2000
#109,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Meguire
An Irish variant of the surname McGwire, of uncertain etymology.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Meguire. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meguire 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Meguire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meguire, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meguire
The surname Meguire originates from Ireland and is a variant of the more common Gaelic surname MacGuire or Maguire. The Maguire clan was among the most prominent in Ulster, particularly in County Fermanagh, where they held the role of Kings of Fermanagh from the 13th to the 17th century.
The name Maguire is derived from the Gaelic surname "Mag Uidhir," which means "son of Odhar" or "son of the dun-colored one." The prefix "Mac" means "son of," while "Uidhir" is a personal name derived from the Irish word "odhar," meaning dun or pale brown.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Maguire name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Annals mention several members of the Maguire clan, including Donn Maguire, who was the King of Fermanagh in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Maguire clan was involved in the Nine Years' War against English forces. The leader of the clan, Hugh Maguire, played a significant role in this conflict, which ultimately resulted in the Flight of the Earls in 1607, when several Irish nobles fled the country.
Another notable figure with the surname Meguire was Cornelius Maguire (c. 1616-1680), an Irish Franciscan friar and historian who wrote several works documenting the persecution of Catholics in Ireland during the 17th century. His most famous work is "The Annals of the Persecution in Ireland," published in 1662.
In the 18th century, Thomas Maguire (1725-1789) was an Irish-born merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Philadelphia in 1770. He played an active role in the American Revolutionary War, supporting the Patriot cause.
In more recent history, John Meguire (1841-1905) was an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1891 to 1895. He was instrumental in the development of the city's infrastructure, including the construction of the Twin Peaks Tunnel.
Overall, the surname Meguire has a rich history rooted in Irish heritage, with connections to prominent clans, religious figures, and political leaders throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meguire
Among Census respondents with the surname Meguire, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Meguire 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 Meguire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meguire
Meguire 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-13 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 16,103 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-20 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,010 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,915 | 149 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -13 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 16,103 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 19,010 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 Meguire 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 | #126,018 | #145,028 | -15.1% |
| Count | 136 | 116 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meguire bearers went from 136 to 116 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 19,010 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #145,028.
FAQ
Meguire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meguire?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Meguire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Meguire?
Meguire ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Meguire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Meguire.
Has Meguire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meguire went from 136 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Meguire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meguire, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Meguire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meguire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Meguire (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 Meguire mean?
An Irish variant of the surname McGwire, of uncertain etymology. 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 Meguire (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 Meguire?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.