2000
#14,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Mcsherry
An Irish surname meaning "son of Seary" or "son of the freebooter".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,140 Americans carry the last name Mcsherry. That puts it at #15,162 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcsherry 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 Mcsherry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,166
Census rank
#15,162
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,866 bearers of the surname Mcsherry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15162nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcsherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcsherry
The surname McSherry originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Shíthigh", meaning "son of Shíthigh". The name Shíthigh itself is believed to be a personal name derived from the Irish word "sídhe", meaning "fairy mound" or "fairy dwelling".
McSherry is an anglicized version of the original Irish surname, which evolved through various spellings such as McSherry, McSherry, and McSherry. The prefix "Mac" denotes "son of" in Gaelic, indicating that the name was originally a patronymic, referring to the son of an individual named Shíthigh.
The earliest recorded instances of the McSherry surname can be traced back to the 16th century in counties such as Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh in Ulster, Ireland. The name was particularly prominent in the Barony of Raphoe, County Donegal, where the McSherry clan held significant influence and landholdings.
In the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, there are references to individuals bearing the name McSherry or variations thereof. For instance, in the year 1499, a Fergal McSherry is mentioned as the chief of the Clan Shíthigh in County Donegal.
Notable individuals with the surname McSherry include:
1. Theophilus McSherry (1809-1890), an American Catholic priest and historian from Maryland.
2. James McSherry (1819-1869), an Irish-American Catholic priest and writer from New York.
3. Patrick McSherry (1830-1905), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand.
4. Hugh McSherry (1855-1922), an Irish politician and journalist who served as a Member of Parliament for West Donegal.
5. Liam McSherry (1892-1978), an Irish politician and trade unionist who served as a Member of Parliament for Derry City.
The McSherry surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McSherry's Townland in County Donegal, reflecting the historical presence and influence of the clan in that region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcsherry
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcsherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcsherry 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 Mcsherry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,715
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 70
- Two or more races3.1% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcsherry
Mcsherry 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
#15,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,900
-54 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,291 places
2020
#15,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
-34 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,127 | 1,954 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,418 | 1,900 | 0.64 | -54 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,291 places |
| 2020 | #15,162 | 1,866 | 0.62 | -34 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 256 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 Mcsherry 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 | #15,418 | #15,162 | 1.7% |
| Count | 1,900 | 1,866 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.62 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcsherry bearers went from 1,900 to 1,866 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,418 to #15,162.
FAQ
Mcsherry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcsherry?
Name Census estimates that about 2,140 living Americans carry the surname Mcsherry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,166 residents.
How common is Mcsherry?
Mcsherry ranks #15,162 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 1,866 people with the surname Mcsherry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,140), 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 Mcsherry.
Has Mcsherry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcsherry went from 1,900 recorded bearers to 1,866. That is a decrease of 34 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,418 to #15,162.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcsherry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcsherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) 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 Mcsherry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,715 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcsherry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), 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 Mcsherry (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 Mcsherry mean?
An Irish surname meaning "son of Seary" or "son of the freebooter". 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 Mcsherry (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 are called Mcsherry?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Mcsherry at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.