2000
#3,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.35
Uncommon Last name
Mcnutt
A Scottish and Irish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge on the down."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,013 Americans carry the last name Mcnutt. That puts it at #3,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcnutt 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 Mcnutt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,231
Census rank
#3,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,732 bearers of the surname Mcnutt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnutt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcnutt
The surname McNutt is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Uidhit" or "son of the stranger." It is believed to have emerged in the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyllshire and Perthshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Gillemichel Macanauith." This suggests that variations such as "Macnauith" and "Macnawyt" were in use during this period.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the form "McNycht" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded financial transactions. This spelling is believed to be a phonetic representation of the original Gaelic pronunciation.
A notable figure bearing the McNutt name was Sir Alexander McNutt, born in 1670, who served as a Scottish army officer and later became a member of the British Parliament. He played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings of the early 18th century.
Another prominent individual was John McNutt, born in 1720 in County Antrim, Ireland. He emigrated to America in the mid-18th century and became a prominent landowner and politician in the colony of Pennsylvania. He served in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and was a delegate to the Continental Congress.
In the 19th century, the McNutt name gained recognition with Samuel McNutt, born in 1825 in County Tyrone, Ireland. He was a prolific writer and journalist who contributed to various publications in the United States, where he had emigrated.
The spelling "McNutt" became more standardized during this period, although variations such as "McNight" and "McNitt" were still used in some regions.
One of the earliest place names associated with the surname is the village of McNuttsville, located in Pennsylvania, which was named after the aforementioned John McNutt and his family's land holdings in the area.
Other notable individuals with the McNutt surname include William McNutt, a Scottish politician and landowner in the late 18th century, and Sir John McNutt, a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcnutt
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnutt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcnutt 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 Mcnutt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 7,415
- Black or African American7.1% · 617
- Two or more races3.8% · 336
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 243
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcnutt
Mcnutt 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
#3,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,232
+190 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Down 221 places
2020
#3,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,732
-500 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,613 | 9,042 | 3.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,834 | 9,232 | 3.13 | +190 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 221 places |
| 2020 | #3,947 | 8,732 | 2.92 | -500 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 113 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 Mcnutt 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 | #3,834 | #3,947 | -2.9% |
| Count | 9,232 | 8,732 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.13 | 2.92 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcnutt bearers went from 9,232 to 8,732 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 113 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,834 to #3,947.
FAQ
Mcnutt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcnutt?
Name Census estimates that about 10,013 living Americans carry the surname Mcnutt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,231 residents.
How common is Mcnutt?
Mcnutt ranks #3,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,732 people with the surname Mcnutt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mcnutt.
Has Mcnutt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcnutt went from 9,232 recorded bearers to 8,732. That is a decrease of 500 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,834 to #3,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcnutt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnutt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mcnutt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (7,415 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcnutt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mcnutt (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 Mcnutt mean?
A Scottish and Irish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge on the down." 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 Mcnutt (2.92 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 are called Mcnutt?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mcnutt? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.