NameCensus.

UK surname

Macklin

Son of the servant or devotee of Saint Caillin.

In the 1881 census there were 849 people recorded with the Macklin surname, ranking it #4,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,495, ranked #4,136, up from #4,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Winchester St John, London parishes and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Herefordshire, Cotswold and Medway.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macklin is 1,528 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 76.1%.

1881 census count

849

Ranked #4,449

Modern count

1,495

2016, ranked #4,136

Peak year

1998

1,528 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macklin had 849 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,495 in 2016, ranked #4,136.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,074 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Macklin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Macklin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macklin 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 513 #4,877
1861 historical 550 #4,785
1881 historical 849 #4,449
1891 historical 958 #4,317
1901 historical 1,074 #4,497
1911 historical 1,070 #4,329
1997 modern 1,486 #3,938
1998 modern 1,528 #3,988
1999 modern 1,523 #4,026
2000 modern 1,484 #4,097
2001 modern 1,471 #4,056
2002 modern 1,481 #4,113
2003 modern 1,444 #4,119
2004 modern 1,460 #4,084
2005 modern 1,445 #4,080
2006 modern 1,449 #4,083
2007 modern 1,454 #4,107
2008 modern 1,447 #4,143
2009 modern 1,478 #4,162
2010 modern 1,518 #4,154
2011 modern 1,486 #4,182
2012 modern 1,462 #4,170
2013 modern 1,500 #4,156
2014 modern 1,524 #4,127
2015 modern 1,501 #4,137
2016 modern 1,495 #4,136

Geography

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Where Macklins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Winchester St John, London parishes, Liverpool, Glasgow and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Herefordshire, Cotswold, Medway, Dudley and High Peak. 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 Winchester St John Hampshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Herefordshire 016 Herefordshire, County of
2 Cotswold 003 Cotswold
3 Medway 027 Medway
4 Dudley 039 Dudley
5 High Peak 002 High Peak

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macklin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macklin

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Macklin is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Macklin is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Macklin falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Macklin

The surname Macklin originated in Ireland and Scotland during the medieval era. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning son, and "gille" meaning servant or follower. The name essentially means "son of the servant" or "son of the follower".

Early records indicate the name was concentrated in the northern regions of Ireland and western Scotland, particularly in counties like Donegal, Fermanagh, and Argyll. Variations in spelling included Macklyne, MacGilline, and MacCleyn.

One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, dating back to the 14th century. It mentions a "Gille Mocculin" who was a leader in County Fermanagh.

The Macklin name can also be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It lists a "Radulfus filius Maclin" as a landowner in Lincolnshire.

Notable people with the Macklin surname throughout history include Sir Robert Macklin (1523-1587), a Scottish soldier and diplomat who served under Mary, Queen of Scots. There was also John Macklin (1650-1720), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote about the Penal Laws against Catholics in Ireland.

In the 18th century, Charles Macklin (1690-1797) was a renowned Irish actor and dramatist who is credited with reforming theatrical acting styles of the time. Another prominent figure was Samuel Macklin (1755-1840), a British naval captain who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

During the 19th century, Herbert Macklin (1870-1936) was a Canadian artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and etchings of the Canadian Rockies. He was a member of the renowned Group of Seven artists.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Macklin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macklin 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. Lancashire leads with 135 Macklins recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.39x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 135 1.39x
Middlesex 119 1.45x
Hampshire 100 5.95x
Surrey 74 1.85x
Wiltshire 67 9.25x
Essex 51 3.15x
Kent 50 1.79x
Yorkshire 27 0.33x
Berkshire 24 3.90x
Warwickshire 22 1.06x
Herefordshire 18 5.36x
Lanarkshire 18 0.68x
Durham 15 0.62x
Nottinghamshire 12 1.09x
Shropshire 11 1.55x
Worcestershire 10 0.93x
Oxfordshire 9 1.78x
Staffordshire 9 0.33x
Lincolnshire 8 0.61x
Dorset 7 1.30x
Hertfordshire 7 1.24x
Northumberland 7 0.57x
Royal Navy 6 6.15x
Gloucestershire 5 0.31x
Sussex 5 0.36x
Cheshire 4 0.22x
Monmouthshire 3 0.51x
Bedfordshire 2 0.47x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.60x
Derbyshire 2 0.16x
Leicestershire 2 0.22x
Somerset 2 0.15x
Suffolk 2 0.20x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.20x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.19x
Cardiganshire 1 0.50x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.38x
Perthshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsea in Hampshire leads with 23 Macklins recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.99x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 23 6.99x
Liverpool 21 3.56x
St John Winchester 19 538.24x
Walthamstow 17 29.20x
Everton 16 5.16x
Weeke 16 314.34x
Hanwell 15 103.23x
Lambeth 15 2.10x
Bermondsey 13 5.33x
Deptford St Paul 13 6.03x
Chelsea London 12 4.86x
Colchester St Giles 12 75.09x
Ashton Under Lyne 10 4.71x
Enford 10 406.50x
Gateshead 10 5.48x
Hackney London 10 2.18x
Kirkdale 10 6.11x
Newport 10 117.10x
Newton 10 13.34x
Nottingham St Mary 10 3.50x
Thundersley 10 684.93x
Bethnal Green London 9 2.53x
Camberwell 9 1.72x
Coventry Holy Trinity 9 14.59x
Glasgow 9 1.91x
Shoreditch London 9 2.53x
Sproatley Wyton 9 782.61x
St Marylebone London 9 2.06x
Banbury 8 78.97x
Barrow In Furness 8 6.05x
Chadderton 8 16.83x
Milston 8 1860.47x
Salisbury St Thomas 8 139.37x
Aston 7 1.23x
Chatham 7 9.10x
Clarendon Park 7 1147.54x
Coombe Bissett 7 686.27x
Kensington London 7 1.54x
Manchester 7 1.60x
Mottisfont 7 479.45x
St Michael Winchester 7 204.68x
St Swithin Winchester 7 1555.56x
Streatham 7 11.52x
Sunninghill 7 82.06x
Tonbridge 7 6.94x
Toxteth Park 7 2.13x
West Derby 7 2.46x
Bow London 6 5.75x
Bradfield 6 184.05x
Clapham 6 5.86x
Greenwich 6 4.60x
Hereford St Owen 6 54.05x
Mile End Old Town 6 4.64x
Royal Navy 6 7.19x
St Swithin Lincoln 6 29.13x
Ardwick 5 5.70x
Ashford 5 18.36x
Elswick 5 5.14x
Garston 5 17.42x
Hasbury 5 71.43x
Newington 5 1.65x
Norwood 5 26.68x
St Peter Colebrook 5 211.86x
Turton 5 31.41x
Wyke Regis 5 64.77x
Angmering 4 144.93x
Birmingham 4 0.58x
Chitterne All Sts 4 330.58x
Cobham 4 61.07x
Elstead 4 208.33x
Humbleton Flinton 4 357.14x
Layston 4 132.89x
Oldham 4 1.27x
Openshaw 4 8.78x
Salford 4 1.40x
Southampton St Mary 4 3.79x
Sunderland 4 9.29x
West Wickham 4 148.15x
Willesden 4 5.18x
Woodford 4 21.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 50
Sarah 27
Ellen 25
Elizabeth 21
Alice 20
Jane 20
Emily 14
Eliza 13
Margaret 12
Ann 11
Annie 11
Hannah 11
Ada 10
Louisa 10
Charlotte 9
Emma 9
Martha 8
Fanny 7
Maria 7
Esther 6
Lucy 6
Amy 4
Florence 4
Kate 4
Anne 3
Bertha 3
Catherine 3
Clara 3
Elizth. 3
Julia 3
Sophia 3
Adelaide 2
Blanche 2
Edith 2
Eva 2
Frances 2
Harriett 2
Laura 2
Louise 2
Mabel 2
Maud 2
Rosa 2
Rose 2
Selina 2
Blanch 1
Elisabeth 1
Ellenor 1
Hester 1
Infant 1
Vanlina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 53
James 45
George 33
Thomas 29
John 26
Henry 22
Alfred 18
Charles 18
Joseph 14
Edward 12
Frederick 9
Arthur 8
Walter 8
Robert 7
Albert 6
Richard 5
Wm. 5
Ernest 4
Herbert 4
Reuben 4
Samuel 4
Edwd. 3
Frank 3
Patrick 3
Thos. 3
Abraham 2
Andrew 2
Cornelius 2
Daniel 2
Edwin 2
Geo. 2
Harry 2
Martin 2
Richd. 2
Anthony 1
Cecil 1
Chas.I. 1
Chas.T. 1
Edw.H. 1
Enos 1
Francis 1
Geo.Chs. 1
I. 1
J.F. 1
Jesse 1
Joshua 1
Laurence 1
Leonard 1
Lewis 1
Louis 1

FAQ

Macklin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macklin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 849 people were recorded with the Macklin surname. That placed it at #4,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macklin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,495 in 2016. That gives Macklin a modern rank of #4,136.

What does the Macklin surname mean?

Son of the servant or devotee of Saint Caillin.

What does the Macklin map show?

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