-1868), an Irish-Canadian journalist, politician, and one of the Fathers of Confederation in Canada. He was assassinated in 1868, allegedly for his role in the Canadian Confederation.
In the 19th century, many McGees emigrated from Ireland to the United States and other parts of the English-speaking world, contributing to the widespread distribution of the surname today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgee
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgee, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgee 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 Mcgee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.1% · 42,820
- Black or African American30.4% · 21,677
- Two or more races4.9% · 3,466
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,435
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 462
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 447
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgee
Mcgee 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
#439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,542
+2,617 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 25.27
Rank movement Down 35 places
2020
#453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,307
-3,235 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 23.86
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #404 | 71,925 | 26.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #439 | 74,542 | 25.27 | +2,617 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 35 places |
| 2020 | #453 | 71,307 | 23.86 | -3,235 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 14 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 Mcgee 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 | #439 | #453 | -3.2% |
| Count | 74,542 | 71,307 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 25.27 | 23.86 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgee bearers went from 74,542 to 71,307 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #439 to #453.
FAQ
Mcgee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgee?
Name Census estimates that about 81,770 living Americans carry the surname Mcgee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,192 residents.
How common is Mcgee?
Mcgee ranks #453 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 71,307 people with the surname Mcgee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (81,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Mcgee.
Has Mcgee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgee went from 74,542 recorded bearers to 71,307. That is a decrease of 3,235 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #439 to #453.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgee, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mcgee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (42,820 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.1%), Black (30.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Mcgee (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 Mcgee mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aodha," meaning "son of Hugh" or "son of Aodh." 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 Mcgee (23.86 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 Mcgee?
Want to know how common the surname Mcgee is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.