2000
#3,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,606
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.56
Uncommon Last name
Mcnabb
Son of the abbot, derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Aba."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,814 Americans carry the last name Mcnabb. That puts it at #3,667 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,695 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcnabb 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 Mcnabb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,695
Census rank
#3,667
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,430 bearers of the surname Mcnabb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3667th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnabb, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcnabb
The surname McNabb has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the early 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "nab" or "naib" meaning "simple" or "humble".
The name likely arose as a nickname for someone of a modest or unassuming nature. It was prevalent in the western regions of Scotland, particularly Argyll and Bute, where the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval charters and records.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Dougall McNab, who is mentioned in a charter from the Lord of the Isles in 1394. This charter granted lands in Argyll to Dougall and his descendants.
The name also appears in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, a collection of official records, with entries dating back to the 15th century. In 1476, a John McNab is recorded as receiving a grant of lands in Perthshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McNabbs were a prominent clan in the Scottish Highlands, with their clan seat located at Killin, near Loch Tay. They were known for their involvement in various conflicts and feuds with neighboring clans.
One notable figure from this time period was Finlay McNab, who was the chief of the clan in the late 16th century. He was renowned for his military prowess and played a role in the conflicts between the clans and the Scottish Crown.
In the 18th century, Robert McNab, born in 1718, was a Scottish explorer and fur trader who established trading posts in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to extensively explore and map the Columbia River.
Another prominent individual was Sir Duncan McNab, born in 1838, who served as a Canadian politician and military officer. He played a significant role in the development of the Canadian west and was instrumental in the establishment of the North-West Mounted Police, the precursor to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Francis McNab, born in 1809, was a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Canada West (now Ontario). He was also involved in the development of the Canadian railway system.
The McNabb surname has also been found in various spellings over the centuries, including McNab, MacNab, and McNaib, reflecting the phonetic variations in different regions of Scotland and North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcnabb
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnabb, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcnabb 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 Mcnabb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 8,067
- Black or African American6.2% · 584
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 342
- Two or more races3.4% · 320
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcnabb
Mcnabb 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
#3,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,935
+329 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.37
Rank movement Down 171 places
2020
#3,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,430
-505 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,412 | 9,606 | 3.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,583 | 9,935 | 3.37 | +329 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 171 places |
| 2020 | #3,667 | 9,430 | 3.15 | -505 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 84 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 Mcnabb 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 | #3,583 | #3,667 | -2.3% |
| Count | 9,935 | 9,430 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.37 | 3.15 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcnabb bearers went from 9,935 to 9,430 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,583 to #3,667.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcnabb
FAQ
Mcnabb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcnabb?
Name Census estimates that about 10,814 living Americans carry the surname Mcnabb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,695 residents.
How common is Mcnabb?
Mcnabb ranks #3,667 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,430 people with the surname Mcnabb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,814), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mcnabb.
Has Mcnabb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcnabb went from 9,935 recorded bearers to 9,430. That is a decrease of 505 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,583 to #3,667.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcnabb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnabb, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Mcnabb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (8,067 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcnabb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (6.2%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Mcnabb (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 Mcnabb mean?
Son of the abbot, derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Aba." 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 Mcnabb (3.15 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 Mcnabb?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mcnabb is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.