2000
#672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,505
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.24
Uncommon Last name
Mcclure
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a clerk or scribe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,275 Americans carry the last name Mcclure. That puts it at #742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,557 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcclure 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 Mcclure with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
52K
1 in 6,557
Census rank
#742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,586 bearers of the surname Mcclure in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclure, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcclure
The surname McClure is of Scottish origin, originating from the Lowlands region of Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is believed to derive from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "lùrach" meaning "mushy ground" or "marsh." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided near or been associated with a marshy area.
The McClure name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early recorded instances found in charters and legal documents from that era. One of the earliest known references appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments recording the submission of Scottish noblemen and landholders to Edward I of England.
In the 14th century, the McClure name was associated with the lands of Clure in Ayrshire, Scotland. Records from this period mention individuals such as John de Clure and Robert de Clure, who were likely descendants of the original McClure family.
The McClure surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout its history, including MacClure, MacClour, and McClour. These variations reflect the evolution of language and regional dialects over time.
Notable individuals bearing the McClure surname include:
1. Sir Robert McClure (1807-1873), a British naval officer and explorer who led the HMS Investigator expedition in search of the Northwest Passage.
2. Archibald McClure (1865-1949), an American architect known for his work in designing Carnegie libraries and other public buildings in the early 20th century.
3. Michael McClure (born 1932), an American poet, playwright, and essayist, associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance.
4. Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure (1853-1936), a British lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1917 to 1921.
5. Samuel McClure (1857-1949), an American publisher and founder of McClure's Magazine, which played a significant role in the muckraking movement of the early 20th century.
The McClure surname has a rich history deeply rooted in Scottish heritage, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages. Over the centuries, the name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, architects, writers, politicians, and publishers, leaving an indelible mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcclure
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclure, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcclure 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 Mcclure surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 37,284
- Black or African American9.3% · 4,236
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,922
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,489
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 331
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 324
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcclure
Mcclure 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
#731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,742
+1,237 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 16.18
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,586
-2,156 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 15.25
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #672 | 46,505 | 17.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #731 | 47,742 | 16.18 | +1,237 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #742 | 45,586 | 15.25 | -2,156 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 11 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 Mcclure 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 | #731 | #742 | -1.5% |
| Count | 47,742 | 45,586 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 16.18 | 15.25 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcclure bearers went from 47,742 to 45,586 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #731 to #742.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcclure
FAQ
Mcclure surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcclure?
Name Census estimates that about 52,275 living Americans carry the surname Mcclure. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,557 residents.
How common is Mcclure?
Mcclure ranks #742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,586 people with the surname Mcclure. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,275), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Mcclure.
Has Mcclure become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcclure went from 47,742 recorded bearers to 45,586. That is a decrease of 2,156 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #731 to #742.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcclure?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclure, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mcclure in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (37,284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcclure appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (9.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mcclure (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 Mcclure mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a clerk or scribe. 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 Mcclure (15.25 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 Mcclure?
You can see how many people are called Mcclure on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.