NameCensus.

UK surname

Macarthy

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name Mac Carthaigh meaning "son of Carthach".

In the 1881 census there were 270 people recorded with the Macarthy surname, ranking it #10,484 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 117, ranked #28,033, down from #10,484 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), St George in the East and St Mary Whitechapel. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Enfield, Uttlesford and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macarthy is 449 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 56.7%.

1881 census count

270

Ranked #10,484

Modern count

117

2016, ranked #28,033

Peak year

1861

449 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macarthy had 270 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,484 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 117 in 2016, ranked #28,033.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 449 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ethnically Diverse Young Families.

Macarthy surname distribution map

The map shows where the Macarthy surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Macarthy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macarthy over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 431 #5,681
1861 historical 449 #5,764
1881 historical 270 #10,484
1891 historical 178 #16,264
1901 historical 215 #14,478
1911 historical 132 #19,313
1997 modern 110 #25,529
1998 modern 112 #25,856
1999 modern 102 #27,468
2000 modern 113 #25,843
2001 modern 102 #27,093
2002 modern 110 #26,412
2003 modern 115 #25,538
2004 modern 107 #26,899
2005 modern 109 #26,583
2006 modern 106 #27,332
2007 modern 113 #26,641
2008 modern 118 #26,212
2009 modern 124 #25,957
2010 modern 122 #26,876
2011 modern 123 #26,512
2012 modern 119 #27,100
2013 modern 118 #27,686
2014 modern 121 #27,503
2015 modern 115 #28,319
2016 modern 117 #28,033

Geography

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Where Macarthys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), St George in the East, St Mary Whitechapel, London parishes and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Enfield, Uttlesford and Hammersmith and Fulham. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 St George in the East London (East Districts)
3 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Enfield 033 Enfield
2 Uttlesford 003 Uttlesford
3 Hammersmith and Fulham 006 Hammersmith and Fulham
4 Uttlesford 002 Uttlesford
5 Uttlesford 007 Uttlesford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macarthy

These lists show first names that appear often with the Macarthy surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macarthy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Macarthy, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Ethnically Diverse Young Families

Nationally, the Macarthy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ethnically Diverse Young Families, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Macarthy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many younger parents born overseas (particularly in Africa or EU countries) with children aged 0-4. Individuals identifying as of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities are also common. English may not be the primary language spoken. Accommodation consists principally of flats, and many properties are socially rented and/or overcrowded. Students are also present, unemployment is common, and other adults tend to work in low skilled jobs.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Macarthy is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Macarthy is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Macarthy falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Macarthy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Macarthy, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Macarthy

The surname MACARTHY is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name "MacCarthaigh" meaning "son of Carthach". Carthach was an Irish personal name meaning "loving" or "charitable". The surname is believed to have originated in the 10th century in County Kerry, Ireland.

The MACARTHY name is associated with the once powerful and influential MacCarthy Mor dynasty, who ruled parts of Munster, particularly the areas around Desmond, Muskerry, and Duhallow, from the 12th to the 17th centuries. The MacCarthys were one of the last great Gaelic Irish dynasties to resist the English conquest of Ireland.

In the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle, the name "Mac Carthaigh" is first mentioned in the year 1043. The earliest recorded examples of the MACARTHY spelling can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne from the late 12th century.

Some notable historical figures with the MACARTHY surname include Cormac MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry (c.1420-1494), who fought against the English during the War of the Roses. Donal MacCarthy Mor (1594-1629) was a renowned Irish military leader who fought against the English during the Nine Years' War and the Irish Confederate Wars.

Justin MacCarthy (1830-1912) was an Irish novelist, biographer, and historian. He authored several works, including the "History of Our Own Times" and a biography of Sir Robert Peel. Florence MacCarthy (1858-1935) was an Irish writer and poet who was part of the Irish Literary Revival.

Another notable bearer of the name was Charles Justin MacCarthy (1851-1920), an Irish-born British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Sierra Leone, the Gambia, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He played a significant role in the establishment of British rule in West Africa.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Macarthy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macarthy surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 77 Macarthys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.00x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 77 3.00x
Surrey 34 2.72x
Glamorgan 26 5.82x
Monmouthshire 24 12.94x
Kent 19 2.17x
Hertfordshire 9 5.09x
Lancashire 9 0.30x
Hampshire 7 1.33x
Nottinghamshire 7 2.02x
Northumberland 6 1.57x
Yorkshire 6 0.24x
Durham 5 0.66x
Sussex 5 1.16x
Gloucestershire 4 0.80x
Radnorshire 4 19.32x
Staffordshire 4 0.46x
Essex 3 0.59x
Lanarkshire 3 0.36x
Channel Islands 2 2.63x
Caithness 1 2.85x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.92x
Cornwall 1 0.34x
Devon 1 0.19x
Flintshire 1 1.45x
Lincolnshire 1 0.24x
Norfolk 1 0.25x
Royal Navy 1 3.27x
Warwickshire 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Southwark St George Martyr in Surrey leads with 13 Macarthys recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.18x.

Place Total Index
Southwark St George Martyr 13 25.18x
St Woollos 11 53.14x
Aberdare 10 32.62x
St George In East London 10 41.44x
Deptford St Nicholas 9 129.50x
Hatfield 9 251.40x
St Pancras London 9 4.36x
Croydon 7 10.09x
Keyworth 7 886.08x
St Giles In Fields London 7 55.64x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 6 65.01x
Elswick 6 19.70x
Greenwich 6 14.69x
Rotherhithe 6 18.93x
Southampton St Mary 6 18.15x
Islington London 5 2.01x
Mile End Old Town London 5 9.16x
Mywyddyslwyn 5 1111.11x
Neath Middle 5 2941.18x
Poplar London 5 10.33x
St Marylebone London 5 3.65x
Bishopwearmouth 4 6.11x
Limehouse London 4 14.20x
Liverpool 4 2.16x
Old Radnor 4 1052.63x
Trevethin 4 22.84x
Barony 3 1.43x
Cardiff St Mary 3 12.20x
Cheadle 3 72.12x
Fulham London 3 8.06x
Hammersmith London 3 4.75x
Hove 3 15.81x
Kemeys Commander 3 4285.71x
Kensington London 3 2.10x
Romford 3 37.50x
Westminster St John 3 9.60x
Woolwich 3 9.28x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.79x
Bristol Christchurch 2 273.97x
Camberwell 2 1.22x
Duncton 2 833.33x
Lambeth 2 0.89x
Merthyr Tydfil 2 4.66x
Oldham 2 2.04x
St Peter Port 2 14.22x
Toxteth Park 2 1.94x
Bristol St Augustine 1 12.32x
Chelsea London 1 1.29x
Christchurch 1 17.42x
Clee With Weelsby 1 11.14x
Clifton 1 3.93x
Ealing 1 4.36x
Edgbaston 1 4.99x
Everton 1 1.03x
Fowey 1 75.19x
Gateshead 1 1.75x
Holy Trinity Less London 1 153.85x
Holywell 1 11.55x
Llandaff 1 6.73x
Llanelly 1 4.11x
Llansannor 1 625.00x
Newington 1 1.06x
Pencoed 1 144.93x
Portsea 1 0.97x
Richmond 1 5.71x
Roath 1 4.93x
Royal Navy 1 3.83x
Shadwell London 1 13.93x
St Anne Soho London 1 6.83x
St Botolph Aldersgate 1 34.01x
St George Bloomsbury 1 6.79x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.21x
St Martin In Fields 1 6.51x
St Mary Church 1 1111.11x
St Paul Covent Garden 1 38.91x
St Stephen Coleman Street 1 111.11x
Streatham 1 5.25x
West Teignmouth 1 24.51x
Westminster St Margaret 1 8.08x
Wolverhampton 1 1.50x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Macarthy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 37
Margaret 14
Catherine 7
Ellen 7
Julia 7
Annie 6
Ann 5
Elizabeth 5
Johanna 5
Anna 3
Bridget 3
Ethel 3
Fanny 3
Frances 3
Jane 3
Alice 2
Amy 2
Anne 2
Catharine 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Louisa 2
Norah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Avio 1
Cecilia 1
Clara 1
Diana 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Emeline 1
Emily 1
Helen 1
Heptizibah 1
M.A. 1
Margret 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Rosetta 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Macarthy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 21
Charles 8
Daniel 6
Dennis 5
James 5
William 5
Michael 4
Patrick 4
Arthur 3
Cornelius 3
Edward 3
Owen 3
Timothy 3
Eugene 2
Florence 2
George 2
Joseph 2
Pat 2
Willm. 2
Anthony 1
Augustine 1
Bartholamew 1
Bernard 1
C.Innes 1
Cornelious 1
Dan 1
David 1
Denacy 1
Denas 1
Derry 1
E.J. 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Ellen 1
Flourance 1
Fred. 1
Frederick 1
Harvey 1
J. 1
Leonard 1
Lewis 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Thimothy 1

FAQ

Macarthy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macarthy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 270 people were recorded with the Macarthy surname. That placed it at #10,484 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macarthy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 117 in 2016. That gives Macarthy a modern rank of #28,033.

What does the Macarthy surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name Mac Carthaigh meaning "son of Carthach".

What does the Macarthy map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Macarthy bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.