2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcrorey
A Scottish surname derived from a Scottish Gaelic personal name meaning "son of the ruler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Mcrorey. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcrorey 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Mcrorey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcrorey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcrorey
The surname McRorey is of Scottish origin, first appearing in written records during the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Ruairidh" which was a nickname for the personal name Roderick.
The name is thought to have initially been concentrated in the western coastal regions of Scotland, particularly in Argyll and the Hebrides islands. Early variants of the spelling included McRory, McRorie, and McRurie, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations common at the time.
One of the earliest known references to the surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document recording those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The entry "Gilbert M'Cruddyr" is believed to be an early form of the McRorey name.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was John McRorey, a renowned warrior and member of Clan Donald who fought alongside the Lords of the Isles during the Scottish-Norwegian War. He is mentioned in the Chronicles of the Isles as leading a contingent of men from the Isle of Mull.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the parish records of Kilmory on the Isle of Arran, with the christening of Angus McRorey in 1638. Another early record is the marriage of Janet McRorey to Duncan Campbell in Kilchrenan, Argyll, in 1671.
During the 18th century, the McRorey surname began to spread more widely throughout Scotland. James McRorey (1734-1804) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Campbeltown, Argyll, while Duncan McRorey (1752-1832) was a respected minister in the Church of Scotland, serving parishes in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire.
In the 19th century, the name began to appear in other parts of the British Isles and beyond, as a result of migration and immigration. William McRorey (1819-1888) was a successful businessman and shipowner based in Liverpool, England, while John McRorey (1842-1914) was a pioneer settler in South Australia, establishing a sheep farming operation near Burra.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcrorey
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcrorey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcrorey 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 Mcrorey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.1% · 4
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcrorey
Mcrorey 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,582 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-15 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,068 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 16,582 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 10,068 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 Mcrorey 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 | #146,201 | #156,269 | -6.9% |
| Count | 113 | 98 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcrorey bearers went from 113 to 98 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 10,068 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #156,269.
FAQ
Mcrorey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcrorey?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Mcrorey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Mcrorey?
Mcrorey ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Mcrorey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mcrorey.
Has Mcrorey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcrorey went from 113 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 15 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcrorey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcrorey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Mcrorey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcrorey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Mcrorey (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 Mcrorey mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a Scottish Gaelic personal name meaning "son of the 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 Mcrorey (0.03 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 Mcrorey?
Want to know how many people are called Mcrorey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.