2000
#11,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,529
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Mcnary
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place near Edinburgh, likely meaning "the plain of the serpent."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,782 Americans carry the last name Mcnary. That puts it at #12,249 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,204 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcnary 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
2.8K
1 in 123,204
Census rank
#12,249
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,426 bearers of the surname Mcnary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12249th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnary, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcnary
The surname McNary is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is a variant of the more common Scottish surname MacNair, which is derived from the Gaelic "mac an Nàir" meaning "son of the satirist". The name likely originated in the Scottish Highlands, where Gaelic was spoken, and may have been an occupational surname referring to a satirist or bard.
The earliest recorded instance of the McNary spelling appears in the Scottish parish records of Kilfinan, Argyllshire, in the year 1632 when a Donald McNary is mentioned. Another early record is from the parish of Kilmichael Glassary, Argyll, in 1695 with the mention of a Dougall McNary.
The McNary surname can also be found in various historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries, including the Hearth Tax Rolls for Argyllshire in 1694 and the Commissariot Records of Glasgow in 1732. In these records, the spelling variations McNair, McNare, and McNayr are also encountered.
One notable figure with the surname McNary was John McNary (1774-1820), an American soldier and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Pennsylvania and later settled in Ohio.
Another prominent individual was William S. McNary (1863-1951), an American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Oregon from 1917 to 1944. He was born in Massilon, Ohio, and played a significant role in the development of the Columbia River Basin.
In the literary world, John H. McNary (1837-1904) was an American novelist and short story writer from Ohio. He is best known for his novel "The Everlasting Whisper", published in 1906.
John McNary (1844-1918) was a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the steel industry. He founded the McNary Realty Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was known for his charitable contributions to educational institutions.
Lastly, Evelyn McNary (1903-1981) was an American actress and singer who appeared in several Broadway musicals and Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcnary
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnary, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcnary 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 Mcnary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.4% · 1,489
- Black or African American28.9% · 701
- Two or more races5.0% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcnary
Mcnary 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
#12,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,529
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 861 places
2020
#12,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,426
-103 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,431 | 2,529 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,292 | 2,529 | 0.86 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 861 places |
| 2020 | #12,249 | 2,426 | 0.81 | -103 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 43 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 Mcnary 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 | #12,292 | #12,249 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,529 | 2,426 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.81 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcnary bearers went from 2,529 to 2,426 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,292 to #12,249.
FAQ
Mcnary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcnary?
Name Census estimates that about 2,782 living Americans carry the surname Mcnary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,204 residents.
How common is Mcnary?
Mcnary ranks #12,249 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,426 people with the surname Mcnary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Mcnary.
Has Mcnary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcnary went from 2,529 recorded bearers to 2,426. That is a decrease of 103 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,292 to #12,249.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcnary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnary, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcnary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.4% (1,489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcnary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.4%), Black (28.9%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Mcnary (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 Mcnary mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place near Edinburgh, likely meaning "the plain of the serpent." 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 Mcnary (0.81 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 have the surname Mcnary?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.