2000
#1,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,206
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.75
Uncommon Last name
Mchugh
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aodha," meaning "son of Aodh" (a personal name meaning "fire").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,450 Americans carry the last name Mchugh. That puts it at #1,975 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mchugh 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mchugh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,761
Census rank
#1,975
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,833 bearers of the surname Mchugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1975th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mchugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mchugh
The surname McHugh is of Irish origin, originating in the 16th century or earlier. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Aodha, which means "son of Aodh" or "son of Hugh". The personal name Aodh is derived from the Old Irish name Áed, meaning "fire" or "fiery one".
McHugh is a common surname found throughout Ireland, particularly in Ulster and Connacht. It is also found in various areas of Scotland, where Irish settlers migrated over the centuries. The earliest recorded spelling variations include McHughe, McHewghe, and McUghe.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname McHugh can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the surname, including Aodh Ruadh Mac Aodha, who died in 1537.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the McHugh clan was prominent in County Sligo, where they held lands and were considered a sept (branch) of the O'Conor clan. Noteworthy individuals from this period include Cathal Óg Mac Aodha (c. 1550-1628), a celebrated Irish poet and historian.
During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McHughs were displaced from their traditional lands. Some migrated to other parts of Ireland, while others settled in Scotland or emigrated to the Americas and other regions.
Notable McHughs throughout history include:
1. Patrick McHugh (1776-1827), an Irish-American merchant and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
2. John McHugh (1832-1904), an Irish-born American politician who served as Mayor of Boston from 1889 to 1891.
3. Victor McHugh (1861-1928), an Irish-born American actor and playwright, known for his work on the vaudeville stage.
4. Caleb McHugh (1732-1807), an Irish-born American soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
5. James McHugh (1882-1964), an American labor leader and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mchugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Mchugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mchugh 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 Mchugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 16,516
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 544
- Two or more races2.4% · 431
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 161
- Black or African American0.9% · 160
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mchugh
Mchugh 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
#1,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,422
+216 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 6.25
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#1,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,833
-589 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.97
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,813 | 18,206 | 6.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,962 | 18,422 | 6.25 | +216 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #1,975 | 17,833 | 5.97 | -589 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 13 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 Mchugh 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 | #1,962 | #1,975 | -0.7% |
| Count | 18,422 | 17,833 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.25 | 5.97 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mchugh bearers went from 18,422 to 17,833 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,962 to #1,975.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mchugh
FAQ
Mchugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mchugh?
Name Census estimates that about 20,450 living Americans carry the surname Mchugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,761 residents.
How common is Mchugh?
Mchugh ranks #1,975 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,833 people with the surname Mchugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mchugh.
Has Mchugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mchugh went from 18,422 recorded bearers to 17,833. That is a decrease of 589 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,962 to #1,975.
What does the Census say about the background of Mchugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mchugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mchugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (16,516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mchugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mchugh (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 Mchugh mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aodha," meaning "son of Aodh" (a personal name meaning "fire"). 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 Mchugh (5.97 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 Mchugh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.