2000
#12,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,192
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Muirhead
One who lived near a moor or marshland, or at the head of a moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,553 Americans carry the last name Muirhead. That puts it at #13,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muirhead 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 Muirhead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 134,256
Census rank
#13,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,226 bearers of the surname Muirhead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muirhead, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muirhead
The surname Muirhead is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English words "muir" meaning moor or heath, and "heafod" meaning head or hill. It is a locational name given to someone who lived near or on a moorland hill or elevated area of uncultivated land.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the parish of Bothwell in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Muirhead family held lands in this area and are mentioned in various charters and historical documents from that time period.
In the 14th century, a John de Muirhead is recorded as being a witness to a charter granted by King Robert II of Scotland in 1372. This suggests the family had some prominence and standing during this era.
The name Muirhead is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments of homage and fealty to Edward I of England from Scottish nobles and landholders. This indicates the surname was well-established by the late 13th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Muirhead include James Muirhead (1742-1808), a Scottish philosopher and professor of natural philosophy at the University of Glasgow. Another was James Patrick Muirhead (1853-1934), a British lawyer and author who wrote extensively on Roman law and jurisprudence.
In the field of science, there was Robert Franklin Muirhead (1834-1925), a Scottish electrical engineer and inventor who pioneered early developments in telegraph and submarine cable technology. His brother, Alexander Muirhead (1848-1920), was also a noted Scottish electrical engineer and inventor.
A more recent example is Lewis Muirhead (1923-2010), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Muirhead Charitable Trust, a major provider of funding for educational and medical research in Scotland.
While the Muirhead name has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement, with bearers of the name found in countries such as England, Ireland, Canada, and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muirhead
Among Census respondents with the surname Muirhead, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Muirhead 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 Muirhead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 1,793
- Black or African American10.4% · 231
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 82
- Two or more races3.7% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muirhead
Muirhead 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
#13,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,265
+73 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 577 places
2020
#13,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,226
-39 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,868 | 2,192 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,445 | 2,265 | 0.77 | +73 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 577 places |
| 2020 | #13,165 | 2,226 | 0.74 | -39 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 280 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 Muirhead 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 | #13,445 | #13,165 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,265 | 2,226 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.74 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muirhead bearers went from 2,265 to 2,226 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,445 to #13,165.
FAQ
Muirhead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muirhead?
Name Census estimates that about 2,553 living Americans carry the surname Muirhead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,256 residents.
How common is Muirhead?
Muirhead ranks #13,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,226 people with the surname Muirhead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,553), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Muirhead.
Has Muirhead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muirhead went from 2,265 recorded bearers to 2,226. That is a decrease of 39 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,445 to #13,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Muirhead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muirhead, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Muirhead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (1,793 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muirhead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.4%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Muirhead (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 Muirhead mean?
One who lived near a moor or marshland, or at the head of a moor. 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 Muirhead (0.74 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 Muirhead?
Find out how many people are called Muirhead on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.