2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mcwha
A Scottish surname derived from a nickname meaning "son of Eve".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Mcwha. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcwha 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Mcwha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwha, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcwha
The surname McWha has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "bha" which can be translated as "to be" or "to exist." The name may have originally referred to an individual who had a strong or notable presence, someone who truly "existed" in a meaningful way.
The earliest recorded instances of the name McWha can be found in parish records from the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, during the 16th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John McWha, a landowner in the village of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, who was mentioned in a charter from 1589.
In the 17th century, the name McWha appeared in several historical documents, including the Ragman Rolls, a series of manuscripts that recorded acts of homage to the English king Edward I. A certain Robert McWha from Lanarkshire is listed as having sworn fealty to the English crown in 1296.
The name McWha has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the late 18th century, Alexander McWha (1745-1819) was a prominent Scottish merchant and banker who played a significant role in the economic development of Glasgow. Another notable bearer of the name was William McWha (1834-1912), a Scottish-born journalist and publisher who co-founded the influential newspaper The Toronto Daily Mail in Canada.
Other notable individuals with the surname McWha include James McWha (1858-1933), a Scottish-Australian politician and landowner who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and John McWha (1880-1957), a New Zealand soldier and politician who served in the First World War and later became a member of the New Zealand Parliament.
Furthermore, the name McWha has been linked to various place names and locations throughout Scotland, such as McWha's Hill in Lanarkshire and McWha's Loch in Ayrshire, which may have derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcwha
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwha, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcwha 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 Mcwha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcwha
Mcwha 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,391 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-16 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 3,391 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 14,362 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 Mcwha 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 | #139,228 | #153,590 | -10.3% |
| Count | 120 | 104 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcwha bearers went from 120 to 104 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 14,362 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #153,590.
FAQ
Mcwha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcwha?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Mcwha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Mcwha?
Mcwha ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Mcwha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mcwha.
Has Mcwha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcwha went from 120 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcwha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwha, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mcwha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcwha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mcwha (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 Mcwha mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a nickname meaning "son of Eve". 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 Mcwha (0.03 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 Mcwha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.