2000
#5,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Mciver
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacÍomhair," meaning "son of Íomhar" (Ivor).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,972 Americans carry the last name Mciver. That puts it at #6,287 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mciver 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 Mciver with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,394
Census rank
#6,287
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,208 bearers of the surname Mciver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6287th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mciver, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mciver
The surname McIver is of Scottish origin and dates back to the early 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Iomhair, meaning "son of Ivor" or "son of Ivor the brown". The name Ivor is itself derived from the Old Norse name Ivarr, which means "archer" or "bowman".
The McIver surname is most closely associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly the areas of Argyll and the Isles. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists landowners in Scotland who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
In the 14th century, a branch of the McIver clan settled on the island of Islay, where they became prominent landowners and warriors. The Clan McIver was closely allied with the powerful Clan Donald, and they played a significant role in many of the inter-clan conflicts that plagued the Scottish Highlands during this period.
One of the earliest recorded McIvers was Gillespie McIver, who was born around 1350 and served as a loyal retainer to the Lord of the Isles. In the 15th century, Angus McIver was a renowned warrior who fought alongside the Clan Donald against the Scottish Crown during the Battle of Harlaw in 1411.
In the 16th century, the surname McIver began to spread beyond the Scottish Highlands. John McIver, born in 1512, was a prominent merchant in Aberdeen who traded with the Netherlands and other European countries. Another notable McIver from this period was Dugald McIver, a Scottish scholar and poet who was born in 1560 and studied at the University of Glasgow.
As the centuries passed, the McIver surname continued to be associated with Scottish history and culture. In the 18th century, Alasdair McIver was a renowned piper and composer who served as the personal piper to the Chief of the Clan MacLeod. In the 19th century, Iain McIver was a celebrated Gaelic poet and bard who was born on the Isle of Islay in 1825.
Throughout history, the surname McIver has been spelled in various ways, including McIvor, McIver, McKeever, and McEever, reflecting the varied pronunciation and spelling conventions of different regions. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained constant, rooted in the ancient Celtic and Norse traditions of Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mciver
Among Census respondents with the surname Mciver, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mciver 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 Mciver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.0% · 2,811
- Black or African American37.9% · 1,972
- Two or more races3.8% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mciver
Mciver 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
#6,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,457
+131 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 306 places
2020
#6,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,208
-249 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,952 | 5,326 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,258 | 5,457 | 1.85 | +131 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 306 places |
| 2020 | #6,287 | 5,208 | 1.74 | -249 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 29 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 Mciver 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 | #6,258 | #6,287 | -0.5% |
| Count | 5,457 | 5,208 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.74 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mciver bearers went from 5,457 to 5,208 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,258 to #6,287.
FAQ
Mciver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mciver?
Name Census estimates that about 5,972 living Americans carry the surname Mciver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,394 residents.
How common is Mciver?
Mciver ranks #6,287 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 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 5,208 people with the surname Mciver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,972), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 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 Mciver.
Has Mciver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mciver went from 5,457 recorded bearers to 5,208. That is a decrease of 249 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,258 to #6,287.
What does the Census say about the background of Mciver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mciver, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mciver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.0% (2,811 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mciver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.0%), Black (37.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mciver (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 Mciver mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacÍomhair," meaning "son of Íomhar" (Ivor). 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 Mciver (1.74 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 Americans have the surname Mciver?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.