2000
#5,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,436
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Mcgriff
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Riabhaich," meaning "son of the brindled one" or "son of the gray-haired one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,385 Americans carry the last name Mcgriff. That puts it at #5,956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgriff 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
6.4K
1 in 53,681
Census rank
#5,956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,568 bearers of the surname Mcgriff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgriff, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.2%. The next largest groups are White (32.1%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgriff
The surname McGriff has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "griogar" meaning "watchful" or "vigilant." The name was originally spelled as MacGriogair or MacGregor, with McGriff being a later anglicized variation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McGriff can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The roll mentions a "Gillecrist MacGregor" from the region of Argyll, likely an ancestor of the modern McGriff family.
The name McGriff was particularly prevalent in the Scottish Highlands, with many members of the clan residing in the regions of Perthshire, Argyllshire, and Stirlingshire. The McGriffs were known for their involvement in various clan conflicts and feuds throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, often aligning themselves with the powerful Campbell clan.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the name McGriff was John McGriff (1712-1789), a Scottish soldier who fought in the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He later immigrated to the American colonies, settling in Virginia and serving in the Revolutionary War.
Another prominent McGriff was William McGriff (1810-1875), a Scottish-born businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He founded the McGriff Trust, which provided educational opportunities for underprivileged children in his hometown of Glasgow.
In the literary world, one cannot overlook the contribution of Angus McGriff (1860-1932), a Scottish poet and author known for his works celebrating the beauty of the Highlands and the rich cultural heritage of the region.
The McGriff name also found its way into the annals of Scottish exploration, with Robert McGriff (1876-1949) being a notable figure. He was part of the ill-fated Shackleton expedition to the Antarctic in 1914-1917, and his diary accounts provide valuable insights into the harrowing journey.
Finally, in the realm of sports, the name McGriff is associated with Fred McGriff (born 1963), a former professional baseball player who spent most of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves, earning five All-Star selections and the 1994 World Series championship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgriff
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgriff, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.2%. The next largest groups are White (32.1%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgriff 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 Mcgriff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.2% · 3,238
- White32.1% · 1,789
- Two or more races6.2% · 346
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgriff
Mcgriff 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
#5,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,789
+353 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#5,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,568
-221 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,827 | 5,436 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,947 | 5,789 | 1.96 | +353 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #5,956 | 5,568 | 1.86 | -221 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 9 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 Mcgriff 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 | #5,947 | #5,956 | -0.2% |
| Count | 5,789 | 5,568 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.86 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgriff bearers went from 5,789 to 5,568 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,947 to #5,956.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcgriff
FAQ
Mcgriff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgriff?
Name Census estimates that about 6,385 living Americans carry the surname Mcgriff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,681 residents.
How common is Mcgriff?
Mcgriff ranks #5,956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,568 people with the surname Mcgriff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcgriff.
Has Mcgriff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgriff went from 5,789 recorded bearers to 5,568. That is a decrease of 221 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,947 to #5,956.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgriff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgriff, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.2%. The next largest groups are White (32.1%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcgriff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.2% (3,238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgriff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.2%), White (32.1%), Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Mcgriff (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 Mcgriff mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Riabhaich," meaning "son of the brindled one" or "son of the gray-haired one." 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 Mcgriff (1.86 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 share the surname Mcgriff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.