2000
#44,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Mcelhone
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic phrase "Mac Ill'Eathain" meaning "son of the Hutcheson".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 549 Americans carry the last name Mcelhone. That puts it at #47,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 624,325 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelhone 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 Mcelhone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
549
1 in 624,325
Census rank
#47,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
479
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 479 bearers of the surname Mcelhone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhone, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcelhone
The surname McElhone has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the Middle Ages around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Elchyn" or "Elchine," which may have roots in the word "ealchainn," meaning "swan" or "elk."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 14th century in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where a person named "Ade Makclechin" is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originally been spelled as "MacClechin" or a similar variation.
The McElhone surname is particularly associated with the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire in western Scotland, where it is believed to have originated. It is possible that the name was connected to a specific location or land holding, as was common with many Scottish surnames.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was John McElhone, who was a prominent merchant and burgess of Glasgow in the mid-1500s. Records from this time period also show variations in spelling, such as "McIlhone" and "McYlhone."
During the 17th century, the surname appears in various historical documents, including parish records and court proceedings. One notable individual from this era was Robert McElhone, a Presbyterian minister born in Ayrshire around 1620, who was involved in the religious conflicts of the time.
In the 18th century, the McElhone surname continued to be found in Scottish records, particularly in the counties of Ayr and Lanark. One individual of note was James McElhone, born in 1745, who served as a soldier in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
As the centuries progressed, the McElhone surname spread beyond Scotland, with some bearers immigrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to various corners of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
While not an exhaustive list, some other notable individuals with the McElhone surname throughout history include: William McElhone (1819-1889), a Scottish-born Australian politician; John McElhone (1836-1916), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist; and Thomas McElhone (1871-1945), a Scottish-born Canadian politician and lawyer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelhone
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhone, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcelhone 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 Mcelhone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 455
- Two or more races3.1% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelhone
Mcelhone 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
#45,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+15 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 999 places
2020
#47,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 479
+11 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 2,036 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,654 | 453 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,653 | 468 | 0.16 | +15 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 999 places |
| 2020 | #47,689 | 479 | 0.16 | +11 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 2,036 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 Mcelhone 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 | #45,653 | #47,689 | -4.5% |
| Count | 468 | 479 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelhone bearers went from 468 to 479 (+2.4% change). The surname moved down 2,036 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,653 to #47,689.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcelhone
FAQ
Mcelhone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelhone?
Name Census estimates that about 549 living Americans carry the surname Mcelhone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 624,325 residents.
How common is Mcelhone?
Mcelhone ranks #47,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 479 people with the surname Mcelhone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mcelhone.
Has Mcelhone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelhone went from 468 recorded bearers to 479. That is an increase of 11 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,653 to #47,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelhone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelhone, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Mcelhone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (455 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelhone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Mcelhone (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 Mcelhone mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic phrase "Mac Ill'Eathain" meaning "son of the Hutcheson". 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 Mcelhone (0.16 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 common is the surname Mcelhone?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mcelhone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.