2000
#15,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Mcquay
A Scottish surname meaning "son of the favored one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,115 Americans carry the last name Mcquay. That puts it at #15,324 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,059 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcquay 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
2.1K
1 in 162,059
Census rank
#15,324
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,844 bearers of the surname Mcquay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15324th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquay, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcquay
The surname McQuay originates from the Scottish Highlands in the 13th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic surname MacCuaigh, which means "son of the modest or retiring one." This name is believed to have been derived from the Gaelic word "cuaigh," meaning "modest" or "retiring."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. These rolls contain references to individuals with the surname spelled as "MacCuaigh" and "MacCuathe." The name was commonly found in the areas of Argyll and the Hebrides Islands.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Alasdair MacCuaigh, a Scottish warrior who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another notable figure was Angus MacCuaigh, a 15th-century Scottish cleric who served as the Bishop of the Isles from 1472 to 1498.
The name underwent various spelling variations over time, including MacQuay, McQuay, and McQuaie. In the 16th century, the spelling "McQuay" became more prevalent, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides.
In the 17th century, the McQuay family established themselves as influential landowners in the Scottish Highlands. John McQuay (1620-1685) was a prominent figure who owned extensive lands in Argyll and played a significant role in the local community.
Another notable bearer of the name was Iain McQuay (1735-1812), a Scottish poet and bard from the Isle of Islay. His works were celebrated for their vivid depictions of life in the Hebrides Islands and are considered an important part of Scottish literary heritage.
During the Highland Clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries, many McQuay families were forced to emigrate from Scotland to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. This diaspora helped spread the name to different continents and contributed to its global distribution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcquay
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquay, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcquay 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 Mcquay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.8% · 1,139
- Black or African American27.8% · 512
- Two or more races5.5% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcquay
Mcquay 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
#15,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,828
+89 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 439 places
2020
#15,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,844
+16 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,464 | 1,739 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,903 | 1,828 | 0.62 | +89 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 439 places |
| 2020 | #15,324 | 1,844 | 0.62 | +16 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 579 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 Mcquay 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 | #15,903 | #15,324 | 3.6% |
| Count | 1,828 | 1,844 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.62 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcquay bearers went from 1,828 to 1,844 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 579 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,903 to #15,324.
FAQ
Mcquay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcquay?
Name Census estimates that about 2,115 living Americans carry the surname Mcquay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,059 residents.
How common is Mcquay?
Mcquay ranks #15,324 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,844 people with the surname Mcquay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Mcquay.
Has Mcquay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcquay went from 1,828 recorded bearers to 1,844. That is an increase of 16 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,903 to #15,324.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcquay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquay, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Mcquay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (1,139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcquay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.8%), Black (27.8%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Mcquay (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 Mcquay mean?
A Scottish surname meaning "son of the favored one". 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 Mcquay (0.62 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 Mcquay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.