2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcswiney
A Irish surname derived from Mac Suibhne meaning "son of the freeman".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Mcswiney. 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 Mcswiney 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 Mcswiney 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 Mcswiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcswiney
The surname McSwiney is of Irish origin, with its roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name 'Mac Suibhne', which means 'son of Suibhne'. Suibhne is an ancient personal name derived from the Old Irish word 'suibhne', meaning 'well-going' or 'pleasant'.
This surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Donegal and Tyrone, where the McSwiney clan held significant influence and power. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with references found in the Annals of Ulster and other historical records.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the McSwiney name is in the Annals of Ulster, which record the death of Maol Mhuire Mac Suibhne, a prominent member of the clan, in 1169. Another notable reference is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, which mention Domhnall Mac Suibhne, a chieftain of the clan, who was killed in 1257.
The McSwiney family played a significant role in Irish history, particularly during the 16th and 17th centuries. Niall Og McSwiney (c. 1569 - 1617), a member of the McSwiney clan, was a prominent military leader who fought against the English during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603).
Another notable figure was Terence McSwiney (1879 - 1920), an Irish revolutionary and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of Cork. He is best known for his hunger strike while imprisoned by the British authorities, which ultimately led to his death and made him a martyr for the Irish independence movement.
Other individuals who bore this surname include Maol Muire McSwiney (c. 1169 - unknown), a chieftain of the McSwiney clan mentioned in the Annals of Ulster; Seán McSwiney (1853 - 1940), an Irish language scholar and writer; and Masefield Beirne McSwiney (1897 - 1918), a World War I veteran and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honor.
The McSwiney surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including McSweeney, McSweeny, McSweeny, and McSwinney, among others. These variations often reflected regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcswiney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcswiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcswiney 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 Mcswiney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 93
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcswiney
Mcswiney 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,559 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-13 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,922 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,559 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 7,922 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 Mcswiney 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 | #148,347 | #156,269 | -5.3% |
| Count | 111 | 98 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcswiney bearers went from 111 to 98 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 7,922 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #156,269.
FAQ
Mcswiney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcswiney?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Mcswiney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Mcswiney?
Mcswiney 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 Mcswiney. 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 Mcswiney.
Has Mcswiney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcswiney went from 111 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcswiney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcswiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Mcswiney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcswiney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Black (1.0%). 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 Mcswiney (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 Mcswiney mean?
A Irish surname derived from Mac Suibhne meaning "son of the freeman". 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 Mcswiney (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 many people are called Mcswiney?
See how common the surname Mcswiney is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.