2000
#495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 60,874
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.57
Uncommon Last name
Mcbride
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Bride" or "descendant of Bride," referring to Saint Brigid of Kildare.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 70,811 Americans carry the last name Mcbride. That puts it at #535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,840 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcbride 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 Mcbride with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
71K
1 in 4,840
Census rank
#535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
62K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 61,751 bearers of the surname Mcbride in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbride, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcbride
The surname McBride originated in Scotland, deriving from the Gaelic personal name Brian, which means "eminence" or "high" and the prefix "Mc" meaning "son of." It is a patronymic name, indicating the bearer was the son of a man named Brian.
In the early 13th century, the name appeared in records as MacBrydyn and MacBradyn, reflecting the Gaelic pronunciation. By the 15th century, the spelling had evolved to McBryde and McBryd in the Lowlands of Scotland.
The McBride surname is found in various historical Scottish records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1369, which mention John McBryde. The Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, include the names Gillecryst MacBryd and Patric MacBrid.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Sir David McBryde, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Sir William Wallace in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th century.
Another notable McBride was John McBride, a Scottish politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1715 to 1717. He played a significant role in the city's governance during a turbulent period following the Jacobite Rising of 1715.
In the 17th century, the McBride name appeared in Ulster, Northern Ireland, as a result of the Plantation of Ulster, when Scottish settlers migrated to the region. One of the earliest recorded McBrides in Ireland was Archibald McBride, born around 1630, who settled in County Down.
A famous bearer of the McBride name was Jeremiah McBride (1745-1809), an American pioneer and Revolutionary War soldier. He was one of the founders of the town of McBride, Missouri, which was named after him.
Another notable McBride was Andrew McBride (1818-1882), a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and played a role in the Red River Resistance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcbride
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbride, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcbride 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 Mcbride surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.4% · 44,083
- Black or African American19.1% · 11,785
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,680
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 2,329
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 514
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 360
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcbride
Mcbride 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
#527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,899
+3,025 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 21.66
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,751
-2,148 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 20.66
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #495 | 60,874 | 22.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #527 | 63,899 | 21.66 | +3,025 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #535 | 61,751 | 20.66 | -2,148 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 8 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 Mcbride 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 | #527 | #535 | -1.5% |
| Count | 63,899 | 61,751 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 21.66 | 20.66 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcbride bearers went from 63,899 to 61,751 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #527 to #535.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcbride
FAQ
Mcbride surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcbride?
Name Census estimates that about 70,811 living Americans carry the surname Mcbride. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,840 residents.
How common is Mcbride?
Mcbride ranks #535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 61,751 people with the surname Mcbride. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (70,811), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Mcbride.
Has Mcbride become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcbride went from 63,899 recorded bearers to 61,751. That is a decrease of 2,148 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #527 to #535.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcbride?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbride, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mcbride in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (44,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcbride appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.4%), Black (19.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mcbride (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 Mcbride mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Bride" or "descendant of Bride," referring to Saint Brigid of Kildare. 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 Mcbride (20.66 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 Americans have the surname Mcbride?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.