2000
#45,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Mcwethy
An Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic surname Mac Ùidhidh meaning "son of the dyer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 605 Americans carry the last name Mcwethy. That puts it at #43,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 566,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcwethy 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
605
1 in 566,536
Census rank
#43,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
528
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 528 bearers of the surname Mcwethy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwethy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcwethy
The surname McWethy originates from Scotland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "bheathaidh" meaning "prosperous" or "fortunate." The name was initially found in the regions of Dumfriesshire and Galloway.
One of the earliest documented instances of the McWethy surname can be found in the records of the Monastic Annals of Teviotdale, where a Thomas McWethy is mentioned as a landowner in Dumfriesshire in the year 1587. The name also appears in the Parish registers of Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, in the 17th century, with various spellings such as McWhethie and McWhetty.
The McWethy name has been linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir John McWethy (1723-1791), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1776 to 1782. Another notable figure was Captain William McWethy (1788-1842), a British naval officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected maritime author.
In the literary world, the McWethy surname is associated with James McWethy (1835-1901), an American poet and journalist who gained recognition for his works celebrating the natural beauty of the Adirondack Mountains in New York. Additionally, the name is connected to Mary McWethy (1859-1935), an American author and educator known for her contributions to children's literature.
The McWethy surname has also been recorded in various historical documents, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries, where individuals with the name were noted as landowners and tax collectors in the Scottish Borders region.
While the surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to North America and other English-speaking countries. However, the historical records mentioned above provide insights into the origins and early bearers of the McWethy name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcwethy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwethy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcwethy 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 Mcwethy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 459
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 19
- Two or more races3.2% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcwethy
Mcwethy 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
#45,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 476
+33 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 456 places
2020
#43,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 528
+52 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 1,080 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,482 | 443 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,026 | 476 | 0.16 | +33 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 456 places |
| 2020 | #43,946 | 528 | 0.18 | +52 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 1,080 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 Mcwethy 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 | #45,026 | #43,946 | 2.4% |
| Count | 476 | 528 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.18 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcwethy bearers went from 476 to 528 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 1,080 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,026 to #43,946.
FAQ
Mcwethy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcwethy?
Name Census estimates that about 605 living Americans carry the surname Mcwethy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 566,536 residents.
How common is Mcwethy?
Mcwethy ranks #43,946 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 528 people with the surname Mcwethy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (605), 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 Mcwethy.
Has Mcwethy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcwethy went from 476 recorded bearers to 528. That is an increase of 52 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #45,026 to #43,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcwethy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwethy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcwethy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (459 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcwethy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (5.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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 Mcwethy (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 Mcwethy mean?
An Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic surname Mac Ùidhidh meaning "son of the dyer". 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 Mcwethy (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 common is the surname Mcwethy?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Mcwethy is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.