2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcgruther
A Scottish habitational surname from a place called McGrouther, likely derived from a Gaelic phrase referring to a large ridge or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Mcgruther. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgruther 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Mcgruther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgruther, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.3%) and Black (9.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgruther
The surname MCGRUTHER originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages, likely derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning son and "gruther" which referred to a brewer or one who brews ale. This suggests that the name may have initially belonged to someone whose occupation involved brewing or ale production.
One of the earliest known references to the name MCGRUTHER can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish nobility who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This document lists an individual named Gillebride McGruther, indicating the surname's presence in Scotland during the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, records from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland mention a Thomas McGruther who held lands in the county of Ayr. This suggests that by this time, the MCGRUTHER family had established a presence in the southwestern region of Scotland.
The name MCGRUTHER has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as the village of Gruther in Renfrewshire. This connection to a specific location may indicate that the name originated from a particular area or that members of the MCGRUTHER family held land or property there.
Notable individuals bearing the surname MCGRUTHER throughout history include:
1. Angus MCGRUTHER (c.1540-1610), a Scottish clergyman and scholar who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow in the late 16th century.
2. Margaret MCGRUTHER (1673-1738), a Scottish landowner and philanthropist who endowed funds for the establishment of a school in her hometown of Kilwinning, Ayrshire.
3. John MCGRUTHER (1821-1895), a Scottish-born immigrant to Canada who became a successful businessman and entrepreneur in the timber industry of Ontario.
4. William MCGRUTHER (1863-1927), a Scottish-American politician who served as the mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, in the early 20th century.
5. Isobel MCGRUTHER (1902-1982), a renowned Scottish artist known for her landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
While the surname MCGRUTHER is not among the most common in Scotland today, its historical roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and regional diversity of Scottish surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgruther
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgruther, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.3%) and Black (9.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgruther 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 Mcgruther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.8% · 68
- Two or more races13.3% · 14
- Black or African American9.5% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgruther
Mcgruther 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,591 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,642 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 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,591 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 4,642 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 Mcgruther 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 | #148,347 | #152,989 | -3.1% |
| Count | 111 | 105 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgruther bearers went from 111 to 105 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 4,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,989.
FAQ
Mcgruther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgruther?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Mcgruther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Mcgruther?
Mcgruther ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Mcgruther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Mcgruther.
Has Mcgruther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgruther went from 111 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgruther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgruther, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.3%) and Black (9.5%). 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 Mcgruther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.8% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgruther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.8%), Two or More Races (13.3%), Black (9.5%). 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 Mcgruther (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 Mcgruther mean?
A Scottish habitational surname from a place called McGrouther, likely derived from a Gaelic phrase referring to a large ridge or hill. 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 Mcgruther (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 Mcgruther?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mcgruther? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.