2000
#5,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.39
Rare Last name
Mcginley
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Fhionnlaigh, meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair or white warrior).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,547 Americans carry the last name Mcginley. That puts it at #5,140 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,416 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcginley 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 Mcginley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,416
Census rank
#5,140
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,581 bearers of the surname Mcginley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5140th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcginley
The surname McGinley is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic name Mac Gionnlaidh, which means "son of the servant of St Finlay." It is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in County Donegal, Ireland.
The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic personal name Gionnlaidh, which is a variant of the name Finlay or Fingal. This name was quite common in Ireland during the Middle Ages and was often given to children who were born on St. Finlay's feast day.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "MacGinnlaidh" in the year 1173. The name also appears in various other medieval Irish manuscripts and records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters and the Annals of Connacht.
The McGinley surname is particularly associated with the Donegal area of Ireland, where it is believed to have originated. The name is also found in other parts of Ireland, such as Counties Tyrone and Derry, where it is believed to have spread through migration.
Notable individuals with the surname McGinley throughout history include:
1. Brian McGinley (c. 1480 - c. 1550), an Irish nobleman and chieftain of the McGinley clan in Donegal.
2. Rory McGinley (c. 1520 - c. 1595), an Irish poet and bard who composed works in the Irish language.
3. Niall McGinley (1768 - 1854), an Irish rebel who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule.
4. Patrick McGinley (1819 - 1895), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McGinley Coal Company in Pennsylvania.
5. John McGinley (1871 - 1939), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.
The surname McGinley is also associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McGinley's Brae in County Donegal, which is believed to have been named after a member of the McGinley clan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcginley
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcginley 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 Mcginley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 6,055
- Two or more races3.3% · 214
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 189
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 72
- Black or African American0.5% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcginley
Mcginley 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
#5,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,851
+416 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#5,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,581
-270 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,000 | 6,435 | 2.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,112 | 6,851 | 2.32 | +416 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #5,140 | 6,581 | 2.20 | -270 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 28 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 Mcginley 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 | #5,112 | #5,140 | -0.5% |
| Count | 6,851 | 6,581 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.32 | 2.20 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcginley bearers went from 6,851 to 6,581 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,112 to #5,140.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcginley
FAQ
Mcginley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcginley?
Name Census estimates that about 7,547 living Americans carry the surname Mcginley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,416 residents.
How common is Mcginley?
Mcginley ranks #5,140 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,581 people with the surname Mcginley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,547), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcginley.
Has Mcginley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcginley went from 6,851 recorded bearers to 6,581. That is a decrease of 270 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,112 to #5,140.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcginley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Mcginley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (6,055 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcginley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Mcginley (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 Mcginley mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Fhionnlaigh, meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair or white warrior). 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 Mcginley (2.20 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 share the surname Mcginley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.