2000
#11,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,622
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Mccree
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the hollow crossing" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,252 Americans carry the last name Mccree. That puts it at #10,747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccree 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 Mccree with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,398
Census rank
#10,747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,836 bearers of the surname Mccree in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccree, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.0%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccree
The surname McCree originated in Scotland, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic "Mac Rìgh" or "Son of the King", suggesting a connection to Scottish royalty or nobility. Variations in spelling include MacCree, MacCrie, and McCrie.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of 1539, which mention a John McCree from the county of Ayr. This record suggests that the name was present in the southwestern regions of Scotland during that time period.
Another notable early reference is the appearance of a Robert McCree in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1621. This document details his involvement in a legal dispute over land ownership, providing insight into the social status and activities of those bearing the surname during the 17th century.
In the late 18th century, the name appears in the Old Parish Registers of Lanarkshire, with the birth of John McCree recorded in 1787 in the town of Bothwell. This region, located in central Scotland, seems to have been a stronghold for the McCree family during that era.
Historically notable individuals with the surname McCree include:
1. John McCree (1811-1885), a Scottish-born American Presbyterian minister who played a significant role in the establishment of the Presbyterian Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
2. Robert McCree (1837-1912), a Scottish-born businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the iron and steel industry in the United States. He was a notable benefactor of educational institutions in his later years.
3. Samuel McCree (1860-1928), a Scottish-American lawyer and judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1922 until his death.
4. Thomas McCree (1808-1879), a Scottish-born Canadian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1860s.
5. William McCree (1763-1835), a Scottish-born American pioneer and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later helped establish settlements in the Ohio River Valley region.
The surname McCree has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with its earliest known bearers hailing from regions such as Ayr, Lanarkshire, and beyond. While the name has spread across the globe over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the 16th century and the Scottish Gaelic language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccree
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccree, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.0%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccree 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 Mccree surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.0% · 2,014
- White19.3% · 546
- Two or more races6.0% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccree
Mccree 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
#10,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,931
+309 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 238 places
2020
#10,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,836
-95 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,109 | 2,622 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,871 | 2,931 | 0.99 | +309 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 238 places |
| 2020 | #10,747 | 2,836 | 0.95 | -95 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 124 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 Mccree 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 | #10,871 | #10,747 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,931 | 2,836 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.95 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccree bearers went from 2,931 to 2,836 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,871 to #10,747.
FAQ
Mccree surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccree?
Name Census estimates that about 3,252 living Americans carry the surname Mccree. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,398 residents.
How common is Mccree?
Mccree ranks #10,747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,836 people with the surname Mccree. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Mccree.
Has Mccree become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccree went from 2,931 recorded bearers to 2,836. That is a decrease of 95 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,871 to #10,747.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccree?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccree, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.0%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mccree in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (2,014 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccree appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.0%), White (19.3%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Mccree (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 Mccree mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the hollow crossing" in Gaelic. 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 Mccree (0.95 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 Mccree?
Want to know how many people are called Mccree? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.