2000
#4,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,542
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.80
Rare Last name
Macleod
Son of Leod, a Gaelic name meaning "poet," likely referring to an ancestor with that given name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,966 Americans carry the last name Macleod. That puts it at #4,393 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,228 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macleod 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 Macleod with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,228
Census rank
#4,393
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,819 bearers of the surname Macleod in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4393rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macleod, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macleod
The surname MacLeod is of Scottish origin, originating from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. It is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Leòid," meaning "son of Leod," with Leod being an old Norse personal name. The name first appeared in records during the 13th century.
The MacLeods were a powerful clan in the Scottish Highlands, with their ancestral home being Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye. The clan played a significant role in various conflicts and battles throughout history, including the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MacLeod can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where Tormod MacLeod is mentioned as the chief of the clan. In the 15th century, the Clan MacLeod was divided into two branches: the MacLeods of Harris and the MacLeods of Lewis.
The MacLeods of Harris were led by Alasdair Crotach (Alexander the Hunchback), who was born around 1457 and played a crucial role in the feuds between the clans of the Western Isles. The MacLeods of Lewis were led by Torquil MacLeod, who was born in the late 15th century and fought alongside the MacDonalds in various conflicts.
Notable individuals with the surname MacLeod include:
1. John MacLeod (1759-1801), a Scottish merchant and colonist in Nova Scotia, Canada.
2. Sir Reginald MacLeod (1847-1935), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of Bombay.
3. William Macleod Raine (1871-1954), an American novelist known for his Western fiction.
4. Alistair MacLeod (1936-2014), a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his book "No Great Mischief."
5. Mary Elizabeth MacLeod (1912-2000), the mother of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was born on the Isle of Lewis.
The MacLeod surname has maintained its strong presence throughout history, with various branches and individuals leaving their mark across different regions and fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macleod
Among Census respondents with the surname Macleod, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Macleod 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 Macleod surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 7,144
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 281
- Two or more races3.5% · 270
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 69
- Black or African American0.5% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macleod
Macleod 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
#4,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,886
+344 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#4,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,819
-67 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Up 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,353 | 7,542 | 2.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,495 | 7,886 | 2.67 | +344 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #4,393 | 7,819 | 2.62 | -67 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 102 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 Macleod 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 | #4,495 | #4,393 | 2.3% |
| Count | 7,886 | 7,819 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.62 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macleod bearers went from 7,886 to 7,819 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,495 to #4,393.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Macleod
FAQ
Macleod surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macleod?
Name Census estimates that about 8,966 living Americans carry the surname Macleod. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,228 residents.
How common is Macleod?
Macleod ranks #4,393 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,819 people with the surname Macleod. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,966), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Macleod.
Has Macleod become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macleod went from 7,886 recorded bearers to 7,819. That is a decrease of 67 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,495 to #4,393.
What does the Census say about the background of Macleod?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macleod, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Macleod in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (7,144 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macleod appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Macleod (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 Macleod mean?
Son of Leod, a Gaelic name meaning "poet," likely referring to an ancestor with that given name. 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 Macleod (2.62 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 common is the surname Macleod?
Want to know how many people are called Macleod? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.