2000
#10,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Mcwhirter
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a carpenter or carriage maker, derived from the Gaelic "MacChruiteir."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,077 Americans carry the last name Mcwhirter. That puts it at #11,264 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,392 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcwhirter 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 Mcwhirter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,392
Census rank
#11,264
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,683 bearers of the surname Mcwhirter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11264th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwhirter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcwhirter
The surname McWhirter is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Dhuibhshíth, meaning "dark" or "swarthy one". The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of" in Gaelic, indicating a patronymic surname.
The McWhirter name can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Ayrshire, Scotland. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a dark complexion or hair color.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McWhirter appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Gillemor McWhyter".
In the 15th century, variations of the spelling included McWhytre, McQuiter, and McQuhiter, reflecting the regional dialects and pronunciation variations at the time. The name was particularly prevalent in the parishes of Kilmarnock and Loudoun in Ayrshire.
A notable historical figure bearing the McWhirter surname was John McWhirter (1837-1926), a renowned Scottish landscape painter who was elected a member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1892. He is known for his vivid depictions of the Scottish Highlands and coastal scenes.
Another prominent individual was Alexander McWhirter (1895-1979), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 1953 to 1957.
In the literary world, George McWhirter (1839-1907) was a Scottish poet and journalist who wrote under the pen name "Lachlann Mor". He was known for his works celebrating the Scottish Highlands and its people.
Robert McWhirter (1859-1935) was a Scottish inventor and engineer who developed the first successful pneumatic tire for bicycles, patenting his design in 1888.
Lastly, Dorothy McWhirter (1905-1985) was a British author and playwright best known for her children's book "The Silver Brumby", which was later adapted into a film in 1993.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcwhirter
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwhirter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcwhirter 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 Mcwhirter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,407
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 94
- Black or African American3.3% · 88
- Two or more races2.9% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcwhirter
Mcwhirter 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
#11,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,846
+49 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 610 places
2020
#11,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,683
-163 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,524 | 2,797 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,134 | 2,846 | 0.96 | +49 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 610 places |
| 2020 | #11,264 | 2,683 | 0.90 | -163 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 130 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 Mcwhirter 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 | #11,134 | #11,264 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,846 | 2,683 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.90 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcwhirter bearers went from 2,846 to 2,683 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,134 to #11,264.
FAQ
Mcwhirter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcwhirter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,077 living Americans carry the surname Mcwhirter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,392 residents.
How common is Mcwhirter?
Mcwhirter ranks #11,264 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,683 people with the surname Mcwhirter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcwhirter.
Has Mcwhirter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcwhirter went from 2,846 recorded bearers to 2,683. That is a decrease of 163 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,134 to #11,264.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcwhirter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcwhirter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Mcwhirter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,407 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcwhirter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Black (3.3%). 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 Mcwhirter (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 Mcwhirter mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a carpenter or carriage maker, derived from the Gaelic "MacChruiteir." 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 Mcwhirter (0.90 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 Mcwhirter?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mcwhirter is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.