# McNiven (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mcniven/  
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) | 346 |
| US rank (2010) | 58,604 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 892,328 people |
| Change since 2000 | +14% (303 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Naoimhín (“son of Naoimhín”), a diminutive of naomh (“saint”); compare McNevin, which derives from the Irish variant of this surname.

## Who carries it

Share of people named McNiven 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) | 96% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named McNiven in the United States.

## People named McNiven

- Julie McNiven, American actress

## Similar surnames

McNevin, McNiff, McNabb, McCombs, McComb, Macomber, McConville, McCumber, McNab, Massenburg, McCampbell.

## 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.