2000
#26,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Macallister
Scottish surname meaning "son of the brewers servant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,034 Americans carry the last name Macallister. That puts it at #28,173 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 331,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macallister 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 Macallister with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 331,484
Census rank
#28,173
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
902
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 902 bearers of the surname Macallister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28173rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macallister, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macallister
The surname MACALLISTER is of Scottish origin, dating back to the late 12th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic surname MacAlasdair, which means "son of Alasdair" or "son of Alexander." The name originated in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides islands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland in 1476, where a certain John Makealistir is mentioned. The surname has undergone various spellings throughout history, including MacAlister, MacAllaster, and McAllister.
In the 16th century, the MacAllisters were part of the Clan Donald, one of the most powerful clans in the Western Isles of Scotland. They held lands in the islands of Islay and Kintyre. During this time, the MacAllisters were known for their involvement in clan conflicts and raids against neighboring clans.
Notable individuals with the surname MACALLISTER include:
1. Angus MacAllister (c. 1506 - c. 1560), a Scottish clergyman and poet who served as the Bishop of Brechin.
2. Archibald MacAllister (1866 - 1947), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
3. Sir Archibald MacAllister (1880 - 1950), a Scottish educator and principal of the University of St Andrews from 1928 to 1943.
4. Rufus Daniel MacAllister (1867 - 1944), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Florida.
5. William MacAllister (1897 - 1971), a Scottish painter and artist known for his landscapes and portraits.
The name MACALLISTER has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, including MacAllister's Cross on the Isle of Islay, which commemorates a battle between the MacAllisters and the MacDonalds in the 16th century.
While the name MACALLISTER has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish migration and immigration. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macallister
Among Census respondents with the surname Macallister, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Macallister 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 Macallister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 817
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 41
- Two or more races2.1% · 19
- Black or African American1.4% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macallister
Macallister 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
#43,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 500
-373 bearers (-42.7%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 16,900 places
2020
#28,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 902
+402 bearers (+80.4%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 15,033 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,306 | 873 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,206 | 500 | 0.17 | -373 bearers (-42.7%) | Down 16,900 places |
| 2020 | #28,173 | 902 | 0.30 | +402 bearers (+80.4%) | Up 15,033 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 Macallister 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 | #43,206 | #28,173 | 34.8% |
| Count | 500 | 902 | 80.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.30 | 77.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macallister bearers went from 500 to 902 (+80.4% change). The surname moved up 15,033 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,206 to #28,173.
FAQ
Macallister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macallister?
Name Census estimates that about 1,034 living Americans carry the surname Macallister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 331,484 residents.
How common is Macallister?
Macallister ranks #28,173 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 902 people with the surname Macallister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,034), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Macallister.
Has Macallister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macallister went from 500 recorded bearers to 902. That is an increase of 402 (+80.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #43,206 to #28,173.
What does the Census say about the background of Macallister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macallister, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Macallister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (817 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macallister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Macallister (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 Macallister mean?
Scottish surname meaning "son of the brewers servant". 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 Macallister (0.30 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 Macallister?
See how common the surname Macallister is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.