NameCensus.

UK surname

Mackinlay

Scottish surname derived from a place name in Argyllshire, meaning "son of the servant of Finlay".

In the 1881 census there were 208 people recorded with the Mackinlay surname, ranking it #12,511 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 421, ranked #11,388, up from #12,511 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, North Bute and Rothesay and Inveresk. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Campbeltown, Carse and Grangemouth Old Town and Darnley East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mackinlay is 421 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 102.4%.

1881 census count

208

Ranked #12,511

Modern count

421

2016, ranked #11,388

Peak year

2016

421 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mackinlay had 208 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,511 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 421 in 2016, ranked #11,388.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 229 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mackinlay surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mackinlay surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mackinlay 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 157 #12,504
1861 historical 184 #12,856
1881 historical 208 #12,511
1891 historical 214 #14,214
1901 historical 229 #13,894
1911 historical 129 #19,577
1997 modern 389 #11,238
1998 modern 401 #11,319
1999 modern 397 #11,503
2000 modern 400 #11,402
2001 modern 387 #11,484
2002 modern 386 #11,740
2003 modern 384 #11,589
2004 modern 387 #11,559
2005 modern 405 #11,078
2006 modern 393 #11,398
2007 modern 403 #11,315
2008 modern 394 #11,622
2009 modern 400 #11,729
2010 modern 398 #12,039
2011 modern 392 #12,038
2012 modern 401 #11,699
2013 modern 414 #11,624
2014 modern 419 #11,592
2015 modern 420 #11,458
2016 modern 421 #11,388

Geography

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Where Mackinlays are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, North Bute and Rothesay, Inveresk, Govan Combination and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Campbeltown, Carse and Grangemouth Old Town, Darnley East, Sunderland and Suffolk Coastal. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 North Bute and Rothesay Bute
3 Inveresk Edinburgh
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Campbeltown Argyll and Bute
2 Carse and Grangemouth Old Town Falkirk
3 Darnley East Glasgow City
4 Sunderland 022 Sunderland
5 Suffolk Coastal 010 Suffolk Coastal

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mackinlay

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mackinlay

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mackinlay is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Mackinlay 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

Mackinlay 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 Mackinlay 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 Mackinlay, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mackinlay

The surname MACKINLAY is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic "Mac Fhionnghalaidh" which translates to "son of the fair stranger" or "son of the foreign servant." The name originated in the Highlands of Scotland during the medieval period, potentially as early as the 11th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the MACKINLAY name can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in old Scottish charters and records. One notable early bearer of the name was John Mackinlay, a landowner in Argyllshire, Scotland, who lived during the late 14th century.

In the 16th century, the MACKINLAY name appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls recorded during the reign of King Edward I of England. This suggests that members of the MACKINLAY clan held significant landholdings and influence during this period.

The MACKINLAY surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One prominent figure was Sir Andrew Mackinlay (1679-1753), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1745 to 1747.

Another notable bearer of the name was James Mackinlay (1766-1832), a Scottish minister and author who published several works on religious topics. His most well-known work was "The Moral and Religious Essays" published in 1821.

In the 19th century, George Mackinlay (1804-1887) was a Scottish journalist and editor who founded the respected Glasgow newspaper, the Glasgow Herald, in 1805. He played a significant role in shaping the Scottish media landscape during his lifetime.

The MACKINLAY surname has also been linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Mackinlay's Holm, an island in the Outer Hebrides, and Mackinlay's Point, a headland on the Isle of Islay.

While the MACKINLAY name has Scottish roots, it has since spread worldwide, with bearers of the name found in various countries, including England, Ireland, Canada, and the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mackinlay families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mackinlay 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. Lanarkshire leads with 51 Mackinlays recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.46x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 51 8.46x
Midlothian 43 17.23x
Middlesex 20 1.07x
Durham 16 2.89x
Surrey 10 1.10x
Fife 8 7.25x
Argyllshire 7 13.50x
Buteshire 7 62.00x
Northumberland 5 1.80x
Caithness 4 15.68x
Renfrewshire 4 2.77x
Inverness-shire 3 5.39x
Kent 3 0.47x
Lancashire 3 0.14x
Dunbartonshire 2 4.00x
Cheshire 1 0.24x
Perthshire 1 1.20x
Roxburghshire 1 2.96x
Royal Navy 1 4.50x
Yorkshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 20 Mackinlays recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.42x.

Place Total Index
Govan 20 13.42x
Inveresk 17 251.48x
Barony 14 9.18x
Pelton 13 492.42x
South Leith 12 42.74x
St Pancras London 10 6.67x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 8 7.97x
Lesmahagow 8 125.59x
Campbeltown 7 111.82x
Rothesay 7 127.97x
Scoonie 7 292.89x
Nutfield 6 869.57x
Westgate 5 29.12x
Bothwell 4 24.48x
Paddington London 4 5.84x
Wick 4 48.54x
Islington London 3 1.66x
Urpeth 3 277.78x
Camberwell 2 1.68x
Cockpen 2 68.49x
Glasgow 2 1.87x
Houston Killallan 2 142.86x
Kensington London 2 1.93x
Plumstead 2 9.44x
Toxteth Park 2 2.67x
Arrochar 1 303.03x
Batley 1 5.70x
Birkenhead 1 3.05x
Cambusnethan 1 7.47x
Cardross 1 16.64x
Duddingston 1 19.96x
Dunsyre 1 588.24x
Edinburgh St Andrews 1 48.54x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 19.31x
Edinburgh St Johns 1 63.29x
Harris 1 35.71x
Hawick 1 13.25x
Hythe St Leonard 1 44.44x
Kilbarchan 1 22.78x
Kilmonivaig 1 80.65x
Kilmorack 1 59.17x
Kirkcaldy 1 18.28x
Logierait 1 68.03x
Maryhill 1 8.48x
Mearns 1 39.53x
Richmond 1 7.86x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.67x
St Clement Danes 1 33.11x
Walton On Hill 1 8.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Florence 2
Lucy 2
Sarah 2
Ann 1
Antoinette 1
Catherine 1
Dorothy 1
Eliza 1
Elizbth. 1
Emma 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Nora 1
Selina 1
W. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 7
Edward 3
James 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Henry 2
Adam 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
David 1
Geo. 1
Jno. 1
Kenneth 1
Malcolm 1
Norman 1
Richard 1
Thos. 1
William 1

FAQ

Mackinlay surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mackinlay surname in 1881?

In 1881, 208 people were recorded with the Mackinlay surname. That placed it at #12,511 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mackinlay surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 421 in 2016. That gives Mackinlay a modern rank of #11,388.

What does the Mackinlay surname mean?

Scottish surname derived from a place name in Argyllshire, meaning "son of the servant of Finlay".

What does the Mackinlay map show?

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