How common is the surname McBain?

1,226 people in the United States had the surname McBain in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 251,832 Americans. It ranked 21,360th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname McBain?

In the 2010 Census, 89% of people named McBain identified as white (not Hispanic), and 4.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named McBain?

Diane McBain, American actress (1941–2022), followed by Jamie McBain.

Where is the surname McBain most common?

Wikidata records people named McBain in the United States.

Is the surname McBain getting more or less common?

Less common. 1,399 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,226 in 2010, down 12%.

The surname McBain

A Scottish Gaelic patronymic surname, carried by 1,226 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex M215

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McBain is more common than 86.8% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac a' Ghille Bhàin (“son of the pale or white-haired man”).

McBain is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 1,226 people named McBain in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 251,832 Americans. That is down 12% since 2000, when the Census counted 1,399.

#21,360

rank among US surnames

1,226

people in 2010

0.4

per 100,000 Americans

-12.4%

change since 2000 (was #18,288)

Who is named McBain

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

89% of people named McBain identified as white (not Hispanic), 4.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 4.2% as Black (not Hispanic).

White (not Hispanic) 89%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.4%
Black (not Hispanic) 4.2%
Two or more races 1.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McBains

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Diane McBain
American actress (1941–2022)
Jamie McBain
American ice hockey player, born 1988
Evan Hunter
American author and screenwriter (1926-2005)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Mebane

Surnames that sound like McBain

McBain has the Soundex code M215, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M215.

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname McBain come from?: Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac a' Ghille Bhàin (“son of the pale or white-haired man”).
How common is the surname McBain?: 1,226 people in the United States had the surname McBain in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 251,832 Americans. It ranked 21,360th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McBain?: In the 2010 Census, 89% of people named McBain identified as white (not Hispanic), and 4.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named McBain?: Diane McBain, American actress (1941–2022), followed by Jamie McBain.
Where is the surname McBain most common?: Wikidata records people named McBain in the United States.
What type of surname is McBain?: McBain is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname McBain getting more or less common?: Less common. 1,399 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,226 in 2010, down 12%.
What are other spellings of McBain?: Mebane.