2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mcharris
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Arras" meaning son of Arras.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Mcharris. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcharris 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Mcharris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcharris, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (29.7%) and Two or More Races (9.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcharris
The surname McHarris originates from the Scottish Highlands, dating back to the late 15th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Arais, meaning "son of Arais" or "son of Haris." Arais was a personal name derived from the Old Norse name Áris, which means "messenger of the gods."
The earliest recorded instance of the name McHarris can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1488, where a John McHarris is mentioned as a landowner in Inverness-shire. The name was particularly concentrated in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, with many McHarris families residing in areas such as Ross-shire, Sutherland, and the Isle of Skye.
In the 16th century, the McHarris clan was known for their involvement in the ongoing feuds and conflicts between the various Highland clans. One notable figure was Alasdair McHarris, who was a prominent warrior and chieftain of the clan during the latter half of the century.
As the centuries passed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as McHarras, McHarrish, and McHarrace appearing in historical records. In the 18th century, a branch of the McHarris clan migrated to Ulster, Ireland, where they became known as the Harris family.
One of the most famous individuals with the McHarris surname was Sir John McHarris (1744-1819), a Scottish-born soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia from 1811 to 1816. Another notable McHarris was William McHarris (1775-1856), a Scottish-born politician and judge who served as a Member of Parliament in the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa) and later became the first Chief Justice of the Cape Supreme Court.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the McHarris name can be found in the 1790 census, where several families with the surname were listed as residing in Virginia and North Carolina. Over the subsequent centuries, the McHarris name continued to spread throughout the country, with various individuals making their mark in fields such as politics, literature, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcharris
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcharris, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (29.7%) and Two or More Races (9.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcharris 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 Mcharris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.1% · 60
- White29.7% · 33
- Two or more races9.0% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcharris
Mcharris 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,605 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-22 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,416 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 8,605 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 20,416 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 Mcharris 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 | #128,249 | #148,665 | -15.9% |
| Count | 133 | 111 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcharris bearers went from 133 to 111 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 20,416 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #148,665.
FAQ
Mcharris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcharris?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Mcharris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Mcharris?
Mcharris ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Mcharris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Mcharris.
Has Mcharris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcharris went from 133 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcharris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcharris, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (29.7%) and Two or More Races (9.0%). 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 Mcharris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.1% (60 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcharris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.1%), White (29.7%), Two or More Races (9.0%). 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 Mcharris (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 Mcharris mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Arras" meaning son of Arras. 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 Mcharris (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 are called Mcharris?
See how common the surname Mcharris is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.