NameCensus.

UK surname

Macphee

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac a'Phì' meaning 'son of the yellow-haired lad'.

In the 1881 census there were 269 people recorded with the Macphee surname, ranking it #10,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,477, ranked #4,169, up from #10,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kilmallie and Ardgour, Duirnish and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barra and South Uist, Benbecula and North Uist and Muir of Ord.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macphee is 1,477 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 449.1%.

1881 census count

269

Ranked #10,506

Modern count

1,477

2016, ranked #4,169

Peak year

2016

1,477 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macphee had 269 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,477 in 2016, ranked #4,169.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 392 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Macphee surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Macphee surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macphee 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 116 #15,545
1861 historical 238 #10,321
1881 historical 269 #10,506
1891 historical 342 #10,023
1901 historical 392 #9,623
1911 historical 48 #28,006
1997 modern 1,185 #4,759
1998 modern 1,234 #4,767
1999 modern 1,235 #4,797
2000 modern 1,254 #4,723
2001 modern 1,221 #4,736
2002 modern 1,254 #4,723
2003 modern 1,234 #4,698
2004 modern 1,229 #4,705
2005 modern 1,238 #4,633
2006 modern 1,310 #4,419
2007 modern 1,315 #4,444
2008 modern 1,350 #4,372
2009 modern 1,390 #4,360
2010 modern 1,412 #4,372
2011 modern 1,360 #4,463
2012 modern 1,388 #4,331
2013 modern 1,397 #4,381
2014 modern 1,465 #4,248
2015 modern 1,463 #4,225
2016 modern 1,477 #4,169

Geography

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Where Macphees are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kilmallie and Ardgour, Duirnish, Govan Combination, Arisaig and Moidart and Ardnamurchan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barra and South Uist, Benbecula and North Uist, Muir of Ord, Oban South and Skye North West. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kilmallie and Ardgour Inverness
2 Duirnish Inverness
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Arisaig and Moidart Inverness
5 Ardnamurchan Argyll

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barra and South Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar
2 Benbecula and North Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar
3 Muir of Ord Highland
4 Oban South Argyll and Bute
5 Skye North West Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macphee

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macphee

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

Macphee 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

Macphee 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 Macphee 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Macphee

The surname MACPHEE has its origins in Scotland, emerging during the Middle Ages. It is a variant of the Gaelic name MacDhùghaill, derived from the personal name Dougall, which means "dark stranger" or "dark foreigner". This suggests that the name may have originated with someone who had come to Scotland from another land, perhaps Ireland or Scandinavia, where the Gaelic language was also spoken.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MACPHEE can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a certain Gillebride MacPhee is mentioned. This document provides valuable insight into the historical presence of the name in Scotland during the 13th century.

In the 15th century, the MACPHEE name was particularly prevalent in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides. The name appears in several historical documents from this period, including the Rentals of the Ancient Earls of Hyndford, which reference a Dougall MacPhee in 1482.

A notable bearer of the MACPHEE name was John MacPhee, a Scottish military officer who served in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Born in 1715, MacPhee fought alongside the forces of Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, and played a significant role in the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745.

Another prominent figure with the MACPHEE surname was Angus MacPhee, a Scottish poet and songwriter from the Isle of Skye, who lived in the late 18th century. His works, which were composed in Scottish Gaelic, provide a glimpse into the cultural traditions and way of life of the Highland communities during that era.

In the 19th century, the MACPHEE name continued to be found in various parts of Scotland, with notable individuals such as John MacPhee, a Scottish minister and author born in 1817, who wrote extensively on religious and historical topics.

The name MACPHEE has also been associated with certain place names in Scotland, such as the village of Kilphee (or Kilphedir) in Argyll, which may have derived its name from the presence of a MACPHEE family or clan in the area.

While the MACPHEE surname has roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic traditions and the rich history of the Scottish Highlands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Macphee families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macphee 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 147 Macphees recorded in 1881 and an index of 238.02x.

County Total Index
Inverness-shire 147 238.02x
Argyllshire 42 72.95x
Lanarkshire 9 1.35x
Caithness 4 14.13x
Middlesex 3 0.15x
Ross-shire 2 3.52x
Durham 1 0.16x
Midlothian 1 0.36x
Northumberland 1 0.33x
Renfrewshire 1 0.62x
Royal Navy 1 4.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. South Uist in Inverness-shire leads with 97 Macphees recorded in 1881 and an index of 2250.58x.

Place Total Index
South Uist 97 2250.58x
Kilmallie 24 810.81x
Ardnamurchan 17 582.19x
Barra 17 1103.90x
Duirinish 15 476.19x
Kilmuir 8 439.56x
Glasgow 5 4.21x
Reay 4 258.06x
Glenelg 3 265.49x
Inverness 3 19.32x
Barony 2 1.18x
Dingwall 2 125.00x
Govan 2 1.21x
Islington London 2 1.00x
Daviot Dunlichity 1 112.36x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 17.39x
Kilcalmonell 1 76.92x
Kilmonivaig 1 72.99x
Laggan 1 153.85x
Paisley Middle Church 1 10.72x
Sleat 1 68.03x
St Marylebone London 1 0.91x
Tanfield 1 13.66x
Tynemouth 1 6.07x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Francis 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alex. 1
Cameron 1
Ewen 1
Fredrick 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 Macphee households.

FAQ

Macphee surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macphee surname in 1881?

In 1881, 269 people were recorded with the Macphee surname. That placed it at #10,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macphee surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,477 in 2016. That gives Macphee a modern rank of #4,169.

What does the Macphee surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Mac a'Phì' meaning 'son of the yellow-haired lad'.

What does the Macphee map show?

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