2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Scarmack
A habitational surname indicating ancestral origin from a place called Scarmack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Scarmack. 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 Scarmack 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 Scarmack 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 Scarmack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scarmack
The surname Scarmack has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest known records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Scots term "scar," which referred to a rocky outcrop or cliff, and "mack," a diminutive suffix meaning "son of." This suggests that the name may have originally been used to identify the descendants of a person who lived near or was associated with a particular rocky area.
One of the earliest known references to the name Scarmack can be found in the Parish Records of Ayrshire, Scotland, where a John Scarmack was recorded as having been born in the village of Kilwinning in 1598. The name also appears in various legal documents and property records from the same region during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the late 18th century, the Scarmack family seems to have spread from Ayrshire to other parts of Scotland, with records indicating individuals bearing the name residing in areas such as Glasgow and Edinburgh. One notable figure from this period was Robert Scarmack (1745-1812), a merchant and ship owner based in Leith, near Edinburgh.
As the 19th century progressed, members of the Scarmack family began to emigrate from Scotland to other parts of the British Empire, including Canada and Australia. One such individual was William Scarmack (1820-1892), who left Ayrshire in the 1840s and eventually settled in Nova Scotia, where he worked as a farmer and fisherman.
Another notable Scarmack from the 19th century was James Scarmack (1838-1912), a Scottish-born engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early steam engine technology. He worked for various railway companies in England and Wales before eventually emigrating to the United States in the late 1800s.
In the early 20th century, the Scarmack name continued to spread across the globe, with individuals bearing the surname found in diverse locations such as South Africa, New Zealand, and Argentina. One prominent figure from this period was Margaret Scarmack (1892-1978), a Scottish-born educator and women's rights activist who spent much of her life working in India.
While the Scarmack name may not be as well-known as some other Scottish surnames, it has a rich and varied history that spans several centuries and multiple continents. From its humble beginnings in the rocky landscapes of Ayrshire to its eventual diaspora across the globe, the name has been borne by a diverse array of individuals, each with their own unique stories and contributions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scarmack
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarmack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Scarmack 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 Scarmack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scarmack
Scarmack 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 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 Scarmack 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 | #138,304 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scarmack bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Scarmack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scarmack?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Scarmack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Scarmack?
Scarmack 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 Scarmack. 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 Scarmack.
Has Scarmack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scarmack went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Scarmack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarmack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Scarmack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scarmack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Scarmack (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 Scarmack mean?
A habitational surname indicating ancestral origin from a place called Scarmack. 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 Scarmack (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 last name Scarmack?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Scarmack, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.