2000
#3,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,988
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.33
Uncommon Last name
Mcgrew
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Grutha," meaning "son of the brewer" or "son of the ale maker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,552 Americans carry the last name Mcgrew. That puts it at #3,758 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,482 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgrew 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
11K
1 in 32,482
Census rank
#3,758
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,202 bearers of the surname Mcgrew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3758th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgrew
The surname McGrew has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged around the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "mac a' ghriogair," which translates to "son of the brewer" or "son of the grayish-haired one." This suggests that the name was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone who worked as a brewer or had grayish-colored hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records and charters. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John McGrew, who is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1471. Another notable early bearer was Robert McGrew, who was a burgess (a citizen of a town or borough) in Glasgow in 1546.
As the McGrew family spread throughout Scotland, the name took on various spellings, such as McGrigor, McGruer, and McGruire. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that period.
In the 17th century, the name McGrew began to appear in Irish records, suggesting that some members of the family had migrated from Scotland to Ireland during that time. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in Ireland was Patrick McGrew, who was born in County Donegal in 1638.
Notable individuals with the surname McGrew throughout history include:
1. William McGrew (1748-1832), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
2. James McGrew (1762-1830), an American politician and jurist who served as a judge in Kentucky.
3. John McGrew (1807-1879), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.
4. Thomas McGrew (1884-1968), an American geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil mammals.
5. Anita McGrew (1925-2017), an American author and educator who wrote several books on early childhood education.
As the McGrew family continued to spread throughout the world, the name could be found in various regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. While the origins of the name can be traced back to Scotland, its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields across multiple continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgrew
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgrew 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 Mcgrew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 6,563
- Black or African American18.2% · 1,674
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 449
- Two or more races4.4% · 406
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgrew
Mcgrew 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
#3,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,354
+366 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 157 places
2020
#3,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,202
-152 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Up 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,629 | 8,988 | 3.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,786 | 9,354 | 3.17 | +366 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 157 places |
| 2020 | #3,758 | 9,202 | 3.08 | -152 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 28 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 Mcgrew 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 | #3,786 | #3,758 | 0.7% |
| Count | 9,354 | 9,202 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.17 | 3.08 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgrew bearers went from 9,354 to 9,202 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,786 to #3,758.
FAQ
Mcgrew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgrew?
Name Census estimates that about 10,552 living Americans carry the surname Mcgrew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,482 residents.
How common is Mcgrew?
Mcgrew ranks #3,758 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,202 people with the surname Mcgrew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,552), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mcgrew.
Has Mcgrew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgrew went from 9,354 recorded bearers to 9,202. That is a decrease of 152 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,786 to #3,758.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgrew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Mcgrew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (6,563 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgrew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Black (18.2%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Mcgrew (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 Mcgrew mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Grutha," meaning "son of the brewer" or "son of the ale maker." 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 Mcgrew (3.08 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 Mcgrew?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Mcgrew? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.