2000
#10,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Mcmorris
Son of Morris, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Muiris, meaning "choice" or "desirable."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,326 Americans carry the last name Mcmorris. That puts it at #10,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmorris 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 Mcmorris with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,053
Census rank
#10,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,900 bearers of the surname Mcmorris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmorris, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmorris
The surname McMorris is of Scottish origin, with roots that can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a combination of the Gaelic prefix "Mc," meaning "son of," and the personal name "Morris," which is derived from the ancient French name "Maurice."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a series of historic documents from the late 13th century that contain the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. These documents mention individuals with the surname "McMorris" or similar spellings, such as "McMorice" or "McMoryce."
In the 15th century, the McMorris family was known to have settled in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. The name was often associated with certain place names in these areas, such as "Morrishill" or "Morristown," which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname McMorris was John McMorris (1565-1632), a Scottish clergyman and academic who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1628 until his death. Another prominent individual was Sir Robert McMorris (1680-1745), a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1737 to 1742.
In the 18th century, the McMorris family began to spread beyond Scotland, with some members emigrating to Ireland and North America. One such individual was William McMorris (1720-1795), an Irish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with the achievements of individuals like Sir Armar McMorris (1815-1892), a British army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Windward Islands from 1879 to 1884.
Another notable figure was James McMorris (1845-1920), an American politician and lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Nebraska from 1893 to 1897 and played a significant role in the state's legal and political affairs.
Throughout its history, the surname McMorris has been associated with various professions, including clergy, law, politics, and military service, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmorris
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmorris, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmorris 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 Mcmorris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.2% · 1,310
- White43.8% · 1,270
- Two or more races6.1% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmorris
Mcmorris 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
#10,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,049
+239 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#10,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,900
-149 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,483 | 2,810 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,520 | 3,049 | 1.03 | +239 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #10,549 | 2,900 | 0.97 | -149 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 29 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 Mcmorris 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 | #10,520 | #10,549 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,049 | 2,900 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.97 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmorris bearers went from 3,049 to 2,900 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,520 to #10,549.
FAQ
Mcmorris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmorris?
Name Census estimates that about 3,326 living Americans carry the surname Mcmorris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,053 residents.
How common is Mcmorris?
Mcmorris ranks #10,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,900 people with the surname Mcmorris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,326), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Mcmorris.
Has Mcmorris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmorris went from 3,049 recorded bearers to 2,900. That is a decrease of 149 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,520 to #10,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmorris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmorris, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Mcmorris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.2% (1,310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmorris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.2%), White (43.8%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Mcmorris (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 Mcmorris mean?
Son of Morris, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Muiris, meaning "choice" or "desirable." 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 Mcmorris (0.97 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 Mcmorris?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.