2000
#2,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,768
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.85
Uncommon Last name
Mcnally
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Conghaile," derived from the Gaelic elements "con" (hound) and "gal" (valor).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,955 Americans carry the last name Mcnally. That puts it at #2,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcnally 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 Mcnally with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,090
Census rank
#2,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,658 bearers of the surname Mcnally in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnally, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcnally
The surname McNally originates from Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Nallaidh," which is a personal name meaning "bear" or "passionate." The name can be traced back to the 11th century in the province of Ulster, particularly in counties Armagh and Down.
The McNally clan was among the ancient Irish septs that were prominent in the region before the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. The name is believed to have been first recorded in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, around the year 1100.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Domnall McNally, who was mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in 1244 as a chieftain in County Armagh. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important source of Irish history, in the 14th century.
During the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century, many McNallys were dispossessed of their lands and dispersed throughout Ireland and beyond. Some settled in counties like Donegal, Mayo, and Sligo, while others emigrated to countries like Scotland and England.
Notable individuals with the surname McNally include:
1. Patrick McNally (1819-1892), an Irish-American Catholic priest and author who served as the Bishop of Clogher.
2. William Sampson McNally (1818-1889), an American publisher and map maker who founded the Rand McNally publishing company.
3. Vincent McNally (1768-1843), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who advocated for Catholic Emancipation.
4. John McNally (1904-1965), an Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer and politician who served as a Teachta Dála (Member of Parliament) in the Irish Free State and later Ireland.
5. Raymond T. McNally (1931-2022), an American physicist and atmospheric scientist who made significant contributions to the study of the Earth's atmosphere and climate.
The McNally surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McNally's Lough in County Down and McNally's Lane in County Armagh, further reflecting the historical presence of the clan in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcnally
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnally, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcnally 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 Mcnally surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 14,249
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 583
- Two or more races2.7% · 424
- Black or African American1.6% · 251
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcnally
Mcnally 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
#2,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,039
+271 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 5.44
Rank movement Down 157 places
2020
#2,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,658
-381 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 5.24
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,111 | 15,768 | 5.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,268 | 16,039 | 5.44 | +271 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 157 places |
| 2020 | #2,263 | 15,658 | 5.24 | -381 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 5 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 Mcnally 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 | #2,268 | #2,263 | 0.2% |
| Count | 16,039 | 15,658 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.44 | 5.24 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcnally bearers went from 16,039 to 15,658 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,268 to #2,263.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcnally
FAQ
Mcnally surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcnally?
Name Census estimates that about 17,955 living Americans carry the surname Mcnally. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,090 residents.
How common is Mcnally?
Mcnally ranks #2,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,658 people with the surname Mcnally. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Mcnally.
Has Mcnally become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcnally went from 16,039 recorded bearers to 15,658. That is a decrease of 381 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,268 to #2,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcnally?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcnally, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mcnally in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (14,249 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcnally appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mcnally (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 Mcnally mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Conghaile," derived from the Gaelic elements "con" (hound) and "gal" (valor). 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 Mcnally (5.24 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 Mcnally?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.