2000
#7,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,287
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Mcquade
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Uaid," meaning "son of Uaid" (a personal name).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,751 Americans carry the last name Mcquade. That puts it at #7,704 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcquade 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 Mcquade with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 72,144
Census rank
#7,704
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,143 bearers of the surname Mcquade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7704th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquade, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcquade
The surname McQuade has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century or even earlier. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Uaid, which means "son of Uaid" or "son of Wat." Uaid or Wat was an Irish medieval personal name that was quite common in those times.
The name McQuade is most closely associated with County Mayo in the west of Ireland, particularly in the baronies of Carra and Erris. It is believed that the McQuades were part of the Hy Fiachrach clan, which ruled over parts of Connacht in the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name McQuade can be found in the Annals of Loch Cé, a medieval Irish chronicle. In an entry dated 1308, it refers to a man named "Dubgall Mac Uaid" (Dudley McQuade) who was involved in a conflict in County Mayo.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the McQuades were among the many Irish clans who resisted the English forces. In 1586, a man named Donough McQuade was pardoned by the English authorities for his involvement in the Second Desmond Rebellion.
During the 17th century, the McQuades were dispossessed of their lands in County Mayo as a result of the Cromwellian conquest and the subsequent Plantation of Ulster. Many McQuades were forced to migrate to other parts of Ireland or to continental Europe.
One notable McQuade from the 18th century was Donough McQuade (1720-1780), a Catholic priest who served as the Vicar-General of the Diocese of Achonry in County Sligo. He played a significant role in preserving the Catholic faith in the region during the Penal Laws against Catholics.
In the 19th century, a large number of McQuades emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, particularly to the United States and Canada, due to the Great Famine and other economic hardships. One prominent McQuade from this era was James McQuade (1835-1909), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McQuade Brewery in Rochester, New York.
Other notable McQuades include Shamus McQuade (1878-1939), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the President of the New York City Board of Aldermen, and Michael McQuade (1922-2005), an Irish-born American actor and writer best known for his role in the film The Green Slime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcquade
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquade, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcquade 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 Mcquade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,780
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 194
- Two or more races3.0% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcquade
Mcquade 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
#7,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,430
+143 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 336 places
2020
#7,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,143
-287 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,177 | 4,287 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,513 | 4,430 | 1.50 | +143 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 336 places |
| 2020 | #7,704 | 4,143 | 1.39 | -287 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 191 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 Mcquade 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 | #7,513 | #7,704 | -2.5% |
| Count | 4,430 | 4,143 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.39 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcquade bearers went from 4,430 to 4,143 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,513 to #7,704.
FAQ
Mcquade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcquade?
Name Census estimates that about 4,751 living Americans carry the surname Mcquade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,144 residents.
How common is Mcquade?
Mcquade ranks #7,704 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,143 people with the surname Mcquade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Mcquade.
Has Mcquade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcquade went from 4,430 recorded bearers to 4,143. That is a decrease of 287 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,513 to #7,704.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcquade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquade, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mcquade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,780 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcquade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mcquade (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 Mcquade mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Uaid," meaning "son of Uaid" (a personal name). 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 Mcquade (1.39 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 Mcquade?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.