2000
#8,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,507
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Mcadoo
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Daibhéid or Mac Dáibhí, meaning "son of David."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,899 Americans carry the last name Mcadoo. That puts it at #9,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,908 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcadoo 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
3.9K
1 in 87,908
Census rank
#9,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,400 bearers of the surname Mcadoo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcadoo, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcadoo
The surname McAdoo is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Duibh" which means "son of the black man" or "son of the dark-complexioned man." This surname can be traced back to the 13th century, originating in the Scottish Highlands.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as MacAdoo, McAdoo, and Macadoo. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
The McAdoo name is associated with several Scottish clans, including the Clan MacKenzie and the Clan MacDougall. These clans had a significant presence in the western Highlands and Islands of Scotland during the medieval and early modern periods.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname McAdoo was Angus McAdoo, a prominent chieftain of the Clan MacDougall. He played a role in the clan conflicts and battles of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John McAdoo (1588-1654), a Scottish soldier and landowner who served in the Scottish army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
In the 17th century, a branch of the McAdoo family migrated to Ireland, where the name became anglicized as McAdoo or McAdoo.
During the 18th century, William McAdoo (1720-1798) was a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia, USA. He was among the earliest bearers of the name in America.
In the 19th century, William Gibbs McAdoo (1863-1941) was a prominent American statesman and lawyer. He served as the United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Woodrow Wilson and was a leading figure in the Democratic Party.
Another notable individual with the surname was Robert McAdoo (1858-1947), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey.
The McAdoo name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McAdoo's Cross in Argyll and Bute, and McAdoo's Burn in Dumfries and Galloway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcadoo
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcadoo, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcadoo 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 Mcadoo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 1,960
- Black or African American32.8% · 1,114
- Two or more races5.8% · 198
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcadoo
Mcadoo 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
#9,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,580
+73 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 491 places
2020
#9,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,400
-180 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,631 | 3,507 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,122 | 3,580 | 1.21 | +73 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 491 places |
| 2020 | #9,211 | 3,400 | 1.14 | -180 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 89 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 Mcadoo 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 | #9,122 | #9,211 | -1.0% |
| Count | 3,580 | 3,400 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.14 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcadoo bearers went from 3,580 to 3,400 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,122 to #9,211.
FAQ
Mcadoo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcadoo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,899 living Americans carry the surname Mcadoo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,908 residents.
How common is Mcadoo?
Mcadoo ranks #9,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,400 people with the surname Mcadoo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,899), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Mcadoo.
Has Mcadoo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcadoo went from 3,580 recorded bearers to 3,400. That is a decrease of 180 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,122 to #9,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcadoo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcadoo, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Mcadoo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (1,960 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcadoo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.6%), Black (32.8%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Mcadoo (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 Mcadoo mean?
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Daibhéid or Mac Dáibhí, meaning "son of David." 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 Mcadoo (1.14 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 Mcadoo?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mcadoo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.