2000
#29,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 743
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Mcgreal
Of Scottish origin, meaning "son of the big or handsome lad".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 928 Americans carry the last name Mcgreal. That puts it at #30,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 369,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgreal 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 Mcgreal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
928
1 in 369,347
Census rank
#30,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
809
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 809 bearers of the surname Mcgreal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgreal, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgreal
The surname MCGREAL is of Irish origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name 'Mac Gríobhtha', which means 'son of the griffin'. The name is believed to have originated in County Mayo, in the west of Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Lough Cé, a 17th-century manuscript that chronicles events in Ireland from the 12th to the 17th centuries. The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.
In the 16th century, the name was often spelled as 'McGrail' or 'McGrael', reflecting the local pronunciation and spelling variations of the time. The name is also closely related to the Irish surname 'McGreal', which shares a similar origin and meaning.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MCGREAL was Conor McGreal, a 16th-century landowner from County Mayo. He is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history.
Another notable figure with the surname MCGREAL was Pádraig McGreal (1865-1936), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He served as a Member of Parliament for the North Leitrim constituency from 1900 to 1918.
In the 18th century, James McGreal (1717-1789) was a renowned Irish poet and songwriter from County Sligo. His works were widely popular and celebrated the natural beauty of the Irish landscape.
The name MCGREAL also has connections to the Irish diaspora. Michael McGreal (1807-1868) was an Irish-born Catholic priest who emigrated to the United States and served as the first Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, from 1841 to 1868.
In the 20th century, Seán McGreal (1904-1981) was a prominent Irish journalist and author. He worked for several Irish newspapers and wrote several books on Irish history and politics.
While the name MCGREAL is predominantly found in Ireland, it has also been carried by individuals of Irish descent in other parts of the world, reflecting the widespread migration of Irish people throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgreal
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgreal, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgreal 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 Mcgreal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 760
- Two or more races3.3% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 20
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgreal
Mcgreal 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
#28,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 821
+78 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 900 places
2020
#30,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 809
-12 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,873 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,840 | 743 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,940 | 821 | 0.28 | +78 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 900 places |
| 2020 | #30,813 | 809 | 0.27 | -12 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 1,873 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 Mcgreal 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 | #28,940 | #30,813 | -6.5% |
| Count | 821 | 809 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.27 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgreal bearers went from 821 to 809 (-1.5% change). The surname moved down 1,873 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,940 to #30,813.
FAQ
Mcgreal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgreal?
Name Census estimates that about 928 living Americans carry the surname Mcgreal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 369,347 residents.
How common is Mcgreal?
Mcgreal ranks #30,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 809 people with the surname Mcgreal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (928), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Mcgreal.
Has Mcgreal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgreal went from 821 recorded bearers to 809. That is a decrease of 12 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,940 to #30,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgreal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgreal, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Mcgreal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgreal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Mcgreal (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 Mcgreal mean?
Of Scottish origin, meaning "son of the big or handsome lad". 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 Mcgreal (0.27 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 are called Mcgreal?
You can see how many people have the last name Mcgreal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.