NameCensus.

UK surname

Macphie

In the 1881 census there were 51 people recorded with the Macphie surname, ranking it #26,428 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 163, ranked #22,407, up from #26,428 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bracadale, Duirnish and Glenelg. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Skye North West, Drumchapel South and Skye North East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Macphie is 253 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 219.6%.

1881 census count

51

Ranked #26,428

Modern count

163

2016, ranked #22,407

Peak year

1851

253 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Macphie had 51 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,428 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 163 in 2016, ranked #22,407.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 253 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Macphie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Macphie surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Macphie 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 253 #8,709
1861 historical 145 #15,715
1881 historical 51 #26,428
1891 historical 90 #25,399
1901 historical 101 #22,726
1911 historical 1 #34,332
1997 modern 123 #23,792
1998 modern 139 #22,720
1999 modern 142 #22,607
2000 modern 152 #21,603
2001 modern 140 #22,441
2002 modern 137 #23,198
2003 modern 141 #22,549
2004 modern 137 #23,098
2005 modern 139 #22,887
2006 modern 131 #23,942
2007 modern 140 #23,231
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 154 #22,536
2010 modern 161 #22,385
2011 modern 154 #22,886
2012 modern 152 #23,069
2013 modern 156 #23,004
2014 modern 158 #23,022
2015 modern 160 #22,701
2016 modern 163 #22,407

Geography

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Where Macphies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bracadale, Duirnish, Glenelg, Edinburgh and Buchanan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Skye North West, Drumchapel South, Skye North East, Fetteresso, Netherley and Catter and Lochaber West. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bracadale Inverness
2 Duirnish Inverness
3 Glenelg Inverness
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Buchanan Stirling

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Skye North West Highland
2 Drumchapel South Glasgow City
3 Skye North East Highland
4 Fetteresso, Netherley and Catter Aberdeenshire
5 Lochaber West Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Macphie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Macphie

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Macphie 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

Macphie 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

Macphie 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 Macphie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Macphie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Macphie 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 44 Macphies recorded in 1881 and an index of 302.20x.

County Total Index
Inverness-shire 44 302.20x
Renfrewshire 4 10.58x
Argyllshire 1 7.37x
Midlothian 1 1.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Duirinish in Inverness-shire leads with 37 Macphies recorded in 1881 and an index of 5000.00x.

Place Total Index
Duirinish 37 5000.00x
West Greenock 4 59.00x
Kilmuir 3 697.67x
South Uist 3 294.12x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 3.81x
Inverness 1 27.32x
Kilfinichen 1 294.12x

FAQ

Macphie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Macphie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 51 people were recorded with the Macphie surname. That placed it at #26,428 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Macphie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 163 in 2016. That gives Macphie a modern rank of #22,407.

What does the Macphie map show?

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