2000
#777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.00
Uncommon Last name
Mcintosh
A Scottish surname referring to someone from Taynuilt, a village in Argyll, meaning "son of the chief."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,985 Americans carry the last name Mcintosh. That puts it at #825 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcintosh 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 Mcintosh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,295
Census rank
#825
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,973 bearers of the surname Mcintosh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 825th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcintosh, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcintosh
The surname McIntosh originates from Scotland and is of Scottish Gaelic origin. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac an toisich," which translate to "son of the chief" or "son of the leader." The name can be traced back to the 12th century and is associated with the Clan Mackintosh, a prominent Highland Scottish clan.
The Clan Mackintosh was historically centered in the region of Badenoch and Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands. The chief of the clan was known as the "Toisich," which means "leader" or "chief" in Gaelic. The name is believed to have originated from a specific individual who held this position within the clan.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the "Chartulary of Moray," a collection of historical documents dating back to the 13th century. The name appears as "MacIntosich" in these records.
In the 14th century, the Mackintosh clan played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence, fighting alongside Robert the Bruce against the English. During this time, the chief of the clan was Angus Mackintosh, who was renowned for his bravery and leadership.
Another notable figure with the surname McIntosh was Sir John Mackintosh, who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent Scottish politician and served as the Lord Privy Seal of Scotland during the reign of King James VI.
In the 17th century, William Mackintosh was a Scottish writer and historian who published works on the history of the Mackintosh clan and the Scottish Highlands.
During the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century, the Mackintosh clan initially supported the House of Stuart but later switched allegiance to the Hanoverian monarchy. Lachlan Mackintosh, the chief of the clan at the time, played a crucial role in this decision.
In the 19th century, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was a renowned Scottish architect, designer, and watercolorist. He was a prominent figure in the Arts and Crafts movement and is considered one of the most influential architects and designers of his time.
Throughout its history, the surname McIntosh has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Mackintosh Island and Mackintosh Muir, reflecting the clan's territorial holdings and influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcintosh
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcintosh, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcintosh 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 Mcintosh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 27,097
- Black or African American23.8% · 9,749
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,974
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,426
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 436
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 291
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcintosh
Mcintosh 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
#819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,379
+1,926 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 14.37
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,973
-1,406 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 13.71
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #777 | 40,453 | 15.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #819 | 42,379 | 14.37 | +1,926 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #825 | 40,973 | 13.71 | -1,406 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6 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 Mcintosh 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 | #819 | #825 | -0.7% |
| Count | 42,379 | 40,973 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 14.37 | 13.71 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcintosh bearers went from 42,379 to 40,973 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #819 to #825.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcintosh
FAQ
Mcintosh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcintosh?
Name Census estimates that about 46,985 living Americans carry the surname Mcintosh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,295 residents.
How common is Mcintosh?
Mcintosh ranks #825 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,973 people with the surname Mcintosh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Mcintosh.
Has Mcintosh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcintosh went from 42,379 recorded bearers to 40,973. That is a decrease of 1,406 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #819 to #825.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcintosh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcintosh, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Mcintosh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (27,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcintosh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (23.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Mcintosh (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 Mcintosh mean?
A Scottish surname referring to someone from Taynuilt, a village in Argyll, meaning "son of the chief." 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 Mcintosh (13.71 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 common is the surname Mcintosh?
Want to know how many people are called Mcintosh? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.