NameCensus.

UK surname

Mactavish

A Scottish surname meaning "son of the tavish", where tavish was derived from the Gaelic word for Dennis.

In the 1881 census there were 87 people recorded with the Mactavish surname, ranking it #21,334 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 301, ranked #14,696, up from #21,334 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kilmichael Glassary, North Knapdale and Craignish. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Greater Lochgilphead, IZ03 and Fort William North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mactavish is 302 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 246.0%.

1881 census count

87

Ranked #21,334

Modern count

301

2016, ranked #14,696

Peak year

2010

302 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mactavish had 87 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,334 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 301 in 2016, ranked #14,696.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 188 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mactavish surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mactavish surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mactavish 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 27 #28,467
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 87 #21,334
1891 historical 113 #22,162
1901 historical 188 #15,742
1911 historical 30 #30,073
1997 modern 258 #14,949
1998 modern 271 #14,883
1999 modern 278 #14,705
2000 modern 281 #14,567
2001 modern 279 #14,408
2002 modern 282 #14,585
2003 modern 279 #14,506
2004 modern 291 #14,138
2005 modern 276 #14,579
2006 modern 277 #14,667
2007 modern 289 #14,401
2008 modern 281 #14,782
2009 modern 297 #14,519
2010 modern 302 #14,661
2011 modern 285 #15,140
2012 modern 283 #15,115
2013 modern 294 #14,961
2014 modern 299 #14,880
2015 modern 300 #14,758
2016 modern 301 #14,696

Geography

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Where Mactavishs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kilmichael Glassary, North Knapdale, Craignish, Cromarty and Dores. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Greater Lochgilphead, IZ03, Fort William North, Auchtermuchty and Gateside and Broadland. 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 Kilmichael Glassary Argyll
2 North Knapdale Argyll
3 Craignish Argyll
4 Cromarty Ross And Cromarty
5 Dores Inverness

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Greater Lochgilphead Argyll and Bute
2 IZ03 West Dunbartonshire
3 Fort William North Highland
4 Auchtermuchty and Gateside Fife
5 Broadland 012 Broadland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mactavish

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mactavish

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

City Support Workers

Within London, Mactavish is most associated with areas classed as City Support Workers, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

Scattered throughout Inner London, these areas house relatively few workers in the most senior roles within organisations, and greater prevalence of administrative roles relative to the Supergroup mean. Residents are less likely to be of Chinese ethnicity and are more likely to have been born in Africa. Relative to the Supergroup average, residents are also more likely to live in social housing and live in overcrowded conditions.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mactavish 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

Mactavish falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mactavish is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mactavish

The surname MacTavish is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic 'mac Tāmhais' meaning 'son of Thomas'. It originates from the western highlands and islands of Scotland, particularly in Argyll and the Hebrides.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Gillechrist MacTavish, who appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1494 as being from Kintyre. The MacTavish clan was a sept (branch) of the larger Clan Campbell and traditionally held lands on the island of Islay.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears frequently in parish records and charters from Argyll and the Inner Hebrides. Spellings such as 'MacTavis', 'MacTaweiss' and 'MacThammais' were common variations.

A notable MacTavish was Dugald MacTavish (c.1617-1686), a Presbyterian minister who served as chaplain to the Marquess of Argyll's regiment during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He was later imprisoned for his role in the Argyll Rising against James VII.

John MacTavish (1755-1845) was a fur trader and explorer for the North West Company in Canada during the late 18th century. He established several trading posts in what is now British Columbia and the Yukon.

Other historical figures include Neil MacTavish (1757-1832), a Scottish-born soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War, and Duncan MacTavish (1817-1896), a prominent businessman and politician in colonial New South Wales, Australia.

The MacTavish name also has links to several place names in Scotland, such as Tavish near Campbeltown in Argyll, which may have derived its name from an early bearer of the surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mactavish families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mactavish 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 47 Mactavishs recorded in 1881 and an index of 196.74x.

County Total Index
Inverness-shire 47 196.74x
Argyllshire 6 26.94x
Buckinghamshire 5 10.34x
Aberdeenshire 3 4.05x
Morayshire 3 24.14x
Perthshire 3 8.36x
Midlothian 2 1.87x
Renfrewshire 2 3.23x
Ross-shire 2 9.10x
Roxburghshire 2 13.80x
Ayrshire 1 1.67x
Durham 1 0.42x
Lanarkshire 1 0.39x
Lancashire 1 0.11x
Middlesex 1 0.13x
Nairnshire 1 40.98x
Sutherland 1 16.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Inverness in Inverness-shire leads with 26 Mactavishs recorded in 1881 and an index of 432.61x.

Place Total Index
Inverness 26 432.61x
Dores 16 5000.00x
Upton Cum Chalvey 5 259.07x
Kilmallie 4 347.83x
Kennethmont 3 1071.43x
Kilmadock 3 361.45x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 4.64x
Lochgoilhead 2 1333.33x
Morebattle 2 714.29x
Rafford 2 689.66x
Abbey 1 10.57x
Boleskine Abertarff 1 250.00x
Cawdor 1 333.33x
Clyne 1 200.00x
Elgin 1 41.32x
Gairloch 1 78.74x
Govan 1 1.56x
Kilmonivaig 1 188.68x
Kirkhill 1 243.90x
Liverpool 1 1.73x
Paisley Middle Church 1 27.70x
Petty 1 238.10x
Portree 1 113.64x
Sorn 1 84.75x
St Sepulchre London 1 85.47x
Tain 1 120.48x
Westoe 1 7.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Blanche 1
Emily 1
Maude 1
Phoebe 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alexander 1
Angus 1
Archie 1
Duncan 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 Mactavish households.

FAQ

Mactavish surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mactavish surname in 1881?

In 1881, 87 people were recorded with the Mactavish surname. That placed it at #21,334 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mactavish surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 301 in 2016. That gives Mactavish a modern rank of #14,696.

What does the Mactavish surname mean?

A Scottish surname meaning "son of the tavish", where tavish was derived from the Gaelic word for Dennis.

What does the Mactavish map show?

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