NameCensus.

UK surname

Mack

A shortened form of Irish and Scottish surnames beginning with "Mac," meaning "son of."

In the 1881 census there were 3,018 people recorded with the Mack surname, ranking it #1,488 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,843, ranked #1,764, down from #1,488 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ10, Brighton and Hove and IZ09.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mack is 3,843 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.3%.

1881 census count

3,018

Ranked #1,488

Modern count

3,843

2016, ranked #1,764

Peak year

2016

3,843 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mack had 3,018 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,488 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,843 in 2016, ranked #1,764.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,490 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Mack surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mack surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mack 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 1,776 #1,624
1861 historical 1,855 #1,562
1881 historical 3,018 #1,488
1891 historical 3,071 #1,532
1901 historical 3,490 #1,601
1911 historical 2,644 #1,945
1997 modern 3,386 #1,913
1998 modern 3,543 #1,903
1999 modern 3,567 #1,904
2000 modern 3,588 #1,893
2001 modern 3,497 #1,893
2002 modern 3,561 #1,906
2003 modern 3,393 #1,954
2004 modern 3,404 #1,946
2005 modern 3,374 #1,935
2006 modern 3,451 #1,890
2007 modern 3,512 #1,873
2008 modern 3,568 #1,857
2009 modern 3,715 #1,825
2010 modern 3,793 #1,836
2011 modern 3,728 #1,844
2012 modern 3,673 #1,836
2013 modern 3,747 #1,831
2014 modern 3,827 #1,801
2015 modern 3,817 #1,781
2016 modern 3,843 #1,764

Geography

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Where Macks are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to IZ10, Brighton and Hove, IZ09, North Norfolk and Alloa South and East. 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 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ10 East Lothian
2 Brighton and Hove 025 Brighton and Hove
3 IZ09 East Lothian
4 North Norfolk 006 North Norfolk
5 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mack

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mack

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mack, 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 Mack surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mack 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mack is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mack 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

Mack falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mack

The surname Mack originated in Scotland and is an Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name MacAoidh or MacAoidheachd, meaning "son of Aodh" or "son of Hugh". Aodh was a common personal name in medieval Scotland, derived from the Old Irish name Áed, meaning "fire" or "ardent".

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in various charters and documents from Scotland. One notable early bearer of the name was Gillebride Mac Aoidh, who was a witness to a charter granted by Willelmus, son of Earl Henry of Atholl, in the late 12th century.

The surname Mack appeared in various spellings throughout history, including MacAoidh, MacAidh, MacAth, and MacKay, before eventually settling on the modern Anglicized form of Mack. Many of these early variations were influenced by the different dialects and regional pronunciations of Scottish Gaelic.

The Mack surname was particularly prevalent in the northern and western regions of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands, where the Clan MacKay was based. The Clan MacKay was a powerful highland clan that traced its ancestry back to the 13th century.

One of the earliest documented references to the Mack surname can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century, which recorded payments made to individuals with the surname Mack or MacAoidh.

Notable historical figures with the surname Mack include:

1. Donald Mack (c. 1390-1450), a Scottish nobleman and chief of the Clan MacKay. 2. John Mack (1668-1714), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and author of several theological works. 3. William Mack (1787-1857), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. 4. Gwendolyn Mack (1878-1962), an American artist and sculptor known for her portraiture and monument works. 5. Connie Mack (1862-1956), an American baseball player and manager whose real name was Cornelius McGillicuddy, but who became known by his nickname Mack.

The Mack surname has a rich history rooted in medieval Scotland, with connections to prominent clans and individuals throughout the centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the personal name Aodh, reflecting the strong Celtic and Gaelic influences on Scottish naming traditions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mack families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mack 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 405 Macks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.38x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 405 1.38x
Lancashire 399 1.14x
Lanarkshire 222 2.34x
Norfolk 221 4.89x
Yorkshire 191 0.66x
Midlothian 150 3.81x
Northumberland 147 3.36x
Surrey 134 0.94x
Durham 92 1.05x
Hampshire 78 1.30x
East Lothian 77 19.79x
Renfrewshire 72 3.16x
Berwickshire 63 17.71x
Kent 63 0.63x
Warwickshire 57 0.77x
Staffordshire 50 0.50x
Fife 48 2.76x
Gloucestershire 41 0.71x
Essex 38 0.66x
Selkirkshire 38 14.30x
Ayrshire 37 1.68x
Cheshire 33 0.51x
Angus 32 1.18x
Glamorgan 31 0.61x
Roxburghshire 31 5.83x
Dunbartonshire 26 3.29x
Suffolk 25 0.70x
Stirlingshire 19 1.75x
Nottinghamshire 16 0.40x
Worcestershire 15 0.39x
Derbyshire 14 0.30x
Devon 13 0.21x
Sussex 13 0.26x
Cornwall 11 0.33x
West Lothian 9 2.03x
Cumberland 7 0.28x
Carmarthenshire 6 0.48x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.64x
Somerset 6 0.13x
Argyllshire 5 0.61x
Oxfordshire 5 0.28x
Perthshire 5 0.38x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.22x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.62x
Peeblesshire 4 2.90x
Westmorland 4 0.62x
Berkshire 3 0.14x
Denbighshire 3 0.27x
Kincardineshire 3 0.84x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 0.71x
Lincolnshire 3 0.06x
Northamptonshire 3 0.11x
Royal Navy 3 0.86x
Wigtownshire 3 0.77x
Channel Islands 2 0.23x
Hertfordshire 2 0.10x
Leicestershire 2 0.06x
Wiltshire 2 0.08x
Anglesey 1 0.19x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.06x
Caithness 1 0.25x
Dorset 1 0.05x
Isle of Man 1 0.18x
Monmouthshire 1 0.05x
Rutland 1 0.46x
Shropshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 74 Macks recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.67x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 74 4.67x
Liverpool 72 3.40x
Barony 62 2.58x
Manchester 53 3.38x
Old Monkland 53 14.06x
Islington London 42 1.48x
Birmingham 36 1.46x
Govan 34 1.45x
Shoreditch London 34 2.67x
St Pancras London 32 1.35x
Portsea 31 2.63x
Leeds 29 1.76x
St Marylebone London 28 1.79x
West Ham 28 2.19x
Galashiels 27 27.48x
Bethnal Green London 25 1.96x
Westoe 25 5.05x
Lambeth 24 0.94x
Bootle Cum Linacre 23 8.31x
Everton 23 2.07x
Abbey 22 6.33x
Toxteth Park 22 1.86x
Merthyr Tydfil 21 4.27x
Camberwell 20 1.07x
Great Yarmouth 19 5.08x
Newington 19 1.75x
St George In East 19 9.51x
Blackburn 18 1.94x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 18 3.32x
Chelsea London 18 2.03x
Dundee 18 1.77x
Heckmondwike 18 19.23x
Lee Ward 18 1276.60x
Barnsley 17 5.66x
New Monkland 17 6.05x
Shotts 16 14.08x
Southampton St Mary 16 4.23x
Paddington London 15 1.39x
Salford 15 1.46x
Barney 14 447.28x
Cromer 14 87.17x
Glasgow 14 0.83x
Inverkeithing 14 53.44x
Kilmarnock 14 5.35x
Nottingham St Mary 14 1.37x
Tottenham 14 2.99x
Aston 13 0.64x
Dunse 13 38.54x
Mile End Old Town 13 2.80x
Oldhamstocks 13 227.67x
Prestonkirk 13 66.84x
Battersea 12 1.11x
Gateshead 12 1.83x
Spotland 12 3.10x
Abbey St Bathans 11 438.25x
Erskine 11 66.51x
Kensington London 11 0.67x
Liff Benvie 11 2.66x
Paisley Middle Church 11 8.30x
Runcorn 11 7.36x
Ardrossan 10 13.14x
Bermondsey 10 1.14x
Burnham Thorpe 10 280.90x
Chatton 10 74.57x
Coldingham 10 31.28x
Dunbar 10 18.34x
Edrom 10 65.66x
Gillingham 10 4.84x
Lasswade 10 11.12x
Makerston 10 261.10x
Melrose 10 14.95x
Scoonie 10 26.56x
Stockton On Tees 10 2.37x
Walsall Foreign 10 1.95x
Derby St Alkmund 9 6.53x
Holywell 9 40.04x
Huddersfield 9 2.12x
Newton 9 3.35x
North Shields 9 10.32x
Stirling 9 6.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 183
Elizabeth 69
Sarah 55
Margaret 51
Ellen 49
Jane 47
Ann 42
Catherine 35
Bridget 29
Eliza 27
Annie 25
Hannah 21
Martha 15
Emily 14
Maria 14
Emma 13
Kate 13
Susan 13
Alice 12
Charlotte 12
Louisa 11
Edith 10
Harriet 10
Isabella 10
Agnes 9
Anne 9
Clara 9
Matilda 9
Julia 8
Ada 7
Florence 7
Frances 7
Amelia 6
Fanny 6
Rose 6
Caroline 5
Eleanor 5
Elizth. 5
Sophia 5
Anna 4
Harriett 4
Janet 4
Johanna 4
Laura 4
Margret 4
Rachel 4
Rhoda 4
Susanna 4
Amy 3
Winifred 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 175
James 121
William 117
Thomas 98
Robert 44
Edward 36
George 36
Henry 26
Patrick 23
Michael 21
Joseph 20
Charles 18
Daniel 16
Arthur 15
Alfred 13
David 11
Harry 11
Peter 11
Richard 10
Andrew 8
Frederick 8
Walter 8
Samuel 7
Albert 6
Alexander 6
Ernest 6
Francis 6
Frank 6
Stephen 6
Cornelius 5
Dennis 5
Jeremiah 5
Hugh 4
Martin 4
Timothy 4
Fred 3
Herbert 3
Horace 3
Jno. 3
Nathaniel 3
Owen 3
Percy 3
Philip 3
Thos. 3
Wm. 3
Edmund 2
Leonard 2
Mary 2
Matthew 2
Michal 2

FAQ

Mack surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mack surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,018 people were recorded with the Mack surname. That placed it at #1,488 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mack surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,843 in 2016. That gives Mack a modern rank of #1,764.

What does the Mack surname mean?

A shortened form of Irish and Scottish surnames beginning with "Mac," meaning "son of."

What does the Mack map show?

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