2000
#5,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,526
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Mcnamee
A variant of the Irish surname "McNamee," derived from the Gaelic "Mac Conmidhe," meaning "son of the hound of Meath."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,541 Americans carry the last name Mcnamee. That puts it at #5,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcnamee 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 Mcnamee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,401
Census rank
#5,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,704 bearers of the surname Mcnamee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnamee, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcnamee
The surname McNamee is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic 'Mac an Aidh', which means 'son of the fire'. This is likely a reference to an ancestor who worked as a blacksmith or had a fiery temperament.
McNamee is an anglicized version of the original Irish spellings 'Mac an Aidh' or 'Mac an Fhaidh'. The name was commonly found in County Donegal, particularly in the baronies of Raphoe and Kilmacrenan. It is also found in Ulster, Connacht, and parts of Leinster.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name appears in the 1659 Census of Ireland, where it is spelled 'McEnayde'. The name is also mentioned in the 1666 Hearth Money Rolls for County Donegal, spelled 'McEnnady'.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Brian McNamee, who was a priest and historian from County Donegal. He wrote a history of the Diocese of Raphoe, which is an important source of information on the area's history.
In the 18th century, Francis McNamee (1736-1814) was a prominent Irish Catholic landowner and politician. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament for the constituency of County Longford.
In the 19th century, James McNamee (1828-1895) was an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded the McNamee and McWilliams Company, a successful construction firm in New York City. He donated funds to establish the McNamee Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
Another notable bearer of the name was John McNamee (1868-1945), an Irish-American baseball player. He played in the Major Leagues for several teams, including the Boston Beaneaters and the St. Louis Cardinals, between 1893 and 1902.
In the 20th century, Eugene McNamee (1912-1984) was a renowned Irish-American artist known for his landscape paintings and portraits. He was born in County Donegal and later moved to the United States, where he gained recognition for his works depicting scenes from Ireland and New York City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcnamee
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnamee, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcnamee 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 Mcnamee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 5,043
- Black or African American4.3% · 244
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 200
- Two or more races2.9% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcnamee
Mcnamee 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
#5,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,825
+299 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 177 places
2020
#5,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,704
-121 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Up 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,740 | 5,526 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,917 | 5,825 | 1.97 | +299 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 177 places |
| 2020 | #5,842 | 5,704 | 1.91 | -121 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 75 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 Mcnamee 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 | #5,917 | #5,842 | 1.3% |
| Count | 5,825 | 5,704 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.91 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcnamee bearers went from 5,825 to 5,704 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,917 to #5,842.
FAQ
Mcnamee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcnamee?
Name Census estimates that about 6,541 living Americans carry the surname Mcnamee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,401 residents.
How common is Mcnamee?
Mcnamee ranks #5,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 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 5,704 people with the surname Mcnamee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 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 Mcnamee.
Has Mcnamee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcnamee went from 5,825 recorded bearers to 5,704. That is a decrease of 121 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,917 to #5,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcnamee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnamee, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) 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 Mcnamee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (5,043 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcnamee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Black (4.3%), 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 Mcnamee (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 Mcnamee mean?
A variant of the Irish surname "McNamee," derived from the Gaelic "Mac Conmidhe," meaning "son of the hound of Meath." 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 Mcnamee (1.91 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 Americans have the surname Mcnamee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.