# McCarthy (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mccarthy/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 82,950 |
| US rank (2010) | 384 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,722 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.4% (81,035 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /məˈkɑɹ.θi/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Maccarthy, Macarthy, Carthy |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Mac Carthaigh (literally “son of Carthach”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named McCarthy in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.3% |

## Similar surnames

McGrath, McCarty, McCartney, McArthur, McCurdy, McCarter, McCready, McCourt, McCart, McGarity, McCardle, McCrady.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.