2000
#12,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Mcaleer
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Mac Giolla Íosa, meaning "son of the devotee of Jesus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,639 Americans carry the last name Mcaleer. That puts it at #12,784 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,880 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcaleer 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 Mcaleer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 129,880
Census rank
#12,784
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,301 bearers of the surname Mcaleer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12784th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcaleer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcaleer
The surname McAleer has its origins in Ireland, specifically in the northern counties of Ulster. It is a variant of the Gaelic name Mac Giolla Adhair, which means "son of the servant of the Air/Atmosphere." The name likely dates back to the 13th or 14th century and is associated with the ancient Irish clan of the same name.
The earliest recorded mention of the McAleer surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this document, the name appears as "Mac Giolla Adhair" in an entry from the year 1337, referring to a member of the clan.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Domnall Mac Giolla Adhair, who lived in the late 14th century and was a prominent member of the clan in County Tyrone. Another notable figure was Brian McAleer, who was born around 1550 in County Derry and was a renowned poet and scholar of the Irish language.
In the 17th century, the McAleer surname is found in various records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest and the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663. These records show the presence of McAleer families in counties such as Tyrone, Derry, and Antrim.
During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McAleer families were displaced from their ancestral lands. Some relocated to other parts of Ireland, while others emigrated to countries like Scotland and England.
One notable individual from this period was Patrick McAleer, who was born in County Tyrone in 1620. He was a soldier in the Irish Confederate Wars and later settled in County Monaghan after the war.
In the 18th century, the McAleer surname continued to be prominent in Ulster, with records showing families living in counties such as Armagh, Down, and Fermanagh. One individual of note was John McAleer, who was born in County Tyrone in 1725 and served as a captain in the Irish Volunteers during the American Revolutionary War.
As Irish immigration to the Americas increased in the 19th century, many McAleers left Ireland for new opportunities. One such individual was Michael McAleer, who was born in County Tyrone in 1820 and later emigrated to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania.
Throughout history, the McAleer surname has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, military service, and the arts. The name has also been subject to various spelling variations, such as McAlear, McAler, and McAlair, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and transcription.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcaleer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcaleer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcaleer 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 Mcaleer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 2,172
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 63
- Two or more races1.9% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcaleer
Mcaleer 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
#13,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,342
+84 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 513 places
2020
#12,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,301
-41 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,583 | 2,258 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,096 | 2,342 | 0.79 | +84 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 513 places |
| 2020 | #12,784 | 2,301 | 0.77 | -41 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 312 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 Mcaleer 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 | #13,096 | #12,784 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,342 | 2,301 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.77 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcaleer bearers went from 2,342 to 2,301 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 312 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,096 to #12,784.
FAQ
Mcaleer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcaleer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,639 living Americans carry the surname Mcaleer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,880 residents.
How common is Mcaleer?
Mcaleer ranks #12,784 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,301 people with the surname Mcaleer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,639), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Mcaleer.
Has Mcaleer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcaleer went from 2,342 recorded bearers to 2,301. That is a decrease of 41 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,096 to #12,784.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcaleer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcaleer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mcaleer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (2,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcaleer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mcaleer (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 Mcaleer mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Mac Giolla Íosa, meaning "son of the devotee of Jesus." 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 Mcaleer (0.77 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 Mcaleer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Mcaleer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.