2000
#13,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Mctaggart
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac an t-Sagairt," meaning "son of the priest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,488 Americans carry the last name Mctaggart. That puts it at #13,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,763 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mctaggart 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 Mctaggart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,763
Census rank
#13,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,170 bearers of the surname Mctaggart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctaggart, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mctaggart
The surname McTaggart originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic 'Mac an Tàghairte,' meaning 'son of the priest.' The name is also spelled as McTaggert, McTagart, and McTagert.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a list of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name 'Thomas McTagart' appears in this document.
In the late 13th century, a 'Duncan McTaggart' is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were financial records kept by the Scottish government.
During the 16th century, the McTaggarts were prominent in the Scottish counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. A notable individual from this period was John McTaggart (1521-1593), who was a Protestant reformer and minister in Ayrshire.
The name McTaggart is also associated with the village of Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, which was once known as 'Lochunzeoch' or 'Loch-an-iseog.' This place name may have influenced the spelling of the surname over time.
In the 18th century, John McTaggart (1734-1801) was a Scottish poet and writer, best known for his collection of Scottish folk songs and ballads called 'The Scots Gallovidian Encyclopedia.'
Another significant figure was William McTaggart (1835-1910), a renowned Scottish painter who was part of the Glasgow Boys movement. His works depicted rural scenes and landscapes of Scotland.
Other notable individuals with the surname McTaggart include:
- Alastair McTaggart (1900-1981), a Scottish rugby player who represented Scotland in the 1920s.
- John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (1866-1925), a British philosopher known for his work on the nature of time and the concept of the 'Unreality of Time.'
- Douglas McTaggart (1932-2018), a Canadian author and journalist who wrote extensively about the history of British Columbia.
The surname McTaggart has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with various spellings and associations with places and notable individuals over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mctaggart
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctaggart, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mctaggart 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 Mctaggart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 1,830
- Black or African American7.0% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 89
- Two or more races3.2% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mctaggart
Mctaggart 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
#13,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,191
+122 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 315 places
2020
#13,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
-21 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,483 | 2,069 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,798 | 2,191 | 0.74 | +122 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 315 places |
| 2020 | #13,411 | 2,170 | 0.73 | -21 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 387 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 Mctaggart 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 | #13,798 | #13,411 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,191 | 2,170 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.73 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mctaggart bearers went from 2,191 to 2,170 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 387 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,798 to #13,411.
FAQ
Mctaggart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mctaggart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,488 living Americans carry the surname Mctaggart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,763 residents.
How common is Mctaggart?
Mctaggart ranks #13,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,170 people with the surname Mctaggart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Mctaggart.
Has Mctaggart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mctaggart went from 2,191 recorded bearers to 2,170. That is a decrease of 21 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,798 to #13,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Mctaggart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctaggart, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Mctaggart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (1,830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mctaggart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (7.0%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Mctaggart (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 Mctaggart mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac an t-Sagairt," meaning "son of the priest." 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 Mctaggart (0.73 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 share the surname Mctaggart?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.