2000
#4,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Mcreynolds
A patronymic surname of Irish and Scottish origin, meaning "son of Reginald" or "son of the bold ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,231 Americans carry the last name Mcreynolds. That puts it at #4,780 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,642 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcreynolds 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 Mcreynolds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,642
Census rank
#4,780
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,178 bearers of the surname Mcreynolds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4780th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcreynolds, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcreynolds
The surname McReynolds has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the 15th century. It is a variant of the more common Scottish surname Reynolds, which is derived from the given name Reynold or Reginald, an Old German name meaning "counsel-ruler" or "brave counsel." The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" indicates the name is of Scottish origin and means "son of."
The earliest known references to the name date back to the late 15th century in the Scottish Borders region. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Dumfries, Roxburgh, and Berwick. Early records show variations in spelling, including MacReynolds, McReynauld, and McRennald.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname is John McReynolds, who is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1488. Another notable early bearer of the name is William McReynolds, who served as a merchant and burgess in Edinburgh in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the McReynolds family played a significant role in the Scottish Covenanting movement, which sought to preserve Presbyterian church governance against the efforts of the Stuart monarchs to impose episcopacy. Robert McReynolds (1595-1672) was a prominent Covenanter minister and author from Dumfriesshire.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many McReynolds families immigrated to North America, particularly to the United States and Canada. One notable early American bearer of the name was James McReynolds (1762-1839), a soldier from Virginia who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the surname McReynolds include:
1. John McReynolds (1846-1916), an American rancher and businessman from Texas who was involved in the early development of the petroleum industry.
2. James Clark McReynolds (1862-1946), an American lawyer and jurist who served as the United States Attorney General and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
3. Samuel McReynolds (1872-1952), an American artist and illustrator known for his work in magazines and newspapers in the early 20th century.
4. Marcia McReynolds (1921-2004), an American politician who served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and advocated for civil rights and women's rights.
5. Jim McReynolds (born 1952), an American football player who played as a defensive back in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcreynolds
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcreynolds, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcreynolds 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 Mcreynolds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 5,424
- Black or African American15.2% · 1,092
- Two or more races4.6% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcreynolds
Mcreynolds 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
#4,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,373
-51 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 377 places
2020
#4,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,178
-195 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,418 | 7,424 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,795 | 7,373 | 2.50 | -51 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 377 places |
| 2020 | #4,780 | 7,178 | 2.40 | -195 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 15 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 Mcreynolds 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 | #4,795 | #4,780 | 0.3% |
| Count | 7,373 | 7,178 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.50 | 2.40 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcreynolds bearers went from 7,373 to 7,178 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,795 to #4,780.
FAQ
Mcreynolds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcreynolds?
Name Census estimates that about 8,231 living Americans carry the surname Mcreynolds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,642 residents.
How common is Mcreynolds?
Mcreynolds ranks #4,780 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,178 people with the surname Mcreynolds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcreynolds.
Has Mcreynolds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcreynolds went from 7,373 recorded bearers to 7,178. That is a decrease of 195 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,795 to #4,780.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcreynolds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcreynolds, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mcreynolds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (5,424 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcreynolds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (15.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mcreynolds (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 Mcreynolds mean?
A patronymic surname of Irish and Scottish origin, meaning "son of Reginald" or "son of the bold ruler." 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 Mcreynolds (2.40 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 Mcreynolds?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.