NameCensus.

UK surname

Macnab

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac an Aba' meaning 'son of the abbot'.

In the 1881 census there were 301 people recorded with the Macnab surname, ranking it #9,694 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 797, ranked #6,943, up from #9,694 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to North Bute and Rothesay, Duirnish and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Knapdale, Wick South and Skye North West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macnab is 806 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 164.8%.

1881 census count

301

Ranked #9,694

Modern count

797

2016, ranked #6,943

Peak year

2010

806 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macnab had 301 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,694 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 797 in 2016, ranked #6,943.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 587 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Macnab surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Macnab surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macnab 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 174 #11,590
1861 historical 250 #9,877
1881 historical 301 #9,694
1891 historical 353 #9,760
1901 historical 587 #7,189
1911 historical 169 #16,564
1997 modern 752 #6,869
1998 modern 768 #6,981
1999 modern 766 #7,023
2000 modern 765 #6,999
2001 modern 755 #6,952
2002 modern 761 #7,035
2003 modern 767 #6,884
2004 modern 763 #6,935
2005 modern 763 #6,859
2006 modern 753 #6,963
2007 modern 770 #6,911
2008 modern 763 #7,017
2009 modern 782 #7,013
2010 modern 806 #6,984
2011 modern 771 #7,161
2012 modern 778 #7,018
2013 modern 780 #7,118
2014 modern 791 #7,068
2015 modern 795 #6,969
2016 modern 797 #6,943

Geography

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Where Macnabs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around North Bute and Rothesay, Duirnish, Govan Combination, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Knapdale, Wick South, Skye North West, Sutherland South and Benbecula and North Uist. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 North Bute and Rothesay Bute
2 Duirnish Inverness
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Knapdale Argyll and Bute
2 Wick South Highland
3 Skye North West Highland
4 Sutherland South Highland
5 Benbecula and North Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macnab

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macnab

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Macnab 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

Macnab 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

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

Meaning and origin of Macnab

The surname MACNAB is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "mac an aba" which translates to "son of the abbot." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely descendants of an abbot or someone associated with a monastery.

The MACNAB name is believed to have originated in the region of Argyll, on the western coast of Scotland. It was first found in the area around Loch Awe, where the Clan MacNab had its ancestral seat at the castle of Fraoch Eilean on an island in the loch.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MACNAB name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of written records of homage paid to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Gillechrist MacNab" in these rolls.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the MACNAB name was Finlay MacNab, who served as the chieftain of the Clan MacNab from 1522 to 1558. He was known for his role in defending the clan's territory against rival clans and leading his men in battles during the Scottish-English wars of the time.

Another prominent figure with the MACNAB surname was Sir Robert MacNab, who was born in 1775 and served as a British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, and was knighted for his military service.

In the late 18th century, a branch of the MACNAB family settled in the area of Breadalbane, near Loch Tay, where they became landowners and played a significant role in the local community. One notable member of this branch was James MacNab, who was born in 1810 and served as a member of the British Parliament for the constituency of Falmouth from 1857 to 1865.

Other notable individuals with the MACNAB surname include Sir Allan MacNab, who was born in 1798 and served as the Premier of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1856, and Alexander MacNab, a Scottish-Canadian explorer and fur trader, who was born in 1782 and made significant contributions to the exploration of western Canada in the early 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Macnab families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macnab 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 40 Macnabs recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.68x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 40 4.68x
Argyllshire 27 36.69x
Midlothian 26 7.34x
Yorkshire 20 0.76x
Angus 19 7.76x
Middlesex 17 0.64x
Cheshire 16 2.74x
Renfrewshire 12 5.86x
Kent 10 1.11x
Northumberland 9 2.29x
Buteshire 7 43.70x
Perthshire 7 5.90x
Ayrshire 6 3.03x
Fife 6 3.83x
Lancashire 6 0.19x
Somerset 6 1.41x
West Lothian 6 15.07x
Suffolk 5 1.55x
Berwickshire 4 12.50x
Inverness-shire 4 5.07x
Surrey 4 0.31x
Essex 3 0.57x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 7.84x
Ross-shire 2 2.76x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.41x
East Lothian 1 2.86x
Hampshire 1 0.18x
Norfolk 1 0.25x
Roxburghshire 1 2.09x
Shetland 1 3.70x

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 15 Macnabs recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.53x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 15 10.53x
Glasgow 14 9.22x
Kilchoman 14 606.06x
Arbroath 10 123.15x
Barony 10 4.62x
Brightside Bierlow 10 19.46x
Govan 9 4.26x
Berwick Upon Tweed 8 96.04x
Kilmalcolm 8 326.53x
St Vigeans 8 60.51x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 7 339.81x
Glenorchy Inishail 7 823.53x
Lewisham 7 14.55x
Rothesay 7 90.21x
Bathgate 6 69.44x
Bedminster 6 15.00x
Birkenhead 6 12.90x
Bradford 6 9.46x
Hyde 6 34.84x
Kilfinichen 6 329.67x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 5 82.78x
Dunfermline 5 20.78x
Gorton 5 16.95x
Hutton 4 454.55x
Newton In Ashton Under 4 69.44x
Rutherglen 4 31.90x
Skipton 4 48.54x
Snizort 4 203.05x
St Martin In Fields 4 25.27x
Callander 3 153.06x
Kilmarnock 3 12.74x
Poplar London 3 6.01x
Sevenoaks 3 41.04x
St George Hanover 3 8.69x
Urr 3 60.24x
Abbey 2 6.40x
Ayr 2 21.41x
Carshalton 2 40.57x
Hamilton 2 8.39x
Houston Killallan 2 101.01x
Kensington London 2 1.36x
Perth East Church 2 17.87x
Rosskeen 2 58.48x
St Pancras London 2 0.94x
Wanstead 2 21.88x
Bedlington 1 7.62x
Blackford 1 68.97x
Carnwath 1 18.90x
Colinton 1 25.32x
Crathie Braemar 1 68.49x
Croydon 1 1.40x
Duddingston 1 14.06x
Dundee 1 1.09x
Ealing 1 4.23x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 14.35x
Godalming 1 12.33x
Islington London 1 0.39x
Jedburgh 1 21.32x
Kirkcaldy 1 12.89x
Lerwick Gulberwick 1 23.92x
Manchester 1 0.71x
Ormiston 1 107.53x
Rattray 1 36.23x
South Leith 1 2.51x
St Marylebone London 1 0.71x
St Michael Winchester 1 90.91x
Stair 1 119.05x
Winterton 1 140.85x
Woodford 1 16.92x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

FAQ

Macnab surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macnab surname in 1881?

In 1881, 301 people were recorded with the Macnab surname. That placed it at #9,694 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macnab surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 797 in 2016. That gives Macnab a modern rank of #6,943.

What does the Macnab surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac an Aba' meaning 'son of the abbot'.

What does the Macnab map show?

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