2000
#12,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,293
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Mcquiston
A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a cook, kitchen worker, or custodian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,507 Americans carry the last name Mcquiston. That puts it at #13,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcquiston 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 Mcquiston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,719
Census rank
#13,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,186 bearers of the surname Mcquiston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquiston, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcquiston
The surname McQuiston originated in the Scottish Highlands during the medieval period. It is a habitational name derived from the lands of Quarreltown, located near Johnstone in Renfrewshire. The name is a combination of the Gaelic words "cuarr" meaning "quarry" and "baile" meaning "town" or "settlement".
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during his brief conquest of Scotland. The name was written as "Makewastoun" at that time.
In the 16th century, the McQuistons were a prominent family in Ayrshire and held lands in the parish of Kilwinning. John McQuiston, born around 1520, was a notable figure in the clan and played a role in the local disputes and feuds of the era.
During the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, several McQuistons were listed as supporters of the Protestant cause. One such individual was William McQuiston, who signed the National Covenant in 1638, which was a Protestant declaration of opposition to the interference of the Stuart monarchs in the affairs of the Church of Scotland.
In the 18th century, the McQuistons were among the Scottish families who migrated to the American colonies. James McQuiston, born in 1725 in Ayrshire, was one of the early settlers in Pennsylvania, arriving in the 1760s.
Another notable figure was Robert McQuiston, born in 1790 in County Antrim, Ireland. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in Ohio, and his descendants played a significant role in the development of the Midwestern United States.
Other historical figures with the surname McQuiston include:
1. William McQuiston (1817-1901), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Oregon Territory's legislative assembly.
2. John McQuiston (1833-1909), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
3. Mary McQuiston (1849-1917), an American educator and pioneer in the field of kindergarten education, who founded one of the first kindergartens in California.
4. John Ross McQuiston (1867-1945), a Canadian author and journalist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of the Pacific Northwest.
5. Samuel McQuiston (1869-1942), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and was involved in various legal and political organizations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcquiston
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquiston, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcquiston 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 Mcquiston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 2,052
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 54
- Two or more races2.2% · 49
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcquiston
Mcquiston 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
#13,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,329
+36 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 727 places
2020
#13,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,186
-143 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,415 | 2,293 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,142 | 2,329 | 0.79 | +36 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 727 places |
| 2020 | #13,339 | 2,186 | 0.73 | -143 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 197 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 Mcquiston 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 | #13,142 | #13,339 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,329 | 2,186 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.73 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcquiston bearers went from 2,329 to 2,186 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 197 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,142 to #13,339.
FAQ
Mcquiston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcquiston?
Name Census estimates that about 2,507 living Americans carry the surname Mcquiston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,719 residents.
How common is Mcquiston?
Mcquiston ranks #13,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,186 people with the surname Mcquiston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,507), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Mcquiston.
Has Mcquiston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcquiston went from 2,329 recorded bearers to 2,186. That is a decrease of 143 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,142 to #13,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcquiston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcquiston, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mcquiston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (2,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcquiston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mcquiston (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 Mcquiston mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a cook, kitchen worker, or custodian. 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 Mcquiston (0.73 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 common is the surname Mcquiston?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Mcquiston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.