# McDonald (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mcdonald/  
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 Scottish Gaelic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 180,497 |
| US rank (2010) | 143 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,711 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.5% (176,094 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /məkˈdɑnəld/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

A common spelling variant of MacDonald, from Scottish Gaelic Mac Dhòmhnaill, equivalent to "son of Donald".

## Who carries it

Share of people named McDonald 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) | 77% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 17% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named McDonald in the United States, Australia, Jamaica, Spain and the United Kingdom.

## People named McDonald

- Christopher McDonald, American actor
- Audra McDonald, American actress and singer (born 1970)
- Country Joe McDonald, American musician (1942–2026)
- Hugh McDonald, American bassist
- Michael McDonald, American singer and keyboardist
- Scott McDonald, Australian soccer player
- Michael McDonald, American stand-up comedian and actor
- Mackenzie McDonald, American tennis player (born 1995)
- Pat McDonald, American shot putter (1878–1954)
- Beverly McDonald, Athletics (sport) competitor
- Larry McDonald, American politician (1935-1983)
- Brandon McDonald, American Guamanian soccer player

and 34 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

MacDonald, McDaniel, McDonough, McDonnell, McDaniels, McDonagh, McDonell, McAdams, Mastin, Masten, McAdam, Maston.

## 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.