2000
#20,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Mcgillivray
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Gille Bhrìghde, meaning "son of the servant of St. Brigid".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,508 Americans carry the last name Mcgillivray. That puts it at #20,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 227,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgillivray 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 Mcgillivray with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 227,291
Census rank
#20,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,315 bearers of the surname Mcgillivray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgillivray, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgillivray
The surname McGillivray is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the Highlands region of Scotland in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic "Gillebhrath," which means "servant of Brath" or "servant of judgment." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have held positions of authority or judgment within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name appears as "Gilleuerd McGillemichel," indicating that the name has evolved over time from its original Gaelic form.
The McGillivrays were a prominent clan in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Inverness-shire. They were closely associated with the Clan MacKenzie and played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century, supporting the cause of the exiled House of Stuart.
One notable figure bearing the McGillivray name was William McGillivray, born in 1764, who was a prominent fur trader and explorer in North America. He co-founded the North West Company, a major competitor to the Hudson's Bay Company, and played a crucial role in the exploration and mapping of the Canadian Northwest.
Another historical figure was John McGillivray, born in 1753, who served as a captain in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. He later became a prominent landowner and politician in Nova Scotia, Canada, serving as a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
In the literary world, the McGillivray name is represented by Annie McGillivray, a Scottish writer and poet born in 1856. Her works, which often focused on rural life and folklore, were widely celebrated during her lifetime and helped preserve the rich cultural traditions of the Scottish Highlands.
Alexander McGillivray, born in 1759, was a prominent figure in the Creek Nation of Native Americans. As the son of a Scottish trader and a Creek mother, he played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and representing the Creek Nation's interests with the United States and Spanish governments during the late 18th century.
Throughout its history, the McGillivray surname has been associated with various place names and locations in Scotland, such as the Isle of Mull and the village of Gillivray in Argyll and Bute. The name's evolution from its Gaelic roots to its modern spelling reflects the rich cultural heritage and historical significance of this Scottish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgillivray
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgillivray, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgillivray 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 Mcgillivray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 1,170
- Two or more races5.2% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgillivray
Mcgillivray 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
#20,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,302
+91 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#20,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,315
+13 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,397 | 1,211 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,408 | 1,302 | 0.44 | +91 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #20,413 | 1,315 | 0.44 | +13 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 5 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 Mcgillivray 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 | #20,408 | #20,413 | -0.0% |
| Count | 1,302 | 1,315 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.44 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgillivray bearers went from 1,302 to 1,315 (+1.0% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,408 to #20,413.
FAQ
Mcgillivray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgillivray?
Name Census estimates that about 1,508 living Americans carry the surname Mcgillivray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 227,291 residents.
How common is Mcgillivray?
Mcgillivray ranks #20,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.44 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 1,315 people with the surname Mcgillivray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.44 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 Mcgillivray.
Has Mcgillivray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgillivray went from 1,302 recorded bearers to 1,315. That is an increase of 13 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,408 to #20,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgillivray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgillivray, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Mcgillivray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (1,170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgillivray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Mcgillivray (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 Mcgillivray mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Gille Bhrìghde, meaning "son of the servant of St. Brigid". 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 Mcgillivray (0.44 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 are called Mcgillivray?
Find out how many people have the surname Mcgillivray on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.