2000
#4,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.74
Rare Last name
Mcinnis
Son of Angus, a Scottish patronymic surname derived from the Gaelic name Aonghas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,311 Americans carry the last name Mcinnis. That puts it at #4,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,241 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcinnis 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 Mcinnis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,241
Census rank
#4,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,248 bearers of the surname Mcinnis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcinnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcinnis
The surname McInnis has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Aonghuis," which translates to "son of Angus." Angus was a popular personal name in ancient Scotland, often given to those born on the feast day of St. Angus.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McInnis name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage pledges to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name appears as "Makingis," reflecting the evolving spelling and pronunciation over time.
The McInnis clan was primarily based in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Outer Hebrides. Several historical records mention individuals with this surname, such as Angus McInnis, who was a prominent landowner in the Isle of Islay in the 16th century.
Another notable figure was John McInnis, a Scottish soldier who fought in the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He was captured and later transported to the American colonies as an indentured servant, contributing to the spread of the McInnis name across the Atlantic.
In the 17th century, the McInnis surname can be found in various parish records and legal documents, often spelled as "MacInnis" or "MacInnes." One such example is Donald MacInnes, a Presbyterian minister who lived in the Highlands during the 1650s.
The McInnis name has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Innis Chonain (Innis of the Hounds) in Argyll, which may have influenced the surname's evolution.
Among the notable individuals with the McInnis surname in more recent history are:
1. Robert McInnis (1844-1917), a Canadian politician and businessman from Nova Scotia.
2. Edgar McInnis (1899-1973), a Canadian historian and academic, best known for his works on the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada.
3. Lorne McInnis (1901-1956), a Canadian politician and Member of Parliament for Vancouver East.
4. Dennis McInnis (1918-2008), an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader from Massachusetts.
5. Alec McInnis (1932-2017), a Canadian politician and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-East Richmond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcinnis
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcinnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcinnis 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 Mcinnis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.8% · 5,059
- Black or African American23.1% · 1,671
- Two or more races3.3% · 240
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 217
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcinnis
Mcinnis 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
#4,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,933
+542 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Down 41 places
2020
#4,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,248
-685 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,434 | 7,391 | 2.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,475 | 7,933 | 2.69 | +542 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 41 places |
| 2020 | #4,736 | 7,248 | 2.42 | -685 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 261 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 Mcinnis 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 | #4,475 | #4,736 | -5.8% |
| Count | 7,933 | 7,248 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.69 | 2.42 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcinnis bearers went from 7,933 to 7,248 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 261 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,475 to #4,736.
FAQ
Mcinnis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcinnis?
Name Census estimates that about 8,311 living Americans carry the surname Mcinnis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,241 residents.
How common is Mcinnis?
Mcinnis ranks #4,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.42 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 7,248 people with the surname Mcinnis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,311), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.42 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 Mcinnis.
Has Mcinnis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcinnis went from 7,933 recorded bearers to 7,248. That is a decrease of 685 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,475 to #4,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcinnis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcinnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Mcinnis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (5,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcinnis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.8%), Black (23.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Mcinnis (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 Mcinnis mean?
Son of Angus, a Scottish patronymic surname derived from the Gaelic name Aonghas. 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 Mcinnis (2.42 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 Mcinnis?
You can see how many people have the surname Mcinnis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.