2000
#13,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Mcniel
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Néill, meaning "descendant of Niall," likely referring to Niall of the Nine Hostages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,259 Americans carry the last name Mcniel. That puts it at #14,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcniel 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 Mcniel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,728
Census rank
#14,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,970 bearers of the surname Mcniel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcniel, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcniel
The surname McNiel is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Niall," meaning "champion." The surname is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name McNiel is a variant spelling of the more common MacNeil or MacNeill, which is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Niall." It is thought to have been first adopted by descendants of a chieftain or clan leader named Niall, who lived in the Western Isles or the Hebrides region of Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McNiel appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1506, where a "Gillecrist McNele" is mentioned. This suggests that the surname had already been in use for some time before the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name McNiel was found in various parts of Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. For instance, a document from 1681 refers to a "John McNiel" from the Isle of Islay.
Notable individuals with the surname McNiel throughout history include Sir John McNiel (1795-1856), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. Another prominent figure was Captain James McNiel (1836-1892), a Scottish-American sea captain and shipbuilder from Maine.
In literature, the surname appears in the works of Sir Walter Scott, who mentioned a "McNiel of Barra" in his novel "The Lord of the Isles," published in 1815. This likely refers to a member of the Clan MacNeil, which had a strong presence on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides.
Other notable individuals with the surname include Robert McNiel (1807-1876), a Scottish-born Australian politician and landowner, and Thomas McNiel (1835-1906), an American Civil War veteran and politician who served as the 18th Governor of Idaho.
While the name McNiel is not as common as some other Scottish surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval era and the Gaelic-speaking clans of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcniel
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcniel, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcniel 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 Mcniel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 1,520
- Black or African American10.4% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 113
- Two or more races4.8% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcniel
Mcniel 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
#14,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,009
-42 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,201 places
2020
#14,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,970
-39 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,580 | 2,051 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,781 | 2,009 | 0.68 | -42 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 1,201 places |
| 2020 | #14,543 | 1,970 | 0.66 | -39 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 238 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 Mcniel 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 | #14,781 | #14,543 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,009 | 1,970 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.66 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcniel bearers went from 2,009 to 1,970 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 238 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,781 to #14,543.
FAQ
Mcniel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcniel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,259 living Americans carry the surname Mcniel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,728 residents.
How common is Mcniel?
Mcniel ranks #14,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,970 people with the surname Mcniel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Mcniel.
Has Mcniel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcniel went from 2,009 recorded bearers to 1,970. That is a decrease of 39 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,781 to #14,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcniel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcniel, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Mcniel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (1,520 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcniel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (10.4%), Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Mcniel (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 Mcniel mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Néill, meaning "descendant of Niall," likely referring to Niall of the Nine Hostages. 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 Mcniel (0.66 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 Mcniel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.