2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mckan
Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacChainn" meaning "son of Cainn", a personal name of unknown origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Mckan. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckan 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Mckan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.1%) and White (17.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckan
The surname MCKAN is believed to have originated in Scotland, deriving from the Gaelic personal name "Maccath" or "Maccad," meaning "son of the battle." This name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, between the 11th and 15th centuries, when clan names and hereditary surnames became more prevalent in the Scottish Highlands.
MCKAN is thought to be an anglicized version of the Gaelic name MacCadain or MacCathan, which would have been used by the descendants or followers of someone named Maccath or Maccad. Similar spellings found in historical records include MacKane, MacKan, and MacCaan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th century, when a John MacCan is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1367. This document, which recorded financial transactions and taxes paid to the Scottish crown, suggests that the MCKAN surname had already established itself by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of feudal homage rolls compiled during the reign of King Edward I of England. Here, a certain Duncan MacKan from Argyllshire is listed as swearing fealty to the English crown in 1296.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the MCKAN surname. Among them are:
1. Angus MCKAN (1570-1642), a Scottish soldier and explorer who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on his expeditions to the Americas.
2. Elizabeth MCKAN (1730-1804), a prominent Scottish writer and poet known for her works on Scottish history and folklore.
3. James MCKAN (1815-1885), a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
4. Robert MCKAN (1862-1928), a Scottish-American architect renowned for his work on several iconic buildings in New York City, including the Flat Iron Building.
5. Margaret MCKAN (1920-2002), a Scottish-born Australian writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and environmental conservation.
While the MCKAN surname has its roots in the Scottish Highlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.1%) and White (17.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckan 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 Mckan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.8% · 67
- Two or more races18.1% · 19
- White17.1% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckan
Mckan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,769 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 Mckan 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 | #145,220 | #152,989 | -5.3% |
| Count | 114 | 105 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckan bearers went from 114 to 105 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 7,769 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,989.
FAQ
Mckan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckan?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Mckan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Mckan?
Mckan ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Mckan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Mckan.
Has Mckan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckan went from 114 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.1%) and White (17.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mckan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.8% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.8%), Two or More Races (18.1%), White (17.1%). 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 Mckan (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 Mckan mean?
Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacChainn" meaning "son of Cainn", a personal name of unknown origin. 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 Mckan (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 have the surname Mckan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.