2000
#1,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,704
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.67
Uncommon Last name
Mcgraw
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the brave" or "son of the hero."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,444 Americans carry the last name Mcgraw. That puts it at #1,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,620 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgraw 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 Mcgraw with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,620
Census rank
#1,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,444 bearers of the surname Mcgraw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgraw, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgraw
The surname McGraw has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic surname 'Mag Raith,' which translates to 'son of prosperity' or 'son of grace.' This name was originally a personal name before becoming a hereditary surname.
The name McGraw is closely associated with County Donegal in Ulster, particularly in the areas around Raphoe and Innishowen. Some historians suggest that the name may have originated from the village of Raith, which is located near the town of Raphoe. In ancient Irish records, the name is often spelled as 'Mag Raith,' 'MacRath,' or 'MacGrath.'
One of the earliest known historical references to the McGraw surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1175, a man named Donnchadh Mag Raith is mentioned as the Lord of Innishowen, a peninsula in County Donegal.
In the 16th century, the McGraw family was prominent in the Raphoe area, with several members holding important positions in the Church. One notable figure was Patrick McGrath, who served as the Bishop of Raphoe from 1566 to 1572. Another prominent individual was Miler McGrath, who was the Archbishop of Cashel from 1573 to 1585.
During the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century, many McGraw families were displaced from their ancestral lands in Donegal. Some members of the clan settled in other parts of Ireland, while others emigrated to Scotland, England, and eventually to the American colonies.
One of the earliest recorded McGraws in America was John McGraw, who was born in County Donegal in 1679 and arrived in Pennsylvania in 1718. He is believed to be the progenitor of many McGraw families in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the McGraw surname include:
1. John McGraw (1873-1934), an American baseball player and manager who led the New York Giants to ten National League pennants and three World Series championships.
2. Thomas McGraw (1847-1920), an American businessman and co-founder of the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
3. Phillip McGraw (born 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, an American television personality, author, and former psychologist.
4. Tim McGraw (born 1967), an American country singer and actor who has released 16 studio albums and has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards.
5. Max McGraw (1899-1983), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McGraw Foundation, which supported various educational and medical initiatives.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgraw
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgraw, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgraw 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 Mcgraw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 16,303
- Black or African American11.7% · 2,388
- Two or more races3.8% · 779
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 777
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgraw
Mcgraw 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
#1,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,614
+910 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 7.33
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#1,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,444
-1,170 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 6.84
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,592 | 20,704 | 7.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,668 | 21,614 | 7.33 | +910 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #1,717 | 20,444 | 6.84 | -1,170 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 49 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 Mcgraw 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 | #1,668 | #1,717 | -2.9% |
| Count | 21,614 | 20,444 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.33 | 6.84 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgraw bearers went from 21,614 to 20,444 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,668 to #1,717.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcgraw
FAQ
Mcgraw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgraw?
Name Census estimates that about 23,444 living Americans carry the surname Mcgraw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,620 residents.
How common is Mcgraw?
Mcgraw ranks #1,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,444 people with the surname Mcgraw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,444), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Mcgraw.
Has Mcgraw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgraw went from 21,614 recorded bearers to 20,444. That is a decrease of 1,170 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,668 to #1,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgraw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgraw, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mcgraw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (16,303 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgraw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mcgraw (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 Mcgraw mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the brave" or "son of the hero." 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 Mcgraw (6.84 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 Mcgraw?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Mcgraw at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.