NameCensus.

UK surname

Mackillop

A Scottish surname derived from "MacIlleOluib" meaning "son of the servant of Oluib".

In the 1881 census there were 117 people recorded with the Mackillop surname, ranking it #18,026 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 265, ranked #16,130, up from #18,026 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kilbride, Ardchattan and Muckairn and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Benbecula and North Uist, Loch Ness and Inverness East Rural.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mackillop is 275 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 126.5%.

1881 census count

117

Ranked #18,026

Modern count

265

2016, ranked #16,130

Peak year

2011

275 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mackillop had 117 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,026 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 265 in 2016, ranked #16,130.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 124 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mackillop surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mackillop surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Mackillop 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 91 #18,187
1861 historical 37 #29,339
1881 historical 117 #18,026
1891 historical 122 #21,053
1901 historical 124 #20,163
1911 historical 25 #30,654
1997 modern 231 #16,049
1998 modern 235 #16,358
1999 modern 244 #16,052
2000 modern 239 #16,239
2001 modern 238 #16,004
2002 modern 229 #16,771
2003 modern 238 #16,144
2004 modern 247 #15,821
2005 modern 250 #15,639
2006 modern 255 #15,521
2007 modern 261 #15,444
2008 modern 270 #15,219
2009 modern 266 #15,711
2010 modern 273 #15,764
2011 modern 275 #15,517
2012 modern 254 #16,328
2013 modern 272 #15,836
2014 modern 268 #16,111
2015 modern 263 #16,224
2016 modern 265 #16,130

Geography

Back to top

Where Mackillops are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kilbride, Ardchattan and Muckairn, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Kilmore and Kilbride. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Benbecula and North Uist, Loch Ness, Inverness East Rural, Hunter's Quay and Badenoch and Strathspey North. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kilbride Bute
2 Ardchattan and Muckairn Argyll
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Kilmore and Kilbride Argyll

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Benbecula and North Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar
2 Loch Ness Highland
3 Inverness East Rural Highland
4 Hunter's Quay Argyll and Bute
5 Badenoch and Strathspey North Highland

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Mackillop

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Mackillop

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Mackillop is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Mackillop 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

Mackillop falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mackillop is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mackillop

The surname MACKILLOP originates from Scotland, where it first emerged in the late 13th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gille Calum," meaning "the servant or devotee of St. Columba." The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears as "MacGillechalum" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1292.

The name MACKILLOP is closely associated with the counties of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands. It is believed to have originated in the Isle of Mull, where the MacGillechalum clan was once prominent. The clan's ancestral lands were centered around the village of Kilmore, near the town of Tobermory.

One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Gillecalum Mac Gillecalum, who is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

In the 16th century, the MACKILLOP name appears in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, where a certain John MacKillop is recorded as receiving a charter of land in 1548. This suggests that the name had become well-established by that time.

The name MACKILLOP has remained prevalent in Scotland over the centuries, with notable individuals including:

1. Mary MacKillop (1842-1909), a Catholic nun who founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart and was canonized as Australia's first saint in 2010. 2. John MacKillop (1773-1844), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Nova Scotia, Canada. 3. Angus MacKillop (1856-1926), a Scottish-born painter and illustrator who worked in Canada and the United States. 4. Donald MacKillop (1853-1932), a Scottish philosopher and author who served as the Rector of Aberdeen University. 5. Neil MacKillop (1876-1949), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan.

While the MACKILLOP name has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where descendants of Scottish settlers can be found bearing this surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Mackillop families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mackillop 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. Inverness-shire leads with 74 Mackillops recorded in 1881 and an index of 220.90x.

County Total Index
Inverness-shire 74 220.90x
Ayrshire 8 9.53x
Buteshire 6 88.24x
Renfrewshire 5 5.75x
Midlothian 4 2.66x
Channel Islands 3 9.03x
Cheshire 3 1.21x
Clackmannanshire 3 32.40x
Ross-shire 3 9.74x
Yorkshire 3 0.27x
Argyllshire 2 6.40x
Somerset 1 0.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bernera in Inverness-shire leads with 50 Mackillops recorded in 1881 and an index of 29411.76x.

Place Total Index
Bernera 50 29411.76x
Beith 8 318.73x
Laggan 8 2285.71x
Rothesay 6 182.37x
Cathcart 5 106.38x
Kilmonivaig 5 675.68x
Trumisgarry 4 1176.47x
Alloa 3 66.82x
Chapel Allerton 3 180.72x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 3 4.96x
Hartford 3 535.71x
Inverness 3 35.59x
North Uist 3 229.01x
St Lawrence 3 329.67x
Stornoway 3 74.63x
Dunoon Kilmun 1 40.98x
Edinburgh St Marys 1 34.25x
Glenorchy Inishail 1 277.78x
South Uist 1 42.74x
Walcot 1 10.40x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Anna 1
Ella 1
Lucy 1
Maggie 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
Archibald 1
Charles 1
Robert 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 Mackillop households.

FAQ

Mackillop surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mackillop surname in 1881?

In 1881, 117 people were recorded with the Mackillop surname. That placed it at #18,026 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mackillop surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 265 in 2016. That gives Mackillop a modern rank of #16,130.

What does the Mackillop surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from "MacIlleOluib" meaning "son of the servant of Oluib".

What does the Mackillop map show?

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