2000
#1,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.85
Uncommon Last name
Mcginnis
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aonghusa, meaning "son of Angus," a personal name meaning "unique strength."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,255 Americans carry the last name Mcginnis. That puts it at #1,346 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,716 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcginnis 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 Mcginnis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,716
Census rank
#1,346
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,512 bearers of the surname Mcginnis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1346th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcginnis
The surname McGinnis has its origins in Ireland and Scotland, with roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Muinneachan," which means "son of the monk" or "monkish one." It is believed to have originated in the regions of Ulster and Argyll.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The name appears as "MacMuinneachan" in this historical document.
In Scotland, the surname McGinnis is often associated with the clan MacInnes, a branch of the larger Clan Donald. The MacInnes clan was prominent in the Hebrides and the western Highlands of Scotland.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Irish and Scottish settlers bearing the name McGinnis migrated to the Americas, particularly to the United States and Canada. This led to the establishment of various branches of the McGinnis family across North America.
Notable individuals with the surname McGinnis include:
1. John Joseph McGinnis (1828-1902), an Irish-American Catholic priest and founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas.
2. William McGinnis (1805-1865), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from Ohio.
3. Catherine McGinnis (1857-1933), an Irish-American educator and writer who founded the McGinnis School in New York City.
4. Michael McGinnis (1892-1962), an American professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in the Major Leagues.
5. John McGinnis (1953-), an American legal scholar and professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
The surname McGinnis has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations, such as McGinnis Creek in Montana, McGinnis Slough in Oregon, and McGinnis Lake in British Columbia, Canada.
While the name has evolved over time, with variations like McGinness and MacGuinness, the core meaning and origins remain rooted in the Gaelic heritage of Ireland and Scotland, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcginnis
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcginnis 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 Mcginnis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 21,547
- Black or African American7.3% · 1,852
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,033
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 815
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 158
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcginnis
Mcginnis 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
#1,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,953
+375 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 9.14
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#1,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,512
-1,441 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 8.54
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,207 | 26,578 | 9.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,303 | 26,953 | 9.14 | +375 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #1,346 | 25,512 | 8.54 | -1,441 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 43 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 Mcginnis 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 | #1,303 | #1,346 | -3.3% |
| Count | 26,953 | 25,512 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 9.14 | 8.54 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcginnis bearers went from 26,953 to 25,512 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,303 to #1,346.
FAQ
Mcginnis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcginnis?
Name Census estimates that about 29,255 living Americans carry the surname Mcginnis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,716 residents.
How common is Mcginnis?
Mcginnis ranks #1,346 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,512 people with the surname Mcginnis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,255), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Mcginnis.
Has Mcginnis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcginnis went from 26,953 recorded bearers to 25,512. That is a decrease of 1,441 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,303 to #1,346.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcginnis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcginnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mcginnis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (21,547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcginnis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mcginnis (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 Mcginnis mean?
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aonghusa, meaning "son of Angus," a personal name meaning "unique strength." 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 Mcginnis (8.54 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 Mcginnis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.