2000
#20,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Mcgeary
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Odhraigh or Mac Giorra, meaning son of the traveler or pilgrim.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,464 Americans carry the last name Mcgeary. That puts it at #20,933 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgeary 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 Mcgeary with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 234,122
Census rank
#20,933
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,277 bearers of the surname Mcgeary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20933rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgeary
The surname McGeary has its origins in Ireland, emerging in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic name Mac Geidheadh, which means "son of the plunderer." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been associated with raiding or plundering activities, either as participants or as those targeted by such actions.
The name is believed to have originated in the northern counties of Ireland, particularly in Ulster. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. These references date back to the 13th and 14th centuries, indicating the long-standing presence of the McGeary name in Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname McGeary was Brian McGeary, who was mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in the year 1277. Another notable figure was Eoghan McGeary, a chieftain from County Tyrone, who was involved in battles against the English forces during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603).
As the centuries progressed, the McGeary name spread across Ireland, with branches of the family establishing themselves in various regions. Some variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as McGarry, McGerry, and McGeery, reflecting the linguistic diversity and regional variations within Ireland.
In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Irish families, including the McGearys, were displaced from their ancestral lands. This led to the dispersion of the name across other parts of Ireland and, eventually, to other parts of the world through immigration.
Notable individuals with the surname McGeary include:
1. Seán McGeary (1909-1969), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Labour Party.
2. William McGeary (1828-1893), an Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.
3. Thomas McGeary (1813-1893), an Irish-American inventor and businessman who founded the McGeary Stove Company in Pennsylvania.
4. Patrick McGeary (1935-2018), an Irish hurler who played for the Antrim senior hurling team.
5. John McGeary (1902-1984), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McGeary Foundation in New York.
The history of the McGeary surname is deeply rooted in the cultural and historical fabric of Ireland, with its origins dating back to the medieval era. While the name has spread across the globe, its roots remain firmly tied to the Emerald Isle.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgeary
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgeary 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 Mcgeary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 1,127
- Black or African American4.5% · 58
- Two or more races3.5% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgeary
Mcgeary 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
#20,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,267
+44 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 582 places
2020
#20,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,277
+10 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,247 | 1,223 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,829 | 1,267 | 0.43 | +44 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 582 places |
| 2020 | #20,933 | 1,277 | 0.43 | +10 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 104 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 Mcgeary 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 | #20,829 | #20,933 | -0.5% |
| Count | 1,267 | 1,277 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.43 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgeary bearers went from 1,267 to 1,277 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,829 to #20,933.
FAQ
Mcgeary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgeary?
Name Census estimates that about 1,464 living Americans carry the surname Mcgeary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,122 residents.
How common is Mcgeary?
Mcgeary ranks #20,933 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,277 people with the surname Mcgeary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Mcgeary.
Has Mcgeary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgeary went from 1,267 recorded bearers to 1,277. That is an increase of 10 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,829 to #20,933.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgeary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) 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 Mcgeary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (1,127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgeary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (4.5%), 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 Mcgeary (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 Mcgeary mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Odhraigh or Mac Giorra, meaning son of the traveler or pilgrim. 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 Mcgeary (0.43 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 surname Mcgeary?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.