How common is the surname McDonald?

180,497 people in the United States had the surname McDonald in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,711 Americans. It ranked 143rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named McDonald?

Christopher McDonald, American actor, followed by Audra McDonald.

Where is the surname McDonald most common?

Wikidata records people named McDonald in the United States, Australia and Jamaica and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce McDonald?

McDonald is /məkˈdɑnəld/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname McDonald getting more or less common?

More common. 176,094 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 180,497 in 2010, up 2.5%.

The surname McDonald

A Scottish Gaelic patronymic surname, carried by 180,497 people in the United States.

Pronounced /məkˈdɑnəld/ 3 syllables Soundex M235

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McDonald is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

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

McDonald 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 180,497 people named McDonald in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,711 Americans. That is up 2.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 176,094.

#143

rank among US surnames

180,497

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.5%

change since 2000 (was #127)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#134	Aguilar	186,512	1,655
#135	Stevens	185,674	1,663
#136	Murray	184,910	1,670
#137	Ford	184,832	1,670
#138	Castro	184,134	1,677
#139	Marshall	183,922	1,679
#140	Owens	182,719	1,690

Who is named McDonald

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

77% of people named McDonald identified as white (not Hispanic), 17% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 77%
Black (not Hispanic) 17%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.7%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McDonalds

46 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Christopher McDonald
American actor, born 1955
Audra McDonald
American actress and singer (born 1970)
Country Joe McDonald
American musician (1942–2026)
Hugh McDonald
American bassist, born 1950
Michael McDonald
American singer and keyboardist, born 1952
Scott McDonald
Australian soccer player, born 1983
Michael McDonald
American stand-up comedian and actor, born 1964
Mackenzie McDonald
American tennis player (born 1995)
Pat McDonald
American shot putter (1878–1954)
Beverly McDonald
Athletics (sport) competitor, born 1970
Larry McDonald
American politician (1935-1983)
Brandon McDonald
American Guamanian soccer player, born 1980

Notable McDonalds come mostly from the United States (35), Australia (7) and Jamaica (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like McDonald

McDonald has the Soundex code M235, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M235.

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname McDonald come from?: A common spelling variant of MacDonald, from Scottish Gaelic Mac Dhòmhnaill, equivalent to "son of Donald".
How common is the surname McDonald?: 180,497 people in the United States had the surname McDonald in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,711 Americans. It ranked 143rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McDonald?: In the 2010 Census, 77% of people named McDonald identified as white (not Hispanic), and 17% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named McDonald?: Christopher McDonald, American actor, followed by Audra McDonald.
Where is the surname McDonald most common?: Wikidata records people named McDonald in the United States, Australia and Jamaica and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce McDonald?: McDonald is /məkˈdɑnəld/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is McDonald?: McDonald is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname McDonald getting more or less common?: More common. 176,094 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 180,497 in 2010, up 2.5%.