2000
#742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.69
Uncommon Last name
Mcintyre
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac an tSaoir," meaning "son of the carpenter or wright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 48,841 Americans carry the last name Mcintyre. That puts it at #792 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcintyre 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 Mcintyre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
49K
1 in 7,018
Census rank
#792
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
43K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 42,592 bearers of the surname Mcintyre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 792nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcintyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcintyre
The surname McIntyre is a Scottish surname that originated in the Scottish Highlands, specifically in the region of Argyll. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac an t-Saoiri, which means "son of the carpenter" or "son of the wright."
The name can be traced back to the 12th century, and it is believed to have been derived from a personal name or occupation. In the early days, surnames were often based on a person's profession or trade, and the McIntyre name likely originated from an ancestor who was a skilled carpenter or wright.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McIntyre surname can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th century. These rolls were records of royal revenue and expenditure, and they mention individuals with the name McIntyre or variations of it.
The McIntyre surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Angus McIntyre, a Scottish warrior who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
Another notable McIntyre was Duncan McIntyre, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Glenorchy, Argyll, in 1724 and is best known for his work "Thoughts on the Highlands," which provided insights into the lives and customs of the Highland people.
In the 19th century, William McIntyre, born in 1828 in Argyll, was a prominent Scottish politician and Member of Parliament. He represented the constituency of Arbroath from 1874 to 1880 and was an advocate for land reform and improved conditions for crofters in the Highlands.
Charles Rennie McIntyre, born in 1854 in Wigan, England, was a noted Scottish architect and designer. He was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and is best known for his work on the Glasgow School of Art, which he designed in collaboration with Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Another notable McIntyre was Sir James McIntyre, a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1828 to 1908. He co-founded the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company and was instrumental in the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
While the McIntyre surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread throughout the world, and individuals with this surname can be found in various countries, including Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcintyre
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcintyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcintyre 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 Mcintyre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 32,172
- Black or African American16.0% · 6,835
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,730
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,406
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 276
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 173
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcintyre
Mcintyre 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
#786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,842
+1,507 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 14.86
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,592
-1,250 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 14.25
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #742 | 42,335 | 15.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #786 | 43,842 | 14.86 | +1,507 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #792 | 42,592 | 14.25 | -1,250 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 6 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 Mcintyre 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 | #786 | #792 | -0.8% |
| Count | 43,842 | 42,592 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 14.86 | 14.25 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcintyre bearers went from 43,842 to 42,592 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #786 to #792.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcintyre
FAQ
Mcintyre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcintyre?
Name Census estimates that about 48,841 living Americans carry the surname Mcintyre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,018 residents.
How common is Mcintyre?
Mcintyre ranks #792 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 42,592 people with the surname Mcintyre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (48,841), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Mcintyre.
Has Mcintyre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcintyre went from 43,842 recorded bearers to 42,592. That is a decrease of 1,250 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #786 to #792.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcintyre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcintyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mcintyre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (32,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcintyre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (16.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mcintyre (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 Mcintyre mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac an tSaoir," meaning "son of the carpenter or wright." 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 Mcintyre (14.25 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 Mcintyre?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Mcintyre, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.