2000
#15,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Mcphillips
Son of Philip or follower of Philip.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,035 Americans carry the last name Mcphillips. That puts it at #15,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,430 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcphillips 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 Mcphillips with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,430
Census rank
#15,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,775 bearers of the surname Mcphillips in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcphillips, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcphillips
The surname McPhillips is of Scottish origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a patronymic surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Phillipus, which itself is derived from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "lover of horses." The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" indicates "son of" in Gaelic.
McPhillips is a variant spelling of the original Gaelic name Mac Philib or Mac Phillip. The name was originally found in the western Highlands and Hebrides islands of Scotland, particularly in areas such as Argyll and the Inner Hebrides. It is also found in certain parts of Ireland, where Scottish settlers brought the name.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname McPhillips appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of historical documents recording those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of parts of Scotland. In these rolls, the name is listed as "Makphelip."
Other early records of the name can be found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a 16th-century manuscript from Perthshire, Scotland, which mentions a "Donald Makphelipp" in 1506. The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1488 also reference a "John Makphillip."
One notable bearer of the McPhillips surname was Alasdair MacPhillips (c. 1610-1672), a Scottish Gaelic poet and warrior from Argyll. He is known for his poetic works praising the MacDonald clan and his involvement in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Another prominent figure was Duncan McPhillips (1769-1855), a Scottish-born businessman and landowner who emigrated to Canada in the early 19th century and became one of the first settlers in the township of Markham, Ontario.
In the United States, John McPhillips (1817-1892) was a successful businessman and politician from New York City. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was involved in various business ventures, including the textile industry.
A notable Irish bearer of the name was Michael McPhillips (1853-1919), a journalist and politician from County Mayo. He was a Member of Parliament for North Monaghan and played a significant role in the Irish Parliamentary Party.
Finally, Brendan McPhillips (1919-1995) was a Scottish-born Canadian actor and director who had a successful career in theater, film, and television, particularly in Canada and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcphillips
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcphillips, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcphillips 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 Mcphillips surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 1,668
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 58
- Two or more races1.5% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcphillips
Mcphillips 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
#15,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,877
+107 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 327 places
2020
#15,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,775
-102 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,252 | 1,770 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,579 | 1,877 | 0.64 | +107 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 327 places |
| 2020 | #15,808 | 1,775 | 0.59 | -102 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 229 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 Mcphillips 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 | #15,579 | #15,808 | -1.5% |
| Count | 1,877 | 1,775 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.59 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcphillips bearers went from 1,877 to 1,775 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 229 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,579 to #15,808.
FAQ
Mcphillips surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcphillips?
Name Census estimates that about 2,035 living Americans carry the surname Mcphillips. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,430 residents.
How common is Mcphillips?
Mcphillips ranks #15,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,775 people with the surname Mcphillips. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,035), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Mcphillips.
Has Mcphillips become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcphillips went from 1,877 recorded bearers to 1,775. That is a decrease of 102 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,579 to #15,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcphillips?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcphillips, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Mcphillips in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (1,668 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcphillips appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Mcphillips (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 Mcphillips mean?
Son of Philip or follower of Philip. 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 Mcphillips (0.59 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 Mcphillips?
Find out how common the surname Mcphillips is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.