2000
#13,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Mcnichols
A patronymic surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Nicholas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,393 Americans carry the last name Mcnichols. That puts it at #13,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,232 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcnichols 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
2.4K
1 in 143,232
Census rank
#13,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,087 bearers of the surname Mcnichols in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnichols, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcnichols
The surname McNichols originated in Scotland, derived from the Gaelic name 'MacNeachdain' or 'MacNeachdainn', meaning 'son of the neachdan'. The neachdan was a renowned clan in Argyllshire during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name was 'MacNachtan' in the 12th century. It evolved into various forms such as 'MacNocaird', 'MacNocharten', 'MacNaughtane', and 'McNachten' before settling on the modern spelling of McNichols.
The McNichols clan was initially based in the Cowal peninsula of Argyllshire, but later branches spread to the Hebrides, Galloway, and other parts of Scotland. The name is also found in Irish records, likely due to migration between the two neighboring regions.
In the 16th century, an influential member of the clan was Sir John McNachten, who served as the Bishop of Dunkeld from 1522 to 1537. He played a significant role in the turbulent religious and political affairs of Scotland during the Scottish Reformation.
Another notable figure was Sir Archibald McNachtan, a distinguished soldier who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War in the 17th century. He was knighted for his bravery on the battlefield.
In the 18th century, Dugald McNichol (1718-1794) was a prominent Scottish poet and songwriter from Argyllshire, known for his contributions to the literary tradition of his native region.
The McNichols name also gained recognition in the United States, with John McNichols (1837-1900) serving as a Union soldier during the American Civil War and later becoming a respected lawyer and judge in Ohio.
Another notable figure was James McNichols (1834-1917), an Irish-American businessman who co-founded the McNichols Company, a successful construction firm responsible for numerous iconic buildings and infrastructure projects in Chicago and the Midwest.
These examples illustrate the rich history and geographical spread of the McNichols surname, originating from a respected Scottish clan and leaving its mark across various fields and regions over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcnichols
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnichols, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcnichols 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 Mcnichols surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 1,736
- Black or African American9.1% · 190
- Two or more races3.4% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcnichols
Mcnichols 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
#13,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,181
+66 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 622 places
2020
#13,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,087
-94 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,233 | 2,115 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,855 | 2,181 | 0.74 | +66 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 622 places |
| 2020 | #13,866 | 2,087 | 0.70 | -94 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 11 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 Mcnichols 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 | #13,855 | #13,866 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,181 | 2,087 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.70 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcnichols bearers went from 2,181 to 2,087 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,855 to #13,866.
FAQ
Mcnichols surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcnichols?
Name Census estimates that about 2,393 living Americans carry the surname Mcnichols. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,232 residents.
How common is Mcnichols?
Mcnichols ranks #13,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,087 people with the surname Mcnichols. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,393), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Mcnichols.
Has Mcnichols become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcnichols went from 2,181 recorded bearers to 2,087. That is a decrease of 94 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,855 to #13,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcnichols?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnichols, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mcnichols in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (1,736 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcnichols appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (9.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mcnichols (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 Mcnichols mean?
A patronymic surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Nicholas." 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 Mcnichols (0.70 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 Mcnichols?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.