2000
#13,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,981
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Mcguffin
A variant of MacGuffin, an Irish surname meaning "son of the dark-featured man" or "son of the strong man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,185 Americans carry the last name Mcguffin. That puts it at #14,912 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcguffin 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
2.2K
1 in 156,867
Census rank
#14,912
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,905 bearers of the surname Mcguffin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14912th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcguffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcguffin
The surname MCGUFFIN has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic term "Mac Ghuibhne," which translates to "son of the small and plump one." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to an individual with a stout physique.
The earliest recorded instances of the MCGUFFIN name can be traced back to the parish records of Ayrshire, Scotland, in the late 1500s. Additionally, the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage records from Scottish nobles to King Edward I of England, dating back to the late 13th century.
In the 17th century, the MCGUFFIN family established themselves as landowners in the county of Lanarkshire, Scotland. One notable figure from this era was Sir John MCGUFFIN (1620-1685), a prominent Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1677 to 1685.
During the Scottish Reformation, the MCGUFFIN name was also connected to the Covenanters, a movement that sought to preserve Presbyterian values in Scotland. Reverend William MCGUFFIN (1638-1701) was a prominent Covenanter minister who was imprisoned for his beliefs during the reign of King Charles II.
As the MCGUFFIN name spread across Scotland and eventually to other parts of the British Isles, variations in spelling emerged, such as MCGUFFIN, MCGUFFIN, and MCGUFFIN. The name also found its way to Ireland, where it became associated with the Ulster-Scottish population.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MCGUFFIN name in Ireland can be found in the birth records of County Antrim in the late 17th century. Over time, the name became more prevalent in Northern Ireland, particularly in the counties of Antrim and Down.
Notable individuals with the MCGUFFIN surname include:
1. James MCGUFFIN (1751-1820), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who established a successful business in Virginia, United States, in the late 18th century.
2. Catherine MCGUFFIN (1788-1864), an Irish author and poet who published several volumes of poetry and prose during the early 19th century.
3. Sir Robert MCGUFFIN (1835-1917), a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the iron and steel industries in Glasgow.
4. Margaret MCGUFFIN (1891-1968), a Canadian artist and painter known for her landscapes and portrait works, particularly those depicting Indigenous peoples of Canada.
5. John MCGUFFIN (1927-2008), a British actor and television personality who appeared in numerous television series and films throughout the 20th century.
While the MCGUFFIN name may have originated from humble beginnings as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a surname with a rich history, spanning several centuries and countries, with notable individuals contributing to various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcguffin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcguffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcguffin 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 Mcguffin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 1,704
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 73
- Two or more races3.5% · 67
- Black or African American2.3% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcguffin
Mcguffin 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
#15,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,943
-38 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,186 places
2020
#14,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,905
-38 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,980 | 1,981 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,166 | 1,943 | 0.66 | -38 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 1,186 places |
| 2020 | #14,912 | 1,905 | 0.64 | -38 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 254 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 Mcguffin 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 | #15,166 | #14,912 | 1.7% |
| Count | 1,943 | 1,905 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.64 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcguffin bearers went from 1,943 to 1,905 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,166 to #14,912.
FAQ
Mcguffin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcguffin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,185 living Americans carry the surname Mcguffin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,867 residents.
How common is Mcguffin?
Mcguffin ranks #14,912 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,905 people with the surname Mcguffin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,185), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcguffin.
Has Mcguffin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcguffin went from 1,943 recorded bearers to 1,905. That is a decrease of 38 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,166 to #14,912.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcguffin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcguffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mcguffin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (1,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcguffin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mcguffin (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 Mcguffin mean?
A variant of MacGuffin, an Irish surname meaning "son of the dark-featured man" or "son of the strong 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 Mcguffin (0.64 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 common is the surname Mcguffin?
You can see how common the surname Mcguffin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.