2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mckissen
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "mac iseann" meaning son of the little old man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Mckissen. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckissen 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Mckissen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckissen, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckissen
The surname McKissen has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language, and is believed to have emerged in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Mac Cuisean," which translates to "son of the jester" or "son of the entertainer." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon a family of court jesters or performers.
The earliest recorded instance of the name McKissen can be traced back to the 14th century, appearing in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homages rendered to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and barons. In these rolls, the name is spelled as "Machussen," which was likely a phonetic rendering of the original Gaelic pronunciation.
As the name spread across Scotland, it underwent various spelling variations, including MacCuisean, MacKissin, and McKissock. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes and record-keepers.
In the 16th century, the name McKissen was particularly prevalent in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, where several notable figures bearing the name emerged. One such figure was John McKissen, born in 1568, who served as a magistrate in the town of Kilwinning, Ayrshire.
Another significant figure was Robert McKissen, born in 1612 in Lanarkshire, who played a role in the Scottish Covenanting movement, a religious and political upheaval that sought to preserve Presbyterian church governance in Scotland.
As the Scottish diaspora spread across the world, the McKissen name traveled with it. In the 18th century, James McKissen, born in 1732 in Ayrshire, immigrated to the American colonies and fought in the Revolutionary War as a member of the Pennsylvania militia.
In the 19th century, the McKissen name gained prominence in the literary world with the author and poet, Margaret McKissen, born in 1835 in Lanarkshire. Her works, which explored themes of Scottish identity and rural life, were widely acclaimed in her time.
One of the most notable figures bearing the McKissen name was Sir William McKissen, born in 1870 in Ayrshire. He was a prominent Scottish industrialist and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the development of the shipbuilding industry on the River Clyde.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckissen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckissen, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckissen 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 Mckissen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 11
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckissen
Mckissen 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+18 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,016 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-12 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,707 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 9,016 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 11,707 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 Mckissen 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 | #139,228 | #150,935 | -8.4% |
| Count | 120 | 108 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckissen bearers went from 120 to 108 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 11,707 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,935.
FAQ
Mckissen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckissen?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Mckissen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Mckissen?
Mckissen ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Mckissen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Mckissen.
Has Mckissen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckissen went from 120 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckissen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckissen, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Mckissen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckissen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (10.2%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Mckissen (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 Mckissen mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "mac iseann" meaning son of the little old 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 Mckissen (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 Mckissen?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Mckissen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.