2000
#67,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 271
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Mcwhinnie
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Cuithein' meaning 'son of the fair-haired one'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 343 Americans carry the last name Mcwhinnie. That puts it at #70,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 999,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcwhinnie 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 Mcwhinnie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
343
1 in 999,284
Census rank
#70,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
299
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 299 bearers of the surname Mcwhinnie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwhinnie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcwhinnie
The surname McWhinnie has its origins in Scotland. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Ùinnidh, which means "son of the green-hued one." This refers to someone with a pale or sallow complexion.
The name is thought to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles. It has been recorded in various spellings over the centuries, such as McWhinney, McWhinnay, and McWhinny.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th century, where a "Gillebride McWhinny" is mentioned in a record from 1296.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, with a "Donald McWhinnie" referenced in an entry from 1541.
A notable McWhinnie in Scottish history was John McWhinnie (c. 1778-1854), a renowned Scottish poet and songwriter from Ayrshire. He is best known for his ballad "The Bridal o' Pitgaveny," which celebrates a local folk tale.
Another individual of note was Reverend William McWhinnie (1836-1911), a Scottish minister and author who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1901.
In the 19th century, the McWhinnie name can be found in various parish records and census records from across Scotland, particularly in the counties of Argyll, Ayrshire, and the Hebrides islands.
One of the earliest known McWhinnies to immigrate to North America was James McWhinnie, who arrived in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1801 from the Scottish Highlands.
Another notable McWhinnie was Sir Donald McWhinnie (1901-1982), a British jurist and legal scholar who served as a Lord Justice of Appeal in England and Wales from 1965 to 1976.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcwhinnie
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwhinnie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcwhinnie 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 Mcwhinnie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 263
- Two or more races4.3% · 13
- Black or African American3.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcwhinnie
Mcwhinnie 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
#63,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 313
+42 bearers (+15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 4,238 places
2020
#70,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
-14 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,847 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,936 | 271 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,698 | 313 | 0.11 | +42 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 4,238 places |
| 2020 | #70,545 | 299 | 0.10 | -14 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 6,847 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 Mcwhinnie 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 | #63,698 | #70,545 | -10.7% |
| Count | 313 | 299 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcwhinnie bearers went from 313 to 299 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 6,847 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,698 to #70,545.
FAQ
Mcwhinnie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcwhinnie?
Name Census estimates that about 343 living Americans carry the surname Mcwhinnie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 999,284 residents.
How common is Mcwhinnie?
Mcwhinnie ranks #70,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 299 people with the surname Mcwhinnie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Mcwhinnie.
Has Mcwhinnie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcwhinnie went from 313 recorded bearers to 299. That is a decrease of 14 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #63,698 to #70,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcwhinnie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwhinnie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Mcwhinnie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (263 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcwhinnie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (3.0%). 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 Mcwhinnie (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 Mcwhinnie mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Cuithein' meaning 'son of the fair-haired one'. 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 Mcwhinnie (0.10 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 have the surname Mcwhinnie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.