NameCensus.

UK surname

Macartney

Son of a person who worked as an armourer or who made artistic metalwork.

In the 1881 census there were 196 people recorded with the Macartney surname, ranking it #13,006 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 440, ranked #10,992, up from #13,006 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Toxteth Park and Birstall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Test Valley, South Kesteven and New Town West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macartney is 470 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 124.5%.

1881 census count

196

Ranked #13,006

Modern count

440

2016, ranked #10,992

Peak year

1999

470 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macartney had 196 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,006 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 440 in 2016, ranked #10,992.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 343 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Macartney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Macartney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macartney 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 130 #14,314
1861 historical 130 #17,164
1881 historical 196 #13,006
1891 historical 290 #11,409
1901 historical 343 #10,583
1911 historical 302 #11,394
1997 modern 428 #10,451
1998 modern 456 #10,295
1999 modern 470 #10,120
2000 modern 452 #10,394
2001 modern 448 #10,274
2002 modern 459 #10,264
2003 modern 452 #10,258
2004 modern 451 #10,301
2005 modern 455 #10,126
2006 modern 436 #10,506
2007 modern 436 #10,597
2008 modern 436 #10,710
2009 modern 456 #10,558
2010 modern 452 #10,880
2011 modern 439 #10,995
2012 modern 449 #10,675
2013 modern 457 #10,705
2014 modern 453 #10,830
2015 modern 439 #11,035
2016 modern 440 #10,992

Geography

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Where Macartneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Toxteth Park, Birstall and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Test Valley, South Kesteven, New Town West, Thanet and Wyre Forest. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Test Valley 013 Test Valley
2 South Kesteven 015 South Kesteven
3 New Town West City of Edinburgh
4 Thanet 004 Thanet
5 Wyre Forest 006 Wyre Forest

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macartney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macartney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Macartney, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Macartney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Macartney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Macartney is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Macartney is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Macartney falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Macartney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Macartney

The surname MACARTNEY originated in Ireland, likely emerging in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Artáin, meaning "son of Artán." Artán was a personal name that may have been derived from the Old Irish word art, meaning "bear" or "stone."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MACARTNEY name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1335, the Annals mention a "John Makartain" who was involved in a conflict with the English.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MACARTNEY name was particularly prevalent in Counties Down and Antrim in Ulster, Northern Ireland. The name is associated with several notable individuals from this region, including Sir George MACARTNEY (1737-1806), a diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Caribbee Islands and later as the British ambassador to China.

Another notable bearer of the MACARTNEY name was George MACARTNEY (1812-1892), an Irish-born British soldier and colonial administrator. He served as the Governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa from 1854 to 1859 and later as the Governor of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1867 to 1872.

In the 19th century, the MACARTNEY name also gained prominence in the literary world with the writer and poet Sir William Edmund MACARTNEY (1853-1924). He was born in County Antrim and is best known for his lyrical poetry and his involvement in the Irish Literary Revival.

The MACARTNEY surname has also been associated with several places in Ireland, such as Macartney's Hill in County Antrim and Macartney's Bridge in County Down. These place names likely derived from individuals with the MACARTNEY surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.

While the MACARTNEY name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Britain, Australia, and North America, as a result of immigration and migration patterns.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Macartney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macartney 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 52 Macartneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.75x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 52 2.75x
Surrey 25 2.71x
Kent 23 3.56x
Dumfriesshire 16 38.28x
Hampshire 11 2.84x
Lanarkshire 10 1.63x
Lancashire 8 0.36x
Shropshire 6 3.67x
Warwickshire 6 1.26x
Midlothian 5 1.97x
Oxfordshire 5 4.28x
Suffolk 4 1.74x
Ayrshire 3 2.12x
Devon 3 0.76x
Somerset 3 0.99x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 7.30x
Leicestershire 2 0.95x
Yorkshire 2 0.11x
Angus 1 0.57x
Clackmannanshire 1 6.40x
Dorset 1 0.81x
Fife 1 0.89x
Gloucestershire 1 0.27x
Herefordshire 1 1.29x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.39x
Wiltshire 1 0.60x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 14 Macartneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.58x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 14 11.58x
Hillingdon 10 165.84x
Langholm 9 300.00x
Uxbridge 9 416.67x
St Pancras London 8 5.25x
Gretna 7 886.08x
Milton In Gravesend 6 61.98x
Bethnal Green London 5 6.08x
Cowley 5 136.99x
Lambeth 5 3.03x
Leamington Priors 5 42.59x
Worthen 5 287.36x
Wymering 5 781.25x
Barony 4 2.58x
Govan 4 2.64x
Greenwich 4 13.28x
Kensington London 4 3.80x
Sudbury St Peter 4 317.46x
Chelsea London 3 5.26x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 3 2.94x
Lewisham 3 8.71x
Loudoun 3 87.98x
Pendleton In Salford 3 11.22x
Penshurst 3 275.23x
Bexley 2 35.03x
Clerkenwell London 2 4.48x
Enderby 2 183.49x
Glasgow 2 1.84x
Godalming 2 34.48x
Gravesend 2 36.56x
Hulme 2 4.27x
Islington London 2 1.09x
Lyncombe Widcombe 2 25.09x
Manchester 2 1.98x
Poplar London 2 5.60x
Portsea 2 2.63x
Rerrick 2 170.94x
St George Hanover Square 2 6.00x
Westminster St John 2 8.68x
Aberdour 1 88.50x
Aldershot 1 7.70x
Allesley 1 158.73x
Basingstoke 1 22.42x
Battersea 1 1.44x
Bishops Nympton 1 133.33x
Brechin 1 14.51x
Calne 1 28.99x
Chartham 1 62.11x
Christchurch 1 11.89x
Clapham 1 4.23x
Clifton 1 5.33x
Dollar 1 61.73x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 1 99.01x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 19.01x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 20.04x
Gorton 1 4.74x
Great Torrington 1 44.84x
Hammersmith London 1 2.15x
Heston 1 15.92x
Kingsland 1 144.93x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 1 21.14x
Littleham 1 34.72x
Minster In Sheppey 1 9.35x
Minsterley 1 166.67x
Newington 1 1.43x
Ovenden 1 11.99x
Penge 1 8.27x
Rochester St Margaret 1 14.68x
Somerton 1 80.65x
South Stoneham 1 11.89x
St Marylebone London 1 0.99x
Standard Hill 1 163.93x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Emma 5
Caroline 4
Jane 4
Sarah 4
Annie 3
Elizabeth 3
Emily 3
Sophia 3
Clara 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Isabella 2
Maud 2
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Catharine 1
Catherine 1
Cecilla 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Janet 1
Jenny 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Kathleen 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Mable 1
Madaline 1
Maggie 1
Margaret 1
Margrate 1
Margueretta 1
Maria 1
Nancy 1
Nelly 1
Rhoda 1
Rosetta 1
Valetta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
Thomas 6
William 6
George 5
James 4
Henry 3
Sydney 3
Herbert 2
Hugh 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Allen 1
Amhurst 1
Arthur 1
Bruce 1
Carlisle 1
Chas 1
David 1
Donald 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Fanner 1
Halliday 1
Hammond 1
Horace 1
Isaac 1
Margaret 1
Merryer 1
Michael 1
Morris 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Sarah 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Macartney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macartney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 196 people were recorded with the Macartney surname. That placed it at #13,006 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macartney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 440 in 2016. That gives Macartney a modern rank of #10,992.

What does the Macartney surname mean?

Son of a person who worked as an armourer or who made artistic metalwork.

What does the Macartney map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Macartney 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.