2000
#6,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Mckibben
A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a kybber, one who catches fish using a kibble net.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,761 Americans carry the last name Mckibben. That puts it at #7,687 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,992 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckibben 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 Mckibben with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,992
Census rank
#7,687
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,152 bearers of the surname Mckibben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7687th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckibben, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckibben
The surname McKibben is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gille Bride," meaning "servant of St. Brigid." It dates back to the 12th century in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "MacGillebride" or "MacIllebride." Over time, it evolved into various spellings, including McKibben, MacKibben, and Kibben. These variations emerged due to regional dialects, scribal errors, and anglicization.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster from the 13th century, which mentions a "Gillabride MacGillabride" in the year 1226. The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century.
Some notable individuals with the surname McKibben throughout history include:
1. John McKibben (c. 1640-1718), an early settler in Pennsylvania and a Quaker from Ireland.
2. David McKibben (1853-1923), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
3. Ralph McKibben (1892-1969), an American journalist and war correspondent during World War II.
4. Bill McKibben (born 1960), an American environmentalist, author, and activist known for his work on climate change.
5. Sara McKibben (born 1981), an American mathematician and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The name has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Kilbride (derived from "Cill Bhride," meaning "Church of St. Brigid") and Bridgend, which may have influenced the formation of the surname.
While the McKibben surname is predominantly found in Scotland, it has also spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and North America due to migration and diaspora over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckibben
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckibben, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckibben 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 Mckibben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 3,463
- Black or African American8.1% · 337
- Two or more races3.8% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckibben
Mckibben 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
#6,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,958
+327 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#7,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,152
-806 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 886 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,719 | 4,631 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,801 | 4,958 | 1.68 | +327 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #7,687 | 4,152 | 1.39 | -806 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 886 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 Mckibben 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 | #6,801 | #7,687 | -13.0% |
| Count | 4,958 | 4,152 | -16.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.39 | -17.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckibben bearers went from 4,958 to 4,152 (-16.3% change). The surname moved down 886 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,801 to #7,687.
FAQ
Mckibben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckibben?
Name Census estimates that about 4,761 living Americans carry the surname Mckibben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,992 residents.
How common is Mckibben?
Mckibben ranks #7,687 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,152 people with the surname Mckibben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,761), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mckibben.
Has Mckibben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckibben went from 4,958 recorded bearers to 4,152. That is a decrease of 806 (-16.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,801 to #7,687.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckibben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckibben, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mckibben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (3,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckibben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mckibben (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 Mckibben mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a kybber, one who catches fish using a kibble net. 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 Mckibben (1.39 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 Mckibben?
Find out how many people have the last name Mckibben on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.