2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mctyer
A variant of the Irish surname McTear, derived from the Gaelic "Mac an t-Sair" meaning "son of the carpenter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Mctyer. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mctyer 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Mctyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctyer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mctyer
The surname MCTYER is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 13th century. It is a variant spelling of the name McTire or McTyre, derived from the Gaelic Mac an t-Saoiri, meaning "son of the carpenter" or "son of the craftsman."
The earliest recorded instance of the name MCTYER can be found in the records of the Clan Macfarlane, a Scottish clan from the region of Lennox, near Loch Lomond. In these records, dating back to the late 13th century, several individuals with the surname MCTYER are mentioned as tenants and vassals of the Macfarlane chiefs.
One notable figure bearing the name MCTYER was Gilchrist MCTYER, a Scottish archer who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. His bravery and skill with the longbow were praised in the chronicles of the time.
In the 16th century, the surname MCTYER can be found in various parish records and legal documents from the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire in southwestern Scotland. One such document, from 1567, mentions a John MCTYER of Kilwinning, who was involved in a land dispute with a neighboring laird.
As the centuries passed, members of the MCTYER family dispersed throughout Scotland and beyond. In the late 18th century, a James MCTYER (1745-1822) emigrated from Scotland to the American colonies, settling in Virginia. He later fought in the Revolutionary War and is recorded as a private in the Virginia militia.
Another notable individual with the surname MCTYER was Angus MCTYER (1819-1879), a Scottish politician and businessman who served as a Member of Parliament for the Inverness Burghs constituency from 1868 to 1874. He was a prominent figure in the Scottish whisky industry and helped establish several distilleries in the Highlands.
In the 20th century, the name MCTYER gained recognition through the work of Dr. Iain MCTYER (1927-2003), a renowned Scottish archaeologist and historian. He led several excavations in the Hebrides Islands and authored several books on the history and culture of the Scottish Isles.
While the surname MCTYER is relatively uncommon today, it remains a proud part of Scottish heritage, with roots stretching back to the medieval era and the skilled craftsmen who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mctyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctyer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mctyer 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 Mctyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.4% · 85
- Two or more races13.4% · 16
- White7.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mctyer
Mctyer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+11 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,744 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 8,744 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 Mctyer 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 | #151,532 | #142,788 | 5.8% |
| Count | 108 | 119 | 10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mctyer bearers went from 108 to 119 (+10.2% change). The surname moved up 8,744 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #142,788.
FAQ
Mctyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mctyer?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Mctyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Mctyer?
Mctyer ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Mctyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mctyer.
Has Mctyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mctyer went from 108 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 11 (+10.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Mctyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mctyer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (7.6%). 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 Mctyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mctyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.4%), Two or More Races (13.4%), White (7.6%). 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 Mctyer (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 Mctyer mean?
A variant of the Irish surname McTear, derived from the Gaelic "Mac an t-Sair" meaning "son of the carpenter." 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 Mctyer (0.04 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 Mctyer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.