2000
#961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,239
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.32
Uncommon Last name
Mcneil
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Néill," meaning "son of Neil," a personal name meaning "champion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,391 Americans carry the last name Mcneil. That puts it at #1,059 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,167 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcneil 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 Mcneil with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,167
Census rank
#1,059
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,607 bearers of the surname Mcneil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1059th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcneil, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcneil
The surname McNeil has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Nèill," meaning "son of Neill." Neill was a popular given name in Scotland, derived from the Old Norse name Njáll.
The McNeil surname is believed to have originated in the Western Isles of Scotland, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Bute. The first recorded use of the name dates back to the late 12th century, when a charter from King William the Lion of Scotland mentions a "Gillecalline Mac Nèill" in 1193.
In the 13th century, the Clan McNeil emerged as a prominent Scottish clan, with their ancestral lands located in the islands of Barra and Gigha. The clan played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence, supporting Robert the Bruce against the English.
One of the earliest notable figures with the McNeil surname was Sir Niall Óg McNeil, who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was a renowned warrior and leader of the Clan McNeil during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Clan McNeil settled in the Kintyre peninsula, where they became known as the McNeills of Calquhoun. One prominent member of this branch was Sir John McNeil (1543-1623), who served as a diplomat and envoy for King James VI of Scotland.
Another significant figure in the history of the McNeil surname was Sir John McNeil (1770-1847), a British military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as Governor of the British West Indies.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the McNeil surname also became prevalent in Ulster, Northern Ireland, due to the settlement of Scottish families in the region. Notable figures from this period include Reverend Hugh McNeil (1680-1735), a Presbyterian minister and author from County Antrim.
In the 19th century, the McNeil surname gained prominence in the United States, with many Scottish and Irish immigrants bearing the name. One notable American with the McNeil surname was John McNeil (1887-1968), a Major General in the United States Army who served in World War I and World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcneil
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcneil, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcneil 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 Mcneil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.2% · 16,683
- Black or African American40.3% · 13,147
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,332
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 158
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 150
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcneil
Mcneil 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
#1,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,368
+1,129 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 11.65
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#1,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,607
-1,761 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 10.91
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #961 | 33,239 | 12.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,018 | 34,368 | 11.65 | +1,129 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #1,059 | 32,607 | 10.91 | -1,761 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 41 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 Mcneil 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 | #1,018 | #1,059 | -4.0% |
| Count | 34,368 | 32,607 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 11.65 | 10.91 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcneil bearers went from 34,368 to 32,607 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,018 to #1,059.
FAQ
Mcneil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcneil?
Name Census estimates that about 37,391 living Americans carry the surname Mcneil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,167 residents.
How common is Mcneil?
Mcneil ranks #1,059 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,607 people with the surname Mcneil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,391), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Mcneil.
Has Mcneil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcneil went from 34,368 recorded bearers to 32,607. That is a decrease of 1,761 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,018 to #1,059.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcneil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcneil, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcneil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (16,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcneil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.2%), Black (40.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mcneil (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 Mcneil mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Néill," meaning "son of Neil," a personal name meaning "champion." 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 Mcneil (10.91 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 Mcneil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.