2000
#10,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,853
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Mcgoldrick
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ualghairg," meaning "son of Ualgharg" (a personal name meaning "proud").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,248 Americans carry the last name Mcgoldrick. That puts it at #10,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgoldrick 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 Mcgoldrick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,528
Census rank
#10,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,832 bearers of the surname Mcgoldrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgoldrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgoldrick
The surname McGoldrick originated in Ireland and dates back to the 13th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "MacГолdric," which means "son of Goldric." The name Goldric is derived from the Old Norse name "Gudrik," which combines the elements "gud" (God) and "ric" (ruler or power).
The McGoldrick name is associated with County Donegal in Ulster, particularly in the Inishowen peninsula. The early bearers of this name were part of the Gallóglaigh, a class of elite mercenary warriors who served Irish and Norman lords.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McGoldrick name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a 17th-century chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1345, a Domhnall Mac Goldric is mentioned as a leader of a galloglass contingent.
In the 16th century, the McGoldricks were prominent landowners in Inishowen and held the hereditary constableship of the castle of Dunavenny. A notable figure from this period was Fergus Oge McGoldrick, who was involved in conflicts with the English authorities in the late 1500s.
During the 17th century, many McGoldricks were dispossessed of their lands during the Plantation of Ulster and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Some members of the clan sought refuge in the Laggan district of County Donegal, where they maintained a strong presence.
In the 18th century, a notable McGoldrick was Charles McGoldrick, a landowner and Catholic priest who was hanged in 1718 for his involvement in the Jacobite uprising of 1715. He is remembered as a martyr for the Catholic faith in Ireland.
Other notable McGoldricks throughout history include John McGoldrick (1866-1942), a Irish-American labor activist and leader in the American Federation of Labor; and Michael McGoldrick (1858-1924), a Scottish-born journalist and author who wrote extensively about the American West.
Today, the McGoldrick name remains most prevalent in Ireland, particularly in County Donegal, as well as in areas of the United States and Canada with significant Irish diaspora populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgoldrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgoldrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgoldrick 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 Mcgoldrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,631
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 114
- Two or more races1.8% · 50
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgoldrick
Mcgoldrick 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
#11,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,882
+29 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 691 places
2020
#10,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,832
-50 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,340 | 2,853 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,031 | 2,882 | 0.98 | +29 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 691 places |
| 2020 | #10,762 | 2,832 | 0.95 | -50 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 269 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 Mcgoldrick 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 | #11,031 | #10,762 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,882 | 2,832 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.95 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgoldrick bearers went from 2,882 to 2,832 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 269 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,031 to #10,762.
FAQ
Mcgoldrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgoldrick?
Name Census estimates that about 3,248 living Americans carry the surname Mcgoldrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,528 residents.
How common is Mcgoldrick?
Mcgoldrick ranks #10,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,832 people with the surname Mcgoldrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcgoldrick.
Has Mcgoldrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgoldrick went from 2,882 recorded bearers to 2,832. That is a decrease of 50 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,031 to #10,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgoldrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgoldrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Mcgoldrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,631 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgoldrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Mcgoldrick (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 Mcgoldrick mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ualghairg," meaning "son of Ualgharg" (a personal name meaning "proud"). 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 Mcgoldrick (0.95 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 have the last name Mcgoldrick?
Find out how many people are called Mcgoldrick on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.