2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Muckelvaney
An English surname derived from a place name associated with a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Muckelvaney. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muckelvaney 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Muckelvaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muckelvaney, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 44.4%. The next largest groups are White (25.9%) and Black (13.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muckelvaney
The surname Muckelvaney is believed to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands and England's border counties during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mucel" meaning "big" or "great" and the Middle English "veneye" meaning "a small town or village". This suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived in or came from a large village or town.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of official documents recording those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Mukelvenay". Similar spellings such as "Mucklveney" and "Muckleveny" were also used in various medieval records from the 13th to 15th centuries.
In the 16th century, the name Muckelvaney was associated with the Scottish clan MacFarlane, whose territories were centered around Loch Lomond. John Muckelvaney, born around 1520, was a notable member of this clan and served as a personal guard to the chief.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Thomas Muckelvaney fought for the Royalist forces and was captured at the Battle of Naseby in 1645. He later settled in Gloucestershire, where his descendants continued to use the surname.
In the late 18th century, a wealthy merchant named Robert Muckelvaney (1745-1821) established a successful trading company in Glasgow, dealing in textiles and other goods. His son, James Muckelvaney (1778-1846), was a prominent banker and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and hospitals in the city.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Muckelvaney (1836-1912), a pioneering educator who founded one of the first schools for the deaf in Liverpool, England. She dedicated her life to improving educational opportunities for children with disabilities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muckelvaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Muckelvaney, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 44.4%. The next largest groups are White (25.9%) and Black (13.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Muckelvaney 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 Muckelvaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native44.4% · 48
- White25.9% · 28
- Black or African American13.0% · 14
- Two or more races13.0% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muckelvaney
Muckelvaney appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+8 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,040 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 10,040 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 Muckelvaney 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 | #160,975 | #150,935 | 6.2% |
| Count | 100 | 108 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muckelvaney bearers went from 100 to 108 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 10,040 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #150,935.
FAQ
Muckelvaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muckelvaney?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Muckelvaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Muckelvaney?
Muckelvaney ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Muckelvaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Muckelvaney.
Has Muckelvaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muckelvaney went from 100 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 8 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Muckelvaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muckelvaney, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 44.4%. The next largest groups are White (25.9%) and Black (13.0%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Muckelvaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.4% (48 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muckelvaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (44.4%), White (25.9%), Black (13.0%). 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 Muckelvaney (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 Muckelvaney mean?
An English surname derived from a place name associated with a valley. 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 Muckelvaney (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 people have the surname Muckelvaney?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.