2000
#39,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 528
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Mctiernan
Irish surname meaning "son of the hereditary wolf-hunter or forester".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 616 Americans carry the last name Mctiernan. That puts it at #43,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 556,419 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mctiernan 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 Mctiernan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
616
1 in 556,419
Census rank
#43,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
537
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 537 bearers of the surname Mctiernan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctiernan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mctiernan
The surname MCTIERNAN is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the 12th century in County Mayo, Ireland. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Tighearnaigh," which means "son of the lord" or "son of the landowner." The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac," meaning "son," and "tighearnaigh," meaning "lord" or "landowner."
The surname MCTIERNAN first appeared in historical records during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. The name is linked to the MacTiernan clan, which was a prominent family in County Mayo and held significant landholdings in the region. The earliest known bearer of the name was Maoileachlainn Mac Tighearnaigh, who was a chieftain of the MacTiernan clan in the late 12th century.
In the 14th century, the MCTIERNAN surname is mentioned in the "Annals of the Four Masters," a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals record several notable members of the MacTiernan clan, including Tadhg Mac Tighearnaigh, who was a skilled military leader and played a significant role in the Irish campaigns against the Anglo-Normans.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname MCTIERNAN can be found in the "Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns," which were official documents issued by the English government in Ireland during the 16th century. The records mention individuals such as Edmond McTiernan, who was granted land in County Mayo in 1586.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname MCTIERNAN. One such person was Michael McTiernan (1829-1892), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Another prominent figure was John McTiernan (1951-present), an American film director known for his work on popular action movies like "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October."
Other notable individuals with the surname MCTIERNAN include:
1. Francis McTiernan (1835-1899), an Irish-American businessman and banker in New York City.
2. Hugh McTiernan (1856-1936), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who served as the president of Niagara University.
3. John McTiernan (1911-1993), an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League.
4. Edna McTiernan (1898-1982), an American actress who appeared in several Broadway productions and films during the 1920s and 1930s.
5. Michael McTiernan (1929-2007), an Irish journalist and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mctiernan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctiernan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mctiernan 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 Mctiernan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 494
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 23
- Two or more races2.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mctiernan
Mctiernan 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
#38,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 569
+41 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 439 places
2020
#43,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 537
-32 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 4,538 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,240 | 528 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,801 | 569 | 0.19 | +41 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 439 places |
| 2020 | #43,339 | 537 | 0.18 | -32 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 4,538 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 Mctiernan 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 | #38,801 | #43,339 | -11.7% |
| Count | 569 | 537 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.18 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mctiernan bearers went from 569 to 537 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 4,538 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,801 to #43,339.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mctiernan
FAQ
Mctiernan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mctiernan?
Name Census estimates that about 616 living Americans carry the surname Mctiernan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 556,419 residents.
How common is Mctiernan?
Mctiernan ranks #43,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 537 people with the surname Mctiernan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Mctiernan.
Has Mctiernan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mctiernan went from 569 recorded bearers to 537. That is a decrease of 32 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,801 to #43,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Mctiernan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctiernan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mctiernan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mctiernan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mctiernan (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 Mctiernan mean?
Irish surname meaning "son of the hereditary wolf-hunter or forester". 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 Mctiernan (0.18 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 Mctiernan?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mctiernan is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.