2000
#36,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Mctier
An anglicized spelling of the French "métier" occupational surname for a craftsman or artisan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 700 Americans carry the last name Mctier. That puts it at #38,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 489,649 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mctier 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
700
1 in 489,649
Census rank
#38,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
610
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 610 bearers of the surname Mctier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mctier
The surname McTier has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "tìr" meaning "land" or "territory," suggesting that the name was originally given to someone who was a landowner or had territorial possessions.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, dated 1565, which mentions a John McTier from the county of Ayr. Another early record is from the Parish Registers of Kirkoswald, Ayrshire, which lists the birth of John McTier in 1593.
The name McTier has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as Tirry in Ayrshire and Tiree in the Inner Hebrides. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname McTier include Andrew McTier (1762-1832), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia, USA. Another prominent figure was John McTier (1829-1901), a Scottish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1889 to 1891.
In the literary world, James McTier (1806-1872) was a Scottish poet and author, best known for his collection of poems titled "The Lays of Gairloch" published in 1846. William McTier (1854-1924) was a Scottish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the American West and frontier life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States can be traced back to John McTier, who immigrated from Scotland to Virginia in the late 18th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, including Texas and California.
The McTier surname has also been found in various historical records, such as parish registers, census records, and military rolls, further cementing its Scottish roots and providing insights into the lives and migrations of those who carried this name through the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mctier
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mctier 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 Mctier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.5% · 308
- White43.8% · 267
- Two or more races3.1% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mctier
Mctier 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
#37,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 595
+17 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 911 places
2020
#38,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 610
+15 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 1,547 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,531 | 578 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,442 | 595 | 0.20 | +17 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 911 places |
| 2020 | #38,989 | 610 | 0.20 | +15 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 1,547 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 Mctier 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 | #37,442 | #38,989 | -4.1% |
| Count | 595 | 610 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.20 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mctier bearers went from 595 to 610 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 1,547 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,442 to #38,989.
FAQ
Mctier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mctier?
Name Census estimates that about 700 living Americans carry the surname Mctier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 489,649 residents.
How common is Mctier?
Mctier ranks #38,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 610 people with the surname Mctier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (700), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Mctier.
Has Mctier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mctier went from 595 recorded bearers to 610. That is an increase of 15 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #37,442 to #38,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mctier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mctier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.5% (308 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mctier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.5%), White (43.8%), 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 Mctier (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 Mctier mean?
An anglicized spelling of the French "métier" occupational surname for a craftsman or artisan. 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 Mctier (0.20 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 Americans have the surname Mctier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.