2000
#1,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.38
Uncommon Last name
Mcrae
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Raith," meaning "son of grace" or "son of prosperity."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,048 Americans carry the last name Mcrae. That puts it at #2,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcrae 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 Mcrae with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,097
Census rank
#2,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,483 bearers of the surname Mcrae in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcrae, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.6%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcrae
The surname McRae is of Scottish origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is a clan name derived from the Gaelic Mac Rath, which means "son of grace" or "son of fortune." The name has several variations in spelling, including MacRae, MacRae, and MacCrae.
The McRae clan was historically associated with the regions of Kintail and Lochalsh in the Scottish Highlands. They were a prominent clan in the area and played a significant role in the clan wars and conflicts of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1263, where a person named Gillecrist MacRath is mentioned. The name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
In the 16th century, the McRae clan was involved in the Battle of Lochcarron, where they fought against the Clan Mackenzie. During this period, the chief of the clan was Christopher McRae, who lived from around 1550 to 1625.
Another notable figure with the surname McRae was John McRae (1715-1795), a Scottish poet and songwriter who is best known for his work "The Haughs of Cromdale." His songs were popular in Scotland and celebrated the clan's history and traditions.
In the 19th century, Duncan McRae (1796-1881) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. He was also a prominent businessman and agriculturalist.
The name McRae is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Kintail and Lochcarron, where the clan had a strong presence. The village of Shieldaig in the Highlands was once known as Baile na Rath, which translates to "township of the McRaes."
Other notable individuals with the surname McRae include John McCrae (1872-1918), a Canadian poet and physician who wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields," and Reverend Donald McRae (1875-1952), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcrae
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcrae, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.6%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcrae 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 Mcrae surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.6% · 9,016
- Black or African American39.4% · 6,886
- Two or more races4.4% · 773
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 645
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcrae
Mcrae 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
#1,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,156
+953 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 6.16
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#2,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,483
-673 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 5.85
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,920 | 17,203 | 6.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,987 | 18,156 | 6.16 | +953 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #2,021 | 17,483 | 5.85 | -673 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 34 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 Mcrae 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 | #1,987 | #2,021 | -1.7% |
| Count | 18,156 | 17,483 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.16 | 5.85 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcrae bearers went from 18,156 to 17,483 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,987 to #2,021.
FAQ
Mcrae surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcrae?
Name Census estimates that about 20,048 living Americans carry the surname Mcrae. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,097 residents.
How common is Mcrae?
Mcrae ranks #2,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,483 people with the surname Mcrae. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,048), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mcrae.
Has Mcrae become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcrae went from 18,156 recorded bearers to 17,483. That is a decrease of 673 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,987 to #2,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcrae?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcrae, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.6%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mcrae in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.6% (9,016 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcrae appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.6%), Black (39.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mcrae (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 Mcrae mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Raith," meaning "son of grace" or "son of prosperity." 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 Mcrae (5.85 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 Mcrae?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.