2000
#1,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,074
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.33
Uncommon Last name
Mccormack
Son of Cormac, a popular Irish first name derived from the Gaelic "corb," meaning "raven," and "mac," meaning "son."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,231 Americans carry the last name Mccormack. That puts it at #2,095 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccormack 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 Mccormack with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,823
Census rank
#2,095
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,770 bearers of the surname Mccormack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2095th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccormack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccormack
The surname McCormack has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the medieval era. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Cormaic, which means "son of Cormac." Cormac was a popular personal name derived from the Old Irish words corb, meaning "chariot," and macc, meaning "son."
The McCormack name can be traced back to the 12th century, when it first appeared in ancient manuscripts and records from the province of Ulster. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Fergus McCormack, a landowner and chieftain who lived in County Armagh in the early 1200s.
Over the centuries, the McCormack name spread throughout Ireland, with various spellings emerging, such as McCormick, McCormick, and McCormac. The name was particularly prevalent in Counties Armagh, Monaghan, and Fermanagh, where several prominent McCormack families established themselves.
In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many McCormacks were displaced from their ancestral lands and scattered across Ireland and beyond. Some became soldiers and fought in various conflicts, including the Williamite Wars and the Jacobite Risings.
One notable figure bearing the McCormack name was John McCormack (1884-1945), an acclaimed Irish tenor and one of the most famous singers of the early 20th century. He was born in Athlone and had a successful international career, performing in prestigious venues around the world.
Another distinguished McCormack was John McCormack (1766-1833), an Irish-born American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from Virginia from 1811 to 1833. He was a prominent figure in the early years of the United States.
In the literary realm, James McCormack (1826-1858) was an Irish poet and writer known for his contributions to the Young Ireland movement. His works, imbued with Irish nationalism, played a significant role in the cultural revival of the 19th century.
John McCormack (1858-1941), an Irish-born American prelate, served as the Bishop of Altoona, Pennsylvania, from 1904 to 1918. He was a respected figure in the Catholic Church and played a key role in the growth of the diocese during his tenure.
Another notable bearer of the McCormack name was John McCormack (1834-1901), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist. He amassed a considerable fortune in the mining industry and dedicated much of his wealth to charitable causes, supporting education and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccormack
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccormack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccormack 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 Mccormack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 14,896
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 699
- Two or more races3.5% · 579
- Black or African American2.2% · 369
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccormack
Mccormack 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
#2,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,449
+375 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 5.92
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#2,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,770
-679 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.61
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,936 | 17,074 | 6.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,074 | 17,449 | 5.92 | +375 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #2,095 | 16,770 | 5.61 | -679 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 21 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 Mccormack 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 | #2,074 | #2,095 | -1.0% |
| Count | 17,449 | 16,770 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.92 | 5.61 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccormack bearers went from 17,449 to 16,770 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,074 to #2,095.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccormack
FAQ
Mccormack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccormack?
Name Census estimates that about 19,231 living Americans carry the surname Mccormack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,823 residents.
How common is Mccormack?
Mccormack ranks #2,095 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,770 people with the surname Mccormack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mccormack.
Has Mccormack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccormack went from 17,449 recorded bearers to 16,770. That is a decrease of 679 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,074 to #2,095.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccormack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccormack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mccormack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (14,896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccormack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mccormack (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 Mccormack mean?
Son of Cormac, a popular Irish first name derived from the Gaelic "corb," meaning "raven," and "mac," meaning "son." 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 Mccormack (5.61 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 Mccormack?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.