Mcgiffert
Scottish surname derived from a medieval nickname referring to a cheerful or lively person.
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Mcgiffert. That puts it at #144,908 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgiffert 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.
Mcgiffert appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#144,908
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Mcgiffert in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144908th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgiffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgiffert
The surname McGiffert has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the Gaelic culture that dominated the region. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Gaelic personal name Mac Dhuibhshithe, meaning "son of the dark fairy" or "son of Duibhshidhe," where "Dhuibhshidhe" combines the elements "dubh," meaning "dark" or "black," and "sithe," meaning "fairy" or "elf." The name was historically prevalent in the Western Isles and the highland regions of Scotland.
One of the earliest historical references to a variant of the McGiffert name can be found in medieval Scottish records. The name appears in several 14th-century documents, though the spelling and orthography were varied. In this period, the surname might have been recorded as MacKiffert or MacGuffert in different manuscripts, reflecting the fluid nature of Gaelic to English transcription.
The earliest recorded example of the surname in a relatively modern form occurs in the 16th century. A document dating back to 1538 mentions a John McGiffert residing in the area of Argyll, a region significant for its Gaelic heritage. This suggests the name was well-established by that time and highlights its prevalence in western Scotland.
Throughout history, the surname McGiffert has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person is Rev. Arthur Cushman McGiffert, a prominent theologian born in 1861 and who passed in 1933. He was a significant figure in American religious thought and served as president of the Union Theological Seminary in New York.
Another historical figure bearing the surname is Thomas McGiffert, an 18th-century merchant from Glasgow. Records from 1775 indicate his involvement in trade between Scotland and the American colonies, underscoring the influence Scots had in early American commerce.
Also noteworthy is James McGiffert, who served as a local magistrate in Edinburgh during the late 1700s. His tenure is documented in various legal records from the period, signifying his role in the civic management of the city.
In the field of medicine, Dr. William McGiffert, born in 1843 and died in 1914, made significant contributions. He was a respected physician based in Inverness and was known for his work on infectious diseases, reflecting the scholarly tradition within the McGiffert name.
Lastly, historian Katherine McGiffert, a 19th-century scholar, made notable contributions to the documentation of Highland clan histories. Her well-regarded volumes on clan genealogies remain a valuable resource for understanding Scottish heritage and family lineages.
The surname McGiffert thus carries a rich history, reflecting its Scottish Gaelic roots and the varied contributions of its bearers across centuries. Through historical records, varied spellings, and notable individuals, the legacy of McGiffert offers a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and social fabric of Scotland and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgiffert
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgiffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgiffert bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Mcgiffert surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0%
- Black or African American20.9%
FAQ
Mcgiffert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgiffert?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Mcgiffert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Mcgiffert?
Mcgiffert ranks #144,908 in the 2000 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 2000 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Mcgiffert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), 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 Mcgiffert.
Has Mcgiffert become more or less common over time?
Mcgiffert appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgiffert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgiffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%). These figures come from the 2000 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 Mcgiffert in the 2000 Census, accounting for 79.0%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgiffert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are White (79.0%), Black (20.9%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Mcgiffert appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Mcgiffert mean?
Scottish surname derived from a medieval nickname referring to a cheerful or lively person. 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 2000 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 Mcgiffert (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 common is the surname Mcgiffert?
See how common the surname Mcgiffert is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.