2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mckeldin
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "the ridge of the hillocks".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Mckeldin. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckeldin 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Mckeldin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeldin, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckeldin
The surname MCKELDIN has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the Scottish surname McKellar, which itself is derived from the Gaelic name "Mac Ceallair," meaning "son of the caulker" or "son of the caulker of boats." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been involved in boat-building or maritime trades.
The earliest recorded instances of the MCKELDIN spelling can be found in parish records from the county of Argyll in western Scotland, where the name was concentrated around the town of Campbeltown. One of the earliest documented examples is John McKeldin, born in 1612 in Campbeltown, whose descendants later adopted the MCKELDIN spelling variation.
In the 17th century, the MCKELDIN name appears in various historical records, including court documents and property deeds. One notable reference is a land grant from 1682 to a James McKeldn, indicating the family's ownership of land in the Argyll region during that time.
As the centuries passed, members of the MCKELDIN family dispersed throughout Scotland and beyond. In the late 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, where they became prominent members of the local community. One notable figure from this line was Robert MCKELDIN (1789-1865), a respected merchant and town council member.
Another significant bearer of the MCKELDIN name was William MCKELDIN (1823-1901), a Scottish-born entrepreneur who immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. He established a successful shipping business in Baltimore, Maryland, and his descendants went on to become influential figures in American politics and public service.
One of the most renowned individuals with the MCKELDIN surname was Theodore R. McKeldin (1900-1974), a prominent American politician who served as the 51st Governor of Maryland from 1951 to 1959. Born in Baltimore to Scottish immigrants, he played a pivotal role in the development of the state's infrastructure and economy during his tenure.
Other notable individuals with the MCKELDIN surname include James MCKELDIN (1857-1932), a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist; Mary MCKELDIN (1851-1924), an early advocate for women's rights in Maryland; and John MCKELDIN (1892-1976), a respected judge and legal scholar in Baltimore.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckeldin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeldin, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckeldin 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 Mckeldin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 84
- Black or African American26.9% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckeldin
Mckeldin 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-8 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,990 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 14,990 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,484 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 Mckeldin 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 | #138,304 | #142,788 | -3.2% |
| Count | 121 | 119 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckeldin bearers went from 121 to 119 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #142,788.
FAQ
Mckeldin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckeldin?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Mckeldin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Mckeldin?
Mckeldin ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Mckeldin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Mckeldin.
Has Mckeldin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckeldin went from 121 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckeldin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeldin, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) 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 Mckeldin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckeldin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (26.9%), 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 Mckeldin (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 Mckeldin mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "the ridge of the hillocks". 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 Mckeldin (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 common is the surname Mckeldin?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Mckeldin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.