2000
#1,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.21
Uncommon Last name
Mcgovern
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mag Shamhráin, meaning "son of the summer-born" or "son of Samhrán."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,754 Americans carry the last name Mcgovern. That puts it at #2,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgovern 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 Mcgovern with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,276
Census rank
#2,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,354 bearers of the surname Mcgovern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgovern, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgovern
The surname McGovern is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Gobhann, meaning "son of the smith." It is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in various parts of Ireland, particularly in counties such as Down, Armagh, and Fermanagh.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entry for the year 1142 mentions a "Maelcobha Mac Gabhann," which is believed to be an early spelling of the name McGovern.
The name McGovern has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Donnchadh Mór Mac Gabhann, a 14th-century Irish chieftain who ruled over parts of what is now County Fermanagh. Another prominent bearer of the name was Reverend John McGovern (1722-1799), an Irish Catholic priest who played a significant role in the establishment of the Diocese of Baltimore in the United States.
In the 19th century, James McGovern (1822-1911) was a prominent Irish-American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut. Francis E. McGovern (1866-1946), born in Ireland, was a United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Philippine-American War.
One of the most well-known McGoverns of the 20th century was George S. McGovern (1922-2012), a United States Senator from South Dakota and the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 1972 election. He was a prominent advocate for social justice and anti-war causes.
While the surname McGovern has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply intertwined with Irish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgovern
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgovern, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgovern 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 Mcgovern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 15,175
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 539
- Two or more races2.4% · 386
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 134
- Black or African American0.5% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgovern
Mcgovern 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
#2,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,257
+518 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 5.85
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#2,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,354
-903 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 5.47
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,979 | 16,739 | 6.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,095 | 17,257 | 5.85 | +518 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #2,164 | 16,354 | 5.47 | -903 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 69 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 Mcgovern 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 | #2,095 | #2,164 | -3.3% |
| Count | 17,257 | 16,354 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.85 | 5.47 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgovern bearers went from 17,257 to 16,354 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,095 to #2,164.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcgovern
FAQ
Mcgovern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgovern?
Name Census estimates that about 18,754 living Americans carry the surname Mcgovern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,276 residents.
How common is Mcgovern?
Mcgovern ranks #2,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,354 people with the surname Mcgovern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,754), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Mcgovern.
Has Mcgovern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgovern went from 17,257 recorded bearers to 16,354. That is a decrease of 903 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,095 to #2,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgovern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgovern, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mcgovern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (15,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgovern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mcgovern (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 Mcgovern mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mag Shamhráin, meaning "son of the summer-born" or "son of Samhrán." 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 Mcgovern (5.47 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 common is the surname Mcgovern?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Mcgovern, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.