2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcgillin
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Gilla Inn, meaning "son of the servant or devotee of Aon" (referring to a pre-Christian Irish deity).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Mcgillin. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgillin 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Mcgillin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgillin
The surname McGillin has its origins in Ireland, where it first appeared around the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Gille Fhionáin" which translates to "servant or devotee of St. Finan." St. Finan was a 7th-century Irish monk and bishop who established the monastery of Lindisfarne in Northumbria, England.
The name was initially found in County Down, in the northern part of Ireland, where the McGillins were a prominent clan. Historical records show variations in the spelling, such as McGillin, McGillian, and McGillyen, which were common during the Middle Ages when spelling conventions were not standardized.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a "Gilla Fhionáin Ua Dúnáin" is mentioned in the year 1187. This entry likely refers to a member of the McGillin clan from County Down.
In the 16th century, the McGillins were involved in the Nine Years' War (1594-1603), a conflict between the Irish chieftains and the English crown. A notable figure from this period was Rory McGillin, a leader of the McGillin clan who fought against the English forces.
During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McGillins were displaced from their ancestral lands and migrated to other parts of Ireland and Scotland. This diaspora helped spread the name to different regions.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the McGillin surname. One example is John McGillin (1759-1836), an American Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Trenton and was later awarded land grants in Pennsylvania for his service.
Another prominent McGillin was Michael McGillin (1844-1909), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist from Philadelphia, known for establishing the McGillin's Olde Ale House, one of the oldest continuously operating taverns in the city.
In the realm of literature, the name McGillin is associated with John McGillin (1856-1941), an Irish-American poet and journalist who wrote extensively about Irish culture and politics.
A more recent figure is William McGillin (1917-2004), an American artist and sculptor known for his modernist works and his contributions to the art scene in New York City.
Additionally, Peter McGillin (1948-), a Canadian politician, served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 2003, representing the riding of Scarborough West.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgillin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgillin 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 Mcgillin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgillin
Mcgillin 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,932 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+12 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,258 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 17,932 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 10,258 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 Mcgillin 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 | #153,769 | #143,511 | 6.7% |
| Count | 106 | 118 | 11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgillin bearers went from 106 to 118 (+11.3% change). The surname moved up 10,258 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #143,511.
FAQ
Mcgillin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgillin?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Mcgillin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Mcgillin?
Mcgillin ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Mcgillin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Mcgillin.
Has Mcgillin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgillin went from 106 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 12 (+11.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgillin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mcgillin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgillin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mcgillin (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 Mcgillin mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Gilla Inn, meaning "son of the servant or devotee of Aon" (referring to a pre-Christian Irish deity). 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 Mcgillin (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 Mcgillin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Mcgillin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.