NameCensus.

UK surname

Macer

A surname derived from Latin meaning "thin" or "lean".

In the 1881 census there were 263 people recorded with the Macer surname, ranking it #10,692 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 210, ranked #18,965, down from #10,692 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cheshunt St Mary, Sidbury and Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rushcliffe, Fenland and Stroud.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macer is 458 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 20.2%.

1881 census count

263

Ranked #10,692

Modern count

210

2016, ranked #18,965

Peak year

1911

458 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macer had 263 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,692 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 210 in 2016, ranked #18,965.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 458 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Macer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Macer surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macer 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 180 #11,300
1861 historical 221 #11,031
1881 historical 263 #10,692
1891 historical 329 #10,320
1901 historical 347 #10,500
1911 historical 458 #8,376
1997 modern 223 #16,448
1998 modern 244 #15,947
1999 modern 243 #16,094
2000 modern 240 #16,186
2001 modern 235 #16,147
2002 modern 231 #16,677
2003 modern 224 #16,859
2004 modern 226 #16,829
2005 modern 222 #16,983
2006 modern 214 #17,507
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 213 #17,903
2009 modern 228 #17,486
2010 modern 231 #17,711
2011 modern 219 #18,145
2012 modern 215 #18,304
2013 modern 211 #18,872
2014 modern 212 #18,945
2015 modern 212 #18,842
2016 modern 210 #18,965

Geography

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Where Macers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cheshunt St Mary, Sidbury, Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth, London parishes and Enfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rushcliffe, Fenland, Stroud, Welwyn Hatfield and East Cambridgeshire. 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 Cheshunt St Mary Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Sidbury Devon
3 Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth Cambridgeshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rushcliffe 012 Rushcliffe
2 Fenland 011 Fenland
3 Stroud 006 Stroud
4 Welwyn Hatfield 004 Welwyn Hatfield
5 East Cambridgeshire 006 East Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macer

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Macer, 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 Macer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Macer 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, Macer 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

Macer is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Macer falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Macer 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 Macer, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Macer

The surname MACER originated from the Scottish Borders region along the English/Scottish border in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "macer" which referred to a mace-bearer or sergeant-at-arms. This suggests the original bearers of the name held positions of authority or service in noble households or local government.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname dates back to the early 13th century in the county of Roxburghshire, located in the Scottish Borders region. A man named Richard Macer is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England following his invasion of Scotland.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various medieval manuscripts and records from the Scottish Borders area. A certain Johannes Macer is noted as a witness to a charter granted by Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, in 1326. Around this time, the spelling variations included Macere, Maceir, and Masere.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir Thomas Macer (c.1370-1450), a Scottish knight who fought in the Battle of Homildon Hill in 1402 during the Anglo-Scottish Wars. He later served as Sheriff of Roxburghshire in the 1430s.

The MACER name is also associated with certain place names in the Scottish Borders region, such as Macer's Croft near Jedburgh, which likely took its name from a local landowner or tenant bearing the surname in the medieval era.

Another notable figure was John Macer (1605-1679), a Scottish writer and poet from East Lothian who published works in Latin and Greek. His poem "Hecatombe Christiana" was printed in 1642 and dedicated to King Charles I.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Macer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macer 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 64 Macers recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.39x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 64 39.39x
Hertfordshire 47 26.58x
Middlesex 37 1.44x
Devon 36 6.74x
Huntingdonshire 15 29.45x
Surrey 9 0.72x
Essex 8 1.58x
Lancashire 6 0.20x
Yorkshire 6 0.24x
Dorset 5 2.97x
Staffordshire 5 0.58x
Warwickshire 5 0.77x
Monmouthshire 4 2.16x
Gloucestershire 3 0.60x
Kent 3 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.87x
Oxfordshire 2 1.26x
Somerset 2 0.48x
Derbyshire 1 0.25x
Glamorgan 1 0.22x
Lincolnshire 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ely Holy Trinity St Mary in Cambridgeshire leads with 17 Macers recorded in 1881 and an index of 239.77x.

Place Total Index
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 17 239.77x
Wormley 16 2461.54x
Coveney 15 3488.37x
Cheshunt 13 210.36x
Broxbourne 12 342.86x
Sidbury 12 1052.63x
Sidmouth 12 392.16x
Enfield 11 65.36x
Axminster 10 400.00x
Bourn 9 1267.61x
Chatteris 9 216.87x
Islington London 9 3.62x
Manea 7 686.27x
Camberwell 6 3.66x
Hunsdon 6 1304.35x
Morley 6 45.39x
Little Ilford 5 568.18x
Loders 5 595.24x
Sutton Coldfield 5 73.53x
Warboys 5 340.14x
Wistow 5 1428.57x
Wolverhampton 5 7.51x
Woodwalton 5 2000.00x
Liverpool 4 2.16x
Tottenham 4 9.79x
Usk 4 259.74x
Chelsea London 3 3.88x
Mile End Old Town 3 7.41x
Scaftworth 3 3333.33x
West Ham 3 2.68x
Witcham 3 882.35x
Branscombe 2 273.97x
Cheltenham 2 5.15x
E Adderbury 2 250.00x
Lambeth 2 0.89x
Soham 2 57.14x
Todmorden Walsden 2 24.54x
Aberdare 1 3.26x
Alfreton 1 8.20x
Bethnal Green London 1 0.90x
Deptford St Paul 1 1.48x
Farnborough 1 78.13x
Great Grimsby 1 3.84x
Hampstead London 1 2.50x
Kensington London 1 0.70x
Lewisham 1 2.14x
Shoreditch London 1 0.90x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 1.94x
St George Hanover 1 2.99x
St Giles In Fields 1 11.30x
Stoke Newington London 1 5.01x
Stretham 1 86.21x
Walcot 1 4.55x
Westbury On Trym 1 5.87x
Weston Super Mare 1 9.59x
Wisbech St Peter 1 12.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Sarah 15
Elizabeth 9
Ellen 6
Eliza 5
Hannah 5
Annie 4
Emily 4
Emma 4
Susan 4
Jane 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Drusilla 2
Edith 2
Elizh. 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Rose 2
Carry 1
Clara 1
Elise 1
Eliz. 1
Elizbth. 1
Evelyn 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Honour 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Joanna 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Laurie 1
Lizzie 1
Lydia 1
Mahalah 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Mealar 1
Naomi 1
Rhoda 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Macer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 263 people were recorded with the Macer surname. That placed it at #10,692 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 210 in 2016. That gives Macer a modern rank of #18,965.

What does the Macer surname mean?

A surname derived from Latin meaning "thin" or "lean".

What does the Macer map show?

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