2000
#23,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,002
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Macinnis
A surname of Scottish origin meaning "son of the little Angus".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,244 Americans carry the last name Macinnis. That puts it at #24,056 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 275,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macinnis 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 Macinnis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 275,526
Census rank
#24,056
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,085 bearers of the surname Macinnis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24056th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macinnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macinnis
The surname MacInnis is of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the personal name Angus, with the prefix 'Mac' meaning 'son of'. It first appeared in the Highlands and Islands of western Scotland during the late medieval period.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a manuscript dating back to the late 15th century, where it appears as 'MacAngus'. This suggests the name originated as a patronymic, referring to the son of a man named Angus.
In the 16th century, the name is recorded in various forms, such as 'M'Ingnis', 'McIngneis', and 'McIngneis', reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. The modern spelling 'MacInnis' became standardized in the 18th century.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing this surname was Donald MacInnis, who was recorded as a resident of the Isle of Mull in the 1560s. In the 17th century, Angus MacInnis was a prominent figure in the Clan MacLeod, serving as a trusted adviser to the chief.
The surname is particularly associated with the Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebrides, where it was historically well-represented. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Archibald MacInnis (1789-1861), a Scottish-born Canadian settler and farmer in Nova Scotia.
2. Donald MacInnis (1824-1876), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician in Prince Edward Island.
3. Thomas Robert MacInnis (1867-1951), a Canadian politician and member of parliament from Nova Scotia.
4. Grace MacInnis (1905-1991), a Canadian politician and social activist, known for her work in promoting women's rights and social justice.
5. Lorne MacInnis (1913-1980), a Canadian politician and member of parliament from British Columbia, known for his advocacy of labor rights.
The surname MacInnis has been present in various parts of Scotland and Canada for several centuries, reflecting the migration patterns of Scottish Highlanders and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macinnis
Among Census respondents with the surname Macinnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Macinnis 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 Macinnis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 999
- Two or more races3.4% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macinnis
Macinnis 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
#30,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 768
-234 bearers (-23.4%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 6,826 places
2020
#24,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,085
+317 bearers (+41.3%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 6,364 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,594 | 1,002 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,420 | 768 | 0.26 | -234 bearers (-23.4%) | Down 6,826 places |
| 2020 | #24,056 | 1,085 | 0.36 | +317 bearers (+41.3%) | Up 6,364 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 Macinnis 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 | #30,420 | #24,056 | 20.9% |
| Count | 768 | 1,085 | 41.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.36 | 39.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macinnis bearers went from 768 to 1,085 (+41.3% change). The surname moved up 6,364 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,420 to #24,056.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Macinnis
FAQ
Macinnis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macinnis?
Name Census estimates that about 1,244 living Americans carry the surname Macinnis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 275,526 residents.
How common is Macinnis?
Macinnis ranks #24,056 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,085 people with the surname Macinnis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Macinnis.
Has Macinnis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macinnis went from 768 recorded bearers to 1,085. That is an increase of 317 (+41.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #30,420 to #24,056.
What does the Census say about the background of Macinnis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macinnis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Macinnis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macinnis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Macinnis (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 Macinnis mean?
A surname of Scottish origin meaning "son of the little Angus". 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 Macinnis (0.36 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 share the surname Macinnis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.