2000
#800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.53
Uncommon Last name
Mcconnell
A Scottish surname originating from the Gaelic "Mac Dhomhnaill," meaning "son of Domhnall" (a personal name meaning "world ruler").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,885 Americans carry the last name Mcconnell. That puts it at #897 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcconnell 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 Mcconnell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,810
Census rank
#897
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,270 bearers of the surname Mcconnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 897th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcconnell
The surname McConnell is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Dhomhnaill, meaning "son of Donald". It is a patronymic name, which means it originated from a personal name of an ancestor. The name Donald itself comes from the Old Irish name Domhnall, which means "world ruler" or "world mighty".
The McConnell surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the Hebrides islands of Scotland. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in 1292, when John McConnell was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a historical record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
During the Middle Ages, the McConnell clan held lands in Argyll and the Isles, and they were known for their seafaring and maritime traditions. The clan was also involved in clan conflicts and battles, such as the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594, where they fought alongside the Gordons against the Earls of Huntly and Errol.
In the 16th century, the McConnells were among the first Scots to settle in the Ulster Plantation in Ireland, where they established a strong presence in County Antrim and County Down. This led to the formation of a distinct Irish branch of the family.
Notable individuals with the McConnell surname include:
1. John McConnell (1768-1835), an Irish-born American merchant and founder of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania.
2. Robert McConnell (1829-1909), an Irish-born American businessman and co-founder of the Avery Dennison Corporation.
3. Mitch McConnell (born 1942), an American politician and the current Senate Minority Leader.
4. Malcolm McConnell (1888-1962), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist, who co-founded the McConnell Foundation in Canada.
5. Gwen McConnell (1886-1961), a Scottish-born Australian artist and painter known for her landscape and portrait works.
The McConnell surname has also been associated with various place names, such as McConnellsburg in Pennsylvania, McConnellsville in Ohio, and McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, named after brothers Fred and Thomas McConnell, who were aviation pioneers in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcconnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcconnell 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 Mcconnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 32,808
- Black or African American5.6% · 2,154
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,524
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,208
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 298
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 278
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcconnell
Mcconnell 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
#872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,754
+551 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 13.48
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,270
-1,484 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 12.80
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #800 | 39,203 | 14.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #872 | 39,754 | 13.48 | +551 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #897 | 38,270 | 12.80 | -1,484 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 25 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 Mcconnell 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 | #872 | #897 | -2.9% |
| Count | 39,754 | 38,270 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.48 | 12.80 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcconnell bearers went from 39,754 to 38,270 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #872 to #897.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcconnell
FAQ
Mcconnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcconnell?
Name Census estimates that about 43,885 living Americans carry the surname Mcconnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,810 residents.
How common is Mcconnell?
Mcconnell ranks #897 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,270 people with the surname Mcconnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Mcconnell.
Has Mcconnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcconnell went from 39,754 recorded bearers to 38,270. That is a decrease of 1,484 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #872 to #897.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcconnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcconnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mcconnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (32,808 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcconnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (5.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Mcconnell (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 Mcconnell mean?
A Scottish surname originating from the Gaelic "Mac Dhomhnaill," meaning "son of Domhnall" (a personal name meaning "world ruler"). 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 Mcconnell (12.80 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 Mcconnell?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mcconnell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.