NameCensus.

UK surname

Mach

A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who made containers or troughs.

In the 1881 census there were 33 people recorded with the Mach surname, ranking it #28,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 253, ranked #16,671, up from #28,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edinburgh, Manchester and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Solihull, Isle of Anglesey and Southwark.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mach is 257 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 666.7%.

1881 census count

33

Ranked #28,965

Modern count

253

2016, ranked #16,671

Peak year

2014

257 bearers

Map years

4

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mach had 33 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 253 in 2016, ranked #16,671.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 138 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Mach surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mach surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mach 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 49 #24,448
1861 historical 138 #16,365
1881 historical 33 #28,965
1891 historical 77 #27,169
1901 historical 56 #27,952
1911 historical 40 #28,913
1997 modern 97 #27,342
1998 modern 103 #27,141
1999 modern 102 #27,468
2000 modern 93 #28,701
2001 modern 96 #27,976
2002 modern 115 #25,749
2003 modern 122 #24,628
2004 modern 143 #22,471
2005 modern 155 #21,318
2006 modern 167 #20,447
2007 modern 174 #20,166
2008 modern 188 #19,387
2009 modern 189 #19,727
2010 modern 220 #18,265
2011 modern 241 #17,057
2012 modern 248 #16,618
2013 modern 241 #17,202
2014 modern 257 #16,598
2015 modern 256 #16,524
2016 modern 253 #16,671

Geography

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Where Machs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edinburgh, Manchester, Portsmouth, Portsea, Baconsthorpe and Kenwyn, Tregavethan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Solihull, Isle of Anglesey, Southwark, Lambeth and Derby. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
4 Baconsthorpe Norfolk
5 Kenwyn, Tregavethan Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Solihull 001 Solihull
2 Isle of Anglesey 004 Isle of Anglesey
3 Southwark 027 Southwark
4 Lambeth 018 Lambeth
5 Derby 028 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mach

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mach

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Mach surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Mach household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mach 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

Mach 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

Mach 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 Mach 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 - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Mach

The surname Mach is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "maht," which means "power" or "might." This name is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in various parts of Germany.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mach can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also mentioned in the Mühlhäuser Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical records from the city of Mühlhausen, in the present-day state of Thuringia, Germany.

The name Mach has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest and most famous bearers of this surname was Ernst Mach, an Austrian physicist and philosopher born in 1838 and died in 1916. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of supersonic motion and the psychological representation of sensory experiences.

Another prominent figure with the surname Mach was David Mach, a Scottish sculptor and artist born in 1956. He is best known for his large-scale public installations and sculptures made from various found objects and materials.

In the literary world, the German writer and journalist Gustav Mach, born in 1835 and died in 1920, gained recognition for his works on social and political issues in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The name Mach has also been linked to various place names in Germany. For instance, the town of Machern in Saxony and the village of Machendorf in Lower Saxony are both derived from the surname Mach.

Over the centuries, the name Mach has undergone various spellings, including Mache, Mache, and Machener, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes. However, the core meaning of the name, associated with power and might, has remained consistent throughout its history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mach families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mach 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. Norfolk leads with 6 Machs recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.13x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 6 12.13x
Surrey 6 3.83x
Staffordshire 5 4.61x
Durham 3 3.14x
Lanarkshire 3 2.88x
Derbyshire 2 3.97x
Glamorgan 2 3.57x
Middlesex 2 0.62x
Lancashire 1 0.26x
Leicestershire 1 2.80x
Sussex 1 1.84x
Warwickshire 1 1.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Drayton in Norfolk leads with 6 Machs recorded in 1881 and an index of 12000.00x.

Place Total Index
Drayton 6 12000.00x
Lambeth 6 21.39x
Wednesbury 4 147.60x
Old Monkland 3 72.64x
Stranton 3 93.17x
Hope 2 5000.00x
Llansamlet Higher 2 476.19x
Aston 1 4.48x
Burslem 1 32.15x
Clerkenwell London 1 13.18x
Eastbourne 1 40.00x
Liverpool 1 4.31x
Market Harborough 1 625.00x
Westminster St John 1 25.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
M. 3
Mary 3
Eliza 2
Margaret 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Catherine 1
Cordelea 1
F. 1
Hannah 1
Margrt 1
Maria 1
N. 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Robert 2
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Daniel 1
G. 1
Joseph 1
Michael 1
T. 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mach households.

FAQ

Mach surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mach surname in 1881?

In 1881, 33 people were recorded with the Mach surname. That placed it at #28,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mach surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 253 in 2016. That gives Mach a modern rank of #16,671.

What does the Mach surname mean?

A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who made containers or troughs.

What does the Mach map show?

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