2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcreavy
An Irish surname derived from Mac Riabhach, meaning "son of the grizzled or swarthy man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 162 Americans carry the last name Mcreavy. That puts it at #127,013 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,115,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcreavy 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
162
1 in 2,115,768
Census rank
#127,013
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
141
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 141 bearers of the surname Mcreavy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 127013th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcreavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcreavy
The surname McReavy has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is an Anglicized variant of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Riabhaigh, meaning "son of the grizzled one." The name likely referred to an ancestor with grayish or grizzled hair.
McReavy is predominantly found in counties Donegal and Tyrone in Ulster, Northern Ireland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears as MacReavy in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1601. This suggests the name had already become established in the region by the late 16th century.
The name is also found in various historical records, including the Hearth Money Rolls of the 17th century and the Census of Ireland in 1659. One notable McReavy was Patrick McReavy, a prominent Catholic landowner in County Tyrone during the 17th century.
Another early bearer of the name was John McReavy, born in County Donegal around 1720. He was a member of the Irish Brigade in the service of France and fought in the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745.
In the 19th century, Thomas McReavy (1823-1896) was a notable philanthropist and businessman from County Tyrone. He made significant contributions to the development of the town of Omagh.
The name McReavy has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as MacReavy, MacRiabhaigh, and McReavey. Some variations are associated with specific regions or branches of the family.
Other notable individuals with the surname include Michael McReavy (1847-1923), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament for County Monaghan, and John McReavy (1927-2019), a Scottish footballer who played for several clubs, including Celtic and Hibernian.
While the name is predominantly Irish, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the northern counties of Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcreavy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcreavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcreavy 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 Mcreavy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 2
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcreavy
Mcreavy 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,441 places
2020
#127,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+35 bearers (+33.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 26,756 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 4,441 places |
| 2020 | #127,013 | 141 | 0.05 | +35 bearers (+33.0%) | Up 26,756 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 Mcreavy 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 | #153,769 | #127,013 | 17.4% |
| Count | 106 | 141 | 33.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 17.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcreavy bearers went from 106 to 141 (+33.0% change). The surname moved up 26,756 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #127,013.
FAQ
Mcreavy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcreavy?
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the surname Mcreavy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,115,768 residents.
How common is Mcreavy?
Mcreavy ranks #127,013 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 141 people with the surname Mcreavy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mcreavy.
Has Mcreavy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcreavy went from 106 recorded bearers to 141. That is an increase of 35 (+33.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #127,013.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcreavy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcreavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%). 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 Mcreavy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (134 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcreavy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (2.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%). 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 Mcreavy (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 Mcreavy mean?
An Irish surname derived from Mac Riabhach, meaning "son of the grizzled or swarthy man." 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 Mcreavy (0.05 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 Mcreavy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Mcreavy at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.