2000
#6,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,913
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Mckean
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "son of John" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,565 Americans carry the last name Mckean. That puts it at #6,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,591 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckean 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 Mckean with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,591
Census rank
#6,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,853 bearers of the surname Mckean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckean, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckean
The surname MCKEAN is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic 'MacIain' meaning 'son of Iain', which is the Scottish form of the name John. This surname is believed to have emerged in the 13th century, primarily in the Scottish Highlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments of homage to Edward I of England. The roll lists a 'Gillecrist MacIan' from the county of Argyll, which is likely an early variant spelling of the surname MCKEAN.
By the 16th century, the name had evolved into various spellings such as McKean, McKean, and McKane. In the 1500s, the McKean clan was known to have settled in the region of Argyllshire, on the western coast of Scotland.
An individual of note bearing this surname was Thomas McKean (1734-1817), an American lawyer, politician, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He served as the second President of Congress under the Articles of Confederation and later as the ninth Governor of Pennsylvania.
Another notable figure was James B. McKean (1821-1879), an American jurist who served as a United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. He was born in Hoosick, New York, and played a significant role in several legal cases during the Reconstruction era.
In the literary world, Joseph McKean (1776-1865) was an American educator and author from Pennsylvania. He published several books, including "The Teacher's Assistant" and "The Young Scholar's Guide to Practical Grammar."
The surname MCKEAN is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as McKean's Cross, a hamlet in Argyll and Bute, and McKean's Hill, a mountain in the Scottish Highlands.
Thomas McKean Bayne (1836-1894) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and the Senate of Canada in the late 19th century.
Throughout its history, the surname MCKEAN has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, lawyers, authors, and businessmen, with roots tracing back to the Scottish Highlands and the Gaelic 'MacIain'.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckean
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckean, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckean 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 Mckean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 4,386
- Two or more races3.7% · 181
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 63
- Black or African American0.7% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckean
Mckean 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
#6,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,314
+401 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#6,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,853
-461 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,378 | 4,913 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,402 | 5,314 | 1.80 | +401 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #6,685 | 4,853 | 1.62 | -461 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 283 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 Mckean 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 | #6,402 | #6,685 | -4.4% |
| Count | 5,314 | 4,853 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.62 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckean bearers went from 5,314 to 4,853 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 283 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,402 to #6,685.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mckean
FAQ
Mckean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckean?
Name Census estimates that about 5,565 living Americans carry the surname Mckean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,591 residents.
How common is Mckean?
Mckean ranks #6,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 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 4,853 people with the surname Mckean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 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 Mckean.
Has Mckean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckean went from 5,314 recorded bearers to 4,853. That is a decrease of 461 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,402 to #6,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckean, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (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 Mckean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (4,386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (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 Mckean (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 Mckean mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "son of John" in Gaelic. 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 Mckean (1.62 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 are called Mckean?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Mckean on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.