2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mckessy
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Oisdeardha meaning 'son of the superior person'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Mckessy. 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 Mckessy 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 Mckessy 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 Mckessy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckessy
The surname McKessy originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is a variant of the Gaelic surname Mac Caisey, which means "son of Caisey." The name Caisey itself is derived from the Gaelic personal name Caisenen, meaning "fierce" or "bold."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McKessy surname can be found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a historical manuscript from the 14th century. This document mentions a "Gillecrist McKessy" who was a tenant of the Breadalbane estate in Perthshire, Scotland.
In the 16th century, the McKessy name appeared in various records associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Perthshire. Some early spellings of the name include McKessie, McKessick, and McKessog.
A notable figure bearing the McKessy surname was John McKessy, a Scottish soldier who fought in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He was born in Argyll around 1720 and served as a lieutenant in the Jacobite army under Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Another historical individual with this surname was Duncan McKessy, a landowner and merchant who lived in Perthshire in the late 18th century. He was involved in the local wool trade and owned several estates in the region.
In the 19th century, the McKessy name was associated with the Scottish clan MacKenzie, as some branches of the clan adopted the spelling McKessy over time. One prominent member of this clan was Alexander McKessy, a businessman and philanthropist who lived in Glasgow from 1820 to 1892.
The McKessy surname also has connections to the Scottish island of Islay, where a family bearing this name resided for several generations. One notable member of this branch was Lachlan McKessy, a farmer and landowner who lived on the island in the early 19th century.
Another individual of note was Robert McKessy, a Scottish emigrant who settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, in the late 18th century. He established a successful fishing and trading business in the region and contributed to the development of the local community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckessy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckessy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckessy 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 Mckessy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 11
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckessy
Mckessy 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,224 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,224 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,925 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 Mckessy 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 | #133,863 | #142,788 | -6.7% |
| Count | 126 | 119 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckessy bearers went from 126 to 119 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #142,788.
FAQ
Mckessy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckessy?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Mckessy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Mckessy?
Mckessy 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 Mckessy. 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 Mckessy.
Has Mckessy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckessy went from 126 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckessy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckessy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Black (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 Mckessy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckessy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Hispanic (9.2%), Black (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 Mckessy (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 Mckessy mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Oisdeardha meaning 'son of the superior person'. 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 Mckessy (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 Mckessy?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mckessy? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.