2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mckearn
Gaelic surname derived from the nickname Mac Ciarán meaning "son of a small dark man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mckearn. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckearn 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Mckearn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckearn
The surname MCKEARN is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic language. It is believed to have first emerged in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides islands during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the ancient Scottish manuscript known as the Ragman Rolls, dating back to the late 13th century. This document contains the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England.
The name MCKEARN is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "cèarn," which can be translated as "little hill" or "cairn." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near a distinctive hill or cairn in the Scottish Highlands.
In the 16th century, the MCKEARN surname can be found in records from the Isle of Islay, one of the Inner Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. Notable historical figures with this surname include Donald MCKEARN, a prominent landowner on the island in the late 1500s.
Another notable individual was Lachlan MCKEARN, a Scottish warrior who fought alongside Clan MacDonald during the Battle of Traigh Ghruinneart in 1598. This battle, also known as the Battle of the Lochgruinart, was a conflict between Clan MacDonald and Clan MacLean over control of the Isle of Islay.
In the 17th century, the MCKEARN surname appears in parish records from the town of Inveraray, located in Argyll and Bute. One individual of note was Angus MCKEARN, a merchant and landowner who lived in Inveraray in the late 1600s.
The MCKEARN surname also has historical connections to the Isle of Mull, another of the Inner Hebrides islands. In the early 18th century, records show a John MCKEARN who was a tenant farmer on the island.
Throughout the centuries, variations in the spelling of the MCKEARN surname have included McKern, McKairn, and McKairne, reflecting the evolution of the Gaelic language and its adaptation into written English.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckearn
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckearn 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 Mckearn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckearn
Mckearn 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,271 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,271 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,649 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 Mckearn 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 | #142,108 | #145,757 | -2.6% |
| Count | 117 | 115 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckearn bearers went from 117 to 115 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mckearn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckearn?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mckearn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mckearn?
Mckearn ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Mckearn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Mckearn.
Has Mckearn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckearn went from 117 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckearn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Mckearn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckearn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Mckearn (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 Mckearn mean?
Gaelic surname derived from the nickname Mac Ciarán meaning "son of a small dark man". 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 Mckearn (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 last name Mckearn?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Mckearn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.