NameCensus.

UK surname

Macnaught

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Neachdainn meaning "son of the pure or bright one."

In the 1881 census there were 31 people recorded with the Macnaught surname, ranking it #29,218 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 110, ranked #29,225, down from #29,218 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North East Lincolnshire, Kilsyth East and Croy and Hambleton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macnaught is 114 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 254.8%.

1881 census count

31

Ranked #29,218

Modern count

110

2016, ranked #29,225

Peak year

2009

114 bearers

Map years

1

2016 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macnaught had 31 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,218 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016, ranked #29,225.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 61 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Macnaught surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Macnaught surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macnaught 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 34 #27,194
1861 historical 34 #29,685
1881 historical 31 #29,218
1891 historical 59 #29,325
1901 historical 61 #27,379
1911 historical 25 #30,654
1997 modern 92 #28,079
1998 modern 96 #28,188
1999 modern 93 #28,711
2000 modern 94 #28,573
2001 modern 98 #27,672
2002 modern 93 #28,920
2003 modern 93 #28,829
2004 modern 105 #27,181
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 95 #29,113
2007 modern 96 #29,339
2008 modern 98 #29,355
2009 modern 114 #27,363
2010 modern 108 #28,996
2011 modern 106 #29,157
2012 modern 105 #29,362
2013 modern 106 #29,740
2014 modern 106 #30,030
2015 modern 111 #28,986
2016 modern 110 #29,225

Geography

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Where Macnaughts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North East Lincolnshire, Kilsyth East and Croy, Hambleton, Whitehill and South Tyneside. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North East Lincolnshire 004 North East Lincolnshire
2 Kilsyth East and Croy North Lanarkshire
3 Hambleton 006 Hambleton
4 Whitehill South Lanarkshire
5 South Tyneside 017 South Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macnaught

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macnaught

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Macnaught, 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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Macnaught surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Macnaught household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Macnaught is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Macnaught is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Macnaught falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Macnaught

The surname MACNAUGHT has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is a variant of the Scottish surname MacNaughton, which is derived from the Gaelic "Neachtan," meaning "pure" or "holy." The name is believed to have originated in the area of Argyll and Bute, formerly known as Argyllshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MACNAUGHT name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the MACNAUGHT family held a prominent position in Scottish society during the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, a branch of the MACNAUGHT family settled in the Isle of Islay, where they were known as the "MacNaughts of Dunderave." This clan was involved in various conflicts and battles during the Scottish clan wars, with several MACNAUGHT clansmen mentioned in historical accounts of the time.

A notable figure bearing the MACNAUGHT surname was Sir John MACNAUGHT (1545-1618), a Scottish soldier and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to France under King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Rouen in 1596, which strengthened the alliance between Scotland and France.

Another prominent MACNAUGHT was Alexander MACNAUGHT (1668-1737), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1731. He was known for his strong opposition to the Jacobite cause and his efforts to maintain the Presbyterian establishment in Scotland.

In the 18th century, the MACNAUGHT surname was also found in the records of the Highland Clearances, when many Scottish clans were forcibly evicted from their lands. This suggests that the MACNAUGHT family was involved in these turbulent events that shaped Scottish history.

Other notable individuals with the MACNAUGHT surname include Robert MACNAUGHT (1814-1888), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the early exploration and mapping of Western Australia, and John MACNAUGHT (1875-1960), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Labor Party.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Macnaught families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macnaught 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. Midlothian leads with 7 Macnaughts recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.49x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 7 33.49x
Lanarkshire 6 11.89x
Renfrewshire 2 16.54x
Middlesex 1 0.64x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. South Leith in Midlothian leads with 6 Macnaughts recorded in 1881 and an index of 255.32x.

Place Total Index
South Leith 6 255.32x
Barony 3 23.49x
Old Monkland 2 100.00x
West Greenock 2 92.17x
Govan 1 8.01x
Inveresk 1 175.44x
Kensington London 1 11.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizebeth 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 Macnaught households.

Occupation Count
Cook Domestic 1

FAQ

Macnaught surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macnaught surname in 1881?

In 1881, 31 people were recorded with the Macnaught surname. That placed it at #29,218 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macnaught surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016. That gives Macnaught a modern rank of #29,225.

What does the Macnaught surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Neachdainn meaning "son of the pure or bright one."

What does the Macnaught map show?

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