2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcgranor
An Irish surname derived from Mac Grànna, meaning "son of the swarthy or ill-favored man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Mcgranor. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgranor 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.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Mcgranor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgranor, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgranor
The surname McGranor originated in Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic words 'mac' meaning son and 'granndoir' which translates to grumbler or complainer. The name likely referred to someone with a grumbling or disgruntled disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Gillemichel McGranor" appears in this record. Over time, the spelling evolved to the modern McGranor form.
The name was particularly prevalent in the Scottish Highlands, especially in the regions of Argyll and Bute. Several place names in these areas, such as Glengrannich and Corrygrannich, may have influenced or been influenced by the surname's origins.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was Lachlan McGranor, a prominent chieftain of the MacGregor clan. He was born around 1520 and played a pivotal role in the clan's conflicts with the Campbells and other rival clans during the tumultuous period of the Scottish clan wars.
Another historical figure was Angus McGranor, born in 1645 in Argyll. He was a renowned bard and poet who composed numerous works in Gaelic, preserving the oral traditions and cultural heritage of the Scottish Highlands.
In the 18th century, Duncan McGranor (1710-1785) was a respected minister and theologian in the Church of Scotland. He served as the parish minister of Killin for over four decades and was known for his scholarly writings on theology and religious matters.
During the Scottish Enlightenment, Robert McGranor (1765-1832) was a prominent philosopher and educator. He taught at the University of Edinburgh and was a proponent of empiricism and the advancement of scientific knowledge.
In the 19th century, Isobel McGranor (1820-1898) was a pioneering Scottish educator who founded several schools for girls in Glasgow. She played a significant role in promoting women's education and empowerment during a time when such opportunities were limited.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgranor
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgranor, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgranor 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 Mcgranor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgranor
Mcgranor 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,464 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,464 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,171 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 Mcgranor 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 | #145,220 | #142,049 | 2.2% |
| Count | 114 | 120 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgranor bearers went from 114 to 120 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,171 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,049.
FAQ
Mcgranor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgranor?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Mcgranor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Mcgranor?
Mcgranor ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Mcgranor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mcgranor.
Has Mcgranor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgranor went from 114 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgranor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgranor, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Mcgranor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgranor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (0.8%). 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 Mcgranor (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 Mcgranor mean?
An Irish surname derived from Mac Grànna, meaning "son of the swarthy or ill-favored man". 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 Mcgranor (0.04 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 Mcgranor?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Mcgranor? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.