2000
#14,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Mcmenamin
A surname meaning 'son of a monk' or 'servant of the monks' in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,023 Americans carry the last name Mcmenamin. That puts it at #15,897 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,429 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmenamin 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 Mcmenamin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,429
Census rank
#15,897
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,764 bearers of the surname Mcmenamin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15897th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmenamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmenamin
The surname McMenamin originates from Ireland and is a variation of the Gaelic name Mac Meanma, which means "son of the spirited one" or "son of the vigorous one." It is believed to have first appeared in the 12th century in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The McMenamin name is derived from the Irish word "meanma," which means "spirit" or "vigor." The prefix "Mac" means "son of," a common practice in Irish surnames. This suggests that the name was originally given to someone known for their high spirits or energetic nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McMenamin name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1197, a man named Gilla-Patraic Mac Meanma is mentioned as a member of the Cenél nEógain, a powerful Irish dynasty based in County Tyrone.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McMenamin family was prominent in County Tyrone, particularly in the area around Omagh and Strabane. Several members of the family were recorded in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, legal documents that granted land and privileges to Irish families loyal to the English crown.
One notable bearer of the McMenamin name was Sir Uchter McMenamin, a 17th-century Irish soldier who served in the armies of King Charles I during the English Civil War. He was knighted for his bravery and loyalty to the royalist cause.
Another prominent McMenamin was Bernard McMenamin, a 19th-century Irish politician and journalist. Born in County Tyrone in 1828, he was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party and served as a Member of Parliament for the South Donegal constituency from 1885 to 1892.
In the 20th century, Desmond McMenamin (1904-1994) was a renowned Irish academic and author. He was a professor of modern history at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and wrote several books on Irish history and culture.
The McMenamin name has also been associated with various place names in County Tyrone, such as McMenamin's Fort, an ancient hilltop fortification near Omagh, and McMenamin's Lough, a small lake in the same region.
While the McMenamin name is predominantly Irish, it has been carried by individuals of Irish descent throughout the world, particularly in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, where many Irish immigrants settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmenamin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmenamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmenamin 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 Mcmenamin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,630
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmenamin
Mcmenamin 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
#15,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,905
+95 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 408 places
2020
#15,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,764
-141 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 506 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,983 | 1,810 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,391 | 1,905 | 0.65 | +95 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 408 places |
| 2020 | #15,897 | 1,764 | 0.59 | -141 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 506 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 Mcmenamin 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 | #15,391 | #15,897 | -3.3% |
| Count | 1,905 | 1,764 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.59 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmenamin bearers went from 1,905 to 1,764 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 506 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,391 to #15,897.
FAQ
Mcmenamin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmenamin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,023 living Americans carry the surname Mcmenamin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,429 residents.
How common is Mcmenamin?
Mcmenamin ranks #15,897 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,764 people with the surname Mcmenamin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Mcmenamin.
Has Mcmenamin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmenamin went from 1,905 recorded bearers to 1,764. That is a decrease of 141 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,391 to #15,897.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmenamin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmenamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mcmenamin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,630 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmenamin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mcmenamin (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 Mcmenamin mean?
A surname meaning 'son of a monk' or 'servant of the monks' in Gaelic. 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 Mcmenamin (0.59 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 Mcmenamin?
Want to know how common the surname Mcmenamin is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.