2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mclish
A surname of Scottish origin meaning "Son of the servant or follower".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Mclish. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mclish 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Mclish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclish, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.0%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mclish
The surname MCLISH originated in Scotland in the 16th century. It is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname McLeish, which is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "leish" meaning "gray" or "gray-haired." This suggests that the name originally referred to the son of a gray-haired or elderly man.
The earliest recorded examples of the name MCLISH can be found in parish records from the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. One of the first recorded instances is in the baptismal records of the parish of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, where a John McLeish is listed in 1598.
In the 17th century, the surname MCLISH appeared in various legal documents and court records in Scotland. Notable examples include a William McLish who was involved in a land dispute in Ayrshire in 1632, and a John McLish who was a witness in a criminal trial in Edinburgh in 1685.
As the name spread beyond Scotland, it took on various spellings, such as McLysh and McIlish, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the MCLISH spelling can be found in the parish records of Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, where a James MCLISH was listed in 1691.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname MCLISH have achieved notable status. One example is Robert MCLISH (1690-1762), a Scottish merchant and landowner who was involved in the tobacco trade with the American colonies. Another is William MCLISH (1793-1864), a Scottish-born immigrant to Canada who became a prominent farmer and community leader in Glengarry County, Ontario.
In the 19th century, the MCLISH surname spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Australia, as a result of emigration from Scotland. One notable figure from this period is John MCLISH (1822-1901), a Scottish-born Australian prospector and mining engineer who played a significant role in the development of the gold mining industry in Victoria.
Other notable MCLISH individuals throughout history include James MCLISH (1845-1923), a Scottish-born American civil engineer who worked on various railroad and bridge projects in the western United States, and Margaret MCLISH (1860-1938), a Scottish-born educator and social reformer who was instrumental in establishing several schools and community organizations in New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mclish
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclish, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.0%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mclish 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 Mclish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.0% · 48
- White40.0% · 40
- Two or more races8.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mclish
Mclish appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-8 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 4,150 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 Mclish 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 | #151,532 | #155,682 | -2.7% |
| Count | 108 | 100 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mclish bearers went from 108 to 100 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 4,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #155,682.
FAQ
Mclish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mclish?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Mclish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Mclish?
Mclish ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Mclish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mclish.
Has Mclish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mclish went from 108 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Mclish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclish, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.0%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mclish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (48 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mclish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.0%), White (40.0%), Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Mclish (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 Mclish mean?
A surname of Scottish origin meaning "Son of the servant or follower". 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 Mclish (0.03 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 share the surname Mclish?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.