2000
#5,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,745
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.13
Rare Last name
Mcginn
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the pleasant one" or "son of Fionn's servant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,493 Americans carry the last name Mcginn. That puts it at #5,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,788 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcginn 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 Mcginn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,788
Census rank
#5,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,662 bearers of the surname Mcginn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcginn
The surname McGinn has its origins in Ireland, arising during the medieval period. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Ginn, which means "son of Ginn." The name Ginn itself is derived from the Old Irish word "genn," meaning "bright" or "radiant."
The McGinn surname is most prevalent in counties Donegal, Tyrone, and Armagh, suggesting that its earliest bearers were located in the northern regions of Ireland. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval chronicle that covers events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th centuries.
One of the earliest known McGinns was Seán Óg Mac Ginn, a 16th-century Irish chieftain who ruled over the territory of Trough in County Monaghan. He was involved in numerous conflicts with the English authorities during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
Another notable bearer of the name was Patrick McGinn, a 17th-century Irish priest and historian who authored the work "De Praesulibus Hiberniae," a chronicle of the lives of Irish bishops.
In the 18th century, James McGinn (1744-1817) was a prominent Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Carrickfergus from 1790 to 1800.
During the 19th century, Eliza McGinn (1819-1892) was a notable Irish novelist and poet who published several works under the pen name "Ethna Elliot."
One of the most famous McGinns of the 20th century was Roger McGinn (1944-2002), an American singer-songwriter and co-founder of the influential folk rock band The Byrds.
The name McGinn has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballymacginn in County Antrim and Ballinamcginn in County Armagh, further reflecting its deep roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcginn
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcginn 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 Mcginn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 5,235
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 211
- Two or more races2.6% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 47
- Black or African American0.2% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcginn
Mcginn 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
#5,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,955
+210 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 254 places
2020
#5,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,662
-293 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,553 | 5,745 | 2.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,807 | 5,955 | 2.02 | +210 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 254 places |
| 2020 | #5,872 | 5,662 | 1.89 | -293 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 65 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 Mcginn 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 | #5,807 | #5,872 | -1.1% |
| Count | 5,955 | 5,662 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.89 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcginn bearers went from 5,955 to 5,662 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,807 to #5,872.
FAQ
Mcginn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcginn?
Name Census estimates that about 6,493 living Americans carry the surname Mcginn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,788 residents.
How common is Mcginn?
Mcginn ranks #5,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.89 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 5,662 people with the surname Mcginn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.89 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 Mcginn.
Has Mcginn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcginn went from 5,955 recorded bearers to 5,662. That is a decrease of 293 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,807 to #5,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcginn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mcginn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (5,235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcginn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mcginn (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 Mcginn mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the pleasant one" or "son of Fionn's servant." 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 Mcginn (1.89 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 Mcginn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.