2000
#6,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Mcminn
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the place name Minnigaff, meaning "smooth plain" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,349 Americans carry the last name Mcminn. That puts it at #6,940 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,078 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcminn 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 Mcminn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,078
Census rank
#6,940
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,665 bearers of the surname Mcminn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6940th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcminn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcminn
The surname McMinn is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands, specifically in the regions around Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.
The name McMinn is a variant of the Gaelic surname MacMinn or MacMin, which means "son of the tonsured one" or "son of the shaven one." This name likely referred to an ancestor who was a monk or a member of the clergy, as tonsuring (the practice of shaving the crown of the head) was common among religious orders in medieval times.
The earliest known record of the name McMinn dates back to the 15th century, with a mention of one John McMyn in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1480. Other early spellings of the name include McMyn, McMyne, and McMynne.
In the 16th century, the McMinn family appeared to have had a strong presence in the parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire. The name is found in various records from that area, including church registers and land charters.
Notable bearers of the McMinn surname throughout history include:
1. John McMinn (c. 1770-1840), an Irish-American pioneer and politician who served as a member of the Tennessee Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
2. William McMinn (1787-1853), an American soldier and politician who served as the third Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821.
3. Alexander McMinn (1832-1894), a Scottish-American engineer and inventor who patented several improvements in the design of steam engines and boilers.
4. Robert McMinn (1839-1912), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several books on religious topics, including "The Conversion of the World" and "The Reformation in Scotland."
5. John McMinn (1870-1952), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the McMinn Trust, a charitable organization that provided financial support for education and medical research in Scotland.
Over the centuries, variations of the McMinn surname have emerged, such as McMyn, McMyne, and McMunne, reflecting regional dialects and spelling conventions. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McMinn's Hill and McMinn's Farm, further solidifying its Scottish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcminn
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcminn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcminn 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 Mcminn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 4,224
- Two or more races3.8% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 163
- Black or African American0.8% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcminn
Mcminn 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
#6,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,993
+113 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 328 places
2020
#6,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,665
-328 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,424 | 4,880 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,752 | 4,993 | 1.69 | +113 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 328 places |
| 2020 | #6,940 | 4,665 | 1.56 | -328 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 188 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 Mcminn 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 | #6,752 | #6,940 | -2.8% |
| Count | 4,993 | 4,665 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.56 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcminn bearers went from 4,993 to 4,665 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,752 to #6,940.
FAQ
Mcminn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcminn?
Name Census estimates that about 5,349 living Americans carry the surname Mcminn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,078 residents.
How common is Mcminn?
Mcminn ranks #6,940 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,665 people with the surname Mcminn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,349), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcminn.
Has Mcminn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcminn went from 4,993 recorded bearers to 4,665. That is a decrease of 328 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,752 to #6,940.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcminn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcminn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mcminn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (4,224 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcminn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mcminn (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 Mcminn mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the place name Minnigaff, meaning "smooth plain" 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 Mcminn (1.56 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 Mcminn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.