2000
#913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,763
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.89
Uncommon Last name
Mcpherson
Son of a parson or parish priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 40,420 Americans carry the last name Mcpherson. That puts it at #979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,480 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcpherson 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 Mcpherson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,480
Census rank
#979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,248 bearers of the surname Mcpherson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcpherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcpherson
The surname McPherson has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "Mac a'Phearsain," meaning "son of the parson" or "son of the priest." This indicates that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely the offspring of members of the clergy.
The name first appeared in historical records around 1230, in the Ragman Rolls, a series of parchment rolls that recorded acts of homage to King Edward I of England. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Donald MacPerson, who swore fealty to the English king in 1296.
By the 14th century, the name had spread throughout various regions of Scotland, including Inverness-shire, Perthshire, and Argyllshire. Variations in spelling began to emerge, such as McPharson, McPhirson, and McFerson, reflecting regional dialects and the phonetic nature of surname formation.
One notable bearer of the McPherson name was Sir David McPherson, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another prominent individual was John McPherson, a 16th-century Scottish bishop who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the McPherson surname became associated with the Clan McPherson, a Highland Scottish clan centered in the Badenoch region of Inverness-shire. The clan was known for their involvement in the Jacobite uprisings, supporting the Stuart claim to the British throne.
As the Scottish diaspora spread worldwide, the McPherson surname was carried to various corners of the globe. One notable figure was James McPherson, a Scottish-American writer and poet born in 1736, who became known as the "Poet of the American Revolution" for his works celebrating the American cause during the Revolutionary War.
Another prominent bearer of the name was James Birdseye McPherson, an American Civil War general born in 1828. He served in the Union Army and was killed in action during the Battle of Atlanta in 1864.
In the 19th century, the McPherson surname also gained recognition in the field of literature with the Scottish author James McPherson, born in 1810, who wrote several notable works, including "A History of the Working Classes in Scotland."
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds of individuals bearing the surname McPherson, a name that has left an indelible mark across various regions and disciplines throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcpherson
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcpherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcpherson 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 Mcpherson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.5% · 24,864
- Black or African American20.2% · 7,118
- Two or more races4.7% · 1,669
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 242
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 176
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcpherson
Mcpherson 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
#965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,125
+1,362 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 12.25
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,248
-877 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 11.79
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #913 | 34,763 | 12.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #965 | 36,125 | 12.25 | +1,362 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #979 | 35,248 | 11.79 | -877 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 14 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 Mcpherson 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 | #965 | #979 | -1.5% |
| Count | 36,125 | 35,248 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 12.25 | 11.79 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcpherson bearers went from 36,125 to 35,248 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #965 to #979.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcpherson
FAQ
Mcpherson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcpherson?
Name Census estimates that about 40,420 living Americans carry the surname Mcpherson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,480 residents.
How common is Mcpherson?
Mcpherson ranks #979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,248 people with the surname Mcpherson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (40,420), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Mcpherson.
Has Mcpherson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcpherson went from 36,125 recorded bearers to 35,248. That is a decrease of 877 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #965 to #979.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcpherson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcpherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mcpherson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.5% (24,864 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcpherson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.5%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mcpherson (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 Mcpherson mean?
Son of a parson or parish priest. 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 Mcpherson (11.79 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 last name Mcpherson?
You can see how many people are called Mcpherson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.