2000
#26,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Very Rare Last name
Mcmartin
An Irish surname meaning son of Martin, derived from Mac Mártain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 915 Americans carry the last name Mcmartin. That puts it at #31,148 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 374,595 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmartin 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 Mcmartin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
915
1 in 374,595
Census rank
#31,148
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
798
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 798 bearers of the surname Mcmartin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31148th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmartin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmartin
The surname McMARTIN is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic Mac Mhartainn, meaning "son of Martin." The name originated in the Scottish Highlands and can be traced back to the 12th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the name McMARTIN appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. One such individual was Gillecrist McMARTIN, who hailed from the region of Argyll.
During the 14th century, the McMARTIN clan was prominent in the Highlands, particularly in the areas of Lochaber and Badenoch. The name is closely associated with the town of Moy, located in the parish of Laggan, Inverness-shire, where the McMARTINs were once landowners.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the McMARTIN surname was Sir Duncan McMARTIN (c. 1530-1593), a Scottish soldier and courtier who served under Mary, Queen of Scots. He was appointed Captain of the Guard and played a crucial role in the Chaseabout Raid of 1565.
Another prominent individual was Alexander McMARTIN (1668-1748), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Ulster, Ireland. He is credited with founding the town of Portadown and played a significant role in the Irish linen trade.
The McMARTIN surname has also been recorded in various forms, such as McMartin, MacMartin, and MacMartine, reflecting the diverse spellings and dialects of Scottish Gaelic.
Other notable individuals with the McMARTIN surname include:
1. John McMARTIN (1805-1868), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician in Ontario.
2. Sir Walter McMARTIN (1866-1931), a Scottish lawyer and Liberal politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland.
3. Barbara McMARTIN (1901-1984), an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre and vaudeville.
4. James McMARTIN (1928-2008), a Scottish-born American philosopher and academic who specialized in the philosophy of religion.
5. Gordon McMARTIN (born 1941), a Canadian novelist, playwright, and journalist from Saskatchewan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmartin
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmartin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmartin 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 Mcmartin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 771
- Two or more races1.5% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 9
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmartin
Mcmartin 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
#27,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 861
-22 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 1,791 places
2020
#31,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 798
-63 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 3,279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,078 | 883 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,869 | 861 | 0.29 | -22 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 1,791 places |
| 2020 | #31,148 | 798 | 0.27 | -63 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 3,279 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 Mcmartin 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 | #27,869 | #31,148 | -11.8% |
| Count | 861 | 798 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.27 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmartin bearers went from 861 to 798 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 3,279 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,869 to #31,148.
FAQ
Mcmartin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmartin?
Name Census estimates that about 915 living Americans carry the surname Mcmartin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 374,595 residents.
How common is Mcmartin?
Mcmartin ranks #31,148 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 798 people with the surname Mcmartin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (915), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Mcmartin.
Has Mcmartin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmartin went from 861 recorded bearers to 798. That is a decrease of 63 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,869 to #31,148.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmartin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmartin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Mcmartin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmartin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (1.5%), Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Mcmartin (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 Mcmartin mean?
An Irish surname meaning son of Martin, derived from Mac Mártain. 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 Mcmartin (0.27 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 Mcmartin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Mcmartin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.