NameCensus.

UK surname

Maccabe

A surname with Irish or Scottish Gaelic roots meaning "son of the abbot".

In the 1881 census there were 188 people recorded with the Maccabe surname, ranking it #13,379 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 170, ranked #21,801, down from #13,379 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Harrington, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Thurrock, Burnley and Kensington and Chelsea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maccabe is 271 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 9.6%.

1881 census count

188

Ranked #13,379

Modern count

170

2016, ranked #21,801

Peak year

1997

271 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maccabe had 188 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,379 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016, ranked #21,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 189 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Maccabe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maccabe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maccabe 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 29 #28,082
1861 historical 22 #31,140
1881 historical 188 #13,379
1891 historical 167 #17,006
1901 historical 189 #15,684
1911 historical 165 #16,808
1997 modern 271 #14,486
1998 modern 244 #15,947
1999 modern 204 #18,021
2000 modern 194 #18,554
2001 modern 185 #18,840
2002 modern 192 #18,767
2003 modern 188 #18,810
2004 modern 172 #20,008
2005 modern 167 #20,296
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 160 #21,296
2008 modern 163 #21,238
2009 modern 165 #21,552
2010 modern 161 #22,385
2011 modern 172 #21,248
2012 modern 165 #21,782
2013 modern 173 #21,486
2014 modern 171 #21,812
2015 modern 170 #21,800
2016 modern 170 #21,801

Geography

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Where Maccabes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Harrington, London parishes, Edinburgh, West Derby and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Thurrock, Burnley, Kensington and Chelsea, Trafford and Central Bedfordshire. 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 Harrington Cumberland
2 London parishes London 1
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Thurrock 012 Thurrock
2 Burnley 014 Burnley
3 Kensington and Chelsea 020 Kensington and Chelsea
4 Trafford 007 Trafford
5 Central Bedfordshire 015 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maccabe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maccabe

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Maccabe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Maccabe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Maccabe is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Maccabe 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

Maccabe falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Maccabe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Maccabe

The surname MacCabe originates from Ireland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Cathmhaoil," which means "son of the battle chief." This suggests that the name may have been borne by descendants of a notable military leader or warrior.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. These annals mention several individuals with the name MacCathmhaoil or variations thereof, such as MacCathmail and MacCawell, in the 13th and 14th centuries.

One notable figure with this surname was Sir Cormac MacCabe, a 16th-century Irish soldier and chieftain who fought against the English during the Nine Years' War in Ireland. He was born around 1570 and played a significant role in leading the resistance against the Tudor conquest of Ireland.

Another prominent individual with the MacCabe surname was James MacCabe, an Irish-American politician who served as the 19th Governor of Virginia from 1837 to 1840. He was born in 1798 in Dublin, Ireland, and later immigrated to the United States.

In Scotland, the name appears to have been anglicized as "McCabe," with some variations like "McKabe" or "McKeeby." One example is James McCabe, a Scottish journalist and author who lived from 1842 to 1911 and wrote several books on Irish history and culture.

The surname MacCabe is also found in some historical records from County Cavan in Ireland, where it is believed to have originated. For instance, the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of documents from the 16th century, mentions several individuals with the name MacCabe or MacCawell in connection with land grants and other legal matters in that region.

Throughout history, the MacCabe surname has been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballymaccabe (meaning "the town of the MacCabes") and Dromahair (derived from "Druim MacCawell," meaning "the ridge of the MacCawells").

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maccabe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maccabe 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. Lancashire leads with 50 Maccabes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.94x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 50 2.94x
Northumberland 24 11.25x
Middlesex 12 0.84x
Lanarkshire 10 2.16x
Cheshire 9 2.84x
Shropshire 7 5.65x
Staffordshire 7 1.45x
Yorkshire 7 0.49x
Gloucestershire 4 1.42x
Midlothian 4 2.08x
Surrey 4 0.57x
Cumberland 2 1.62x
Nottinghamshire 2 1.03x
Worcestershire 2 1.07x
Dunbartonshire 1 2.60x
Durham 1 0.23x
Kent 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Everton in Lancashire leads with 10 Maccabes recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.44x.

Place Total Index
Everton 10 18.44x
Morpeth 9 358.57x
Stockport 9 55.25x
Manchester 8 10.46x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 8 285.71x
West Derby 8 16.07x
Shrewsbury St Mary 7 143.15x
Walton On Hill 7 75.92x
West Bromwich 7 25.26x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 47.10x
Barony 5 4.26x
Govan 5 4.36x
Netherton 5 2631.58x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 15.11x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 5.18x
Kensington London 4 5.02x
Lambeth 4 3.20x
Great Bolton 3 13.31x
Leeds 3 3.74x
New Brentford 3 400.00x
Caldewgate 2 29.59x
Kings Norton 2 11.91x
Nottingham St Nicholas 2 76.05x
Oldham 2 3.64x
Paddington London 2 3.79x
Pendleton In Salford 2 9.87x
Ardwick 1 6.51x
Arrochar 1 400.00x
Beckenham 1 15.63x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 7.40x
Bradford 1 2.91x
Finchley 1 18.18x
Huddersfield 1 4.83x
Liverpool 1 0.97x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 9.04x
Rumworth 1 41.15x
St Marylebone London 1 1.31x
St Pancras London 1 0.87x
Stockton On Tees 1 4.86x
Turton 1 35.84x
York Minster Yard W 1 303.03x
York St Nicholas In 1 125.00x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
William 7
James 6
Edward 3
George 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Alexander 2
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
Michael 2
Thomas 2
Daniel 1
Frederic 1
Henry 1
Jeremiah 1
Joshua 1
Luke 1
Patrick 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Robt. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Maccabe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maccabe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 188 people were recorded with the Maccabe surname. That placed it at #13,379 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maccabe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016. That gives Maccabe a modern rank of #21,801.

What does the Maccabe surname mean?

A surname with Irish or Scottish Gaelic roots meaning "son of the abbot".

What does the Maccabe map show?

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