2000
#2,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,369
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Mchenry
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Éinrí," meaning "son of Henry."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,728 Americans carry the last name Mchenry. That puts it at #3,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mchenry 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 Mchenry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,929
Census rank
#3,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,099 bearers of the surname Mchenry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mchenry, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mchenry
The surname McHenry originates from Scotland and Ireland, with origins dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Endric, meaning "son of Hendry" or "son of Henry." The prefix "Mac" indicates a patronymic name, signifying the name was originally formed from the given name of an ancestor.
McHenry is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname MacHendry or MacHendrie. The name is found in early records from the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire in the western Lowlands of Scotland. It is also prevalent in parts of Ulster, particularly County Antrim, where Scottish settlers brought the name during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls recording those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Gillemichel McHendry" is listed among the nobles from the county of Ayr.
Another notable early reference is found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a 16th-century manuscript containing records of land charters and family histories from Perthshire. The book mentions a "John McHendry," a tenant farmer on the lands of the Campbell earls of Breadalbane.
A prominent figure bearing the name was Sir John McHenry (1592-1652), a Scottish military commander who served as Governor of Derry during the Irish Confederate Wars. He played a crucial role in defending the city against the besieging Irish Catholic forces during the Siege of Derry in 1649.
Another notable McHenry was James McHenry (1753-1816), an American politician and soldier. He served as a secretary to George Washington during the Revolutionary War and later became the third United States Secretary of War under President John Adams.
In the literary world, the Scottish writer William McHenry (1853-1932) gained recognition for his works depicting life in rural Scotland, including the novel "Thrawn Janet" and short story collection "The Hedger."
Robert McHenry (1923-2007) was an American editor and author best known for his role as the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopaedia Britannica from 1967 to 1997, overseeing a major overhaul and modernization of the prestigious reference work.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mchenry
Among Census respondents with the surname Mchenry, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mchenry 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 Mchenry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 8,221
- Black or African American16.4% · 1,825
- Two or more races4.5% · 497
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 368
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mchenry
Mchenry 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
#3,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,660
+291 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#3,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,099
-561 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.71
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,902 | 11,369 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,082 | 11,660 | 3.95 | +291 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #3,175 | 11,099 | 3.71 | -561 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 93 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 Mchenry 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 | #3,082 | #3,175 | -3.0% |
| Count | 11,660 | 11,099 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.71 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mchenry bearers went from 11,660 to 11,099 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,082 to #3,175.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mchenry
FAQ
Mchenry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mchenry?
Name Census estimates that about 12,728 living Americans carry the surname Mchenry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,929 residents.
How common is Mchenry?
Mchenry ranks #3,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,099 people with the surname Mchenry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Mchenry.
Has Mchenry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mchenry went from 11,660 recorded bearers to 11,099. That is a decrease of 561 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,082 to #3,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Mchenry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mchenry, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mchenry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (8,221 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mchenry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mchenry (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 Mchenry mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Éinrí," meaning "son of Henry." 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 Mchenry (3.71 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 Mchenry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.