NameCensus.

UK surname

Maginn

A surname denoting someone small or puny, from Irish Gaelic "maighin."

In the 1881 census there were 37 people recorded with the Maginn surname, ranking it #28,418 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, up from #28,418 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Govan Combination and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ08, Bolton and Aylesbury Vale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maginn is 286 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 659.5%.

1881 census count

37

Ranked #28,418

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

2015

286 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maginn had 37 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,418 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 116 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Maginn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maginn surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maginn 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 36 #26,838
1861 historical 56 #26,864
1881 historical 37 #28,418
1891 historical 115 #21,878
1901 historical 116 #20,933
1911 historical 89 #23,922
1997 modern 247 #15,399
1998 modern 253 #15,547
1999 modern 247 #15,932
2000 modern 249 #15,787
2001 modern 254 #15,363
2002 modern 262 #15,327
2003 modern 257 #15,341
2004 modern 245 #15,894
2005 modern 244 #15,900
2006 modern 247 #15,860
2007 modern 251 #15,861
2008 modern 256 #15,817
2009 modern 264 #15,798
2010 modern 284 #15,312
2011 modern 267 #15,892
2012 modern 275 #15,459
2013 modern 275 #15,719
2014 modern 282 #15,537
2015 modern 286 #15,270
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

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Where Maginns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Govan Combination, Toxteth Park, West Derby and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ08, Bolton, Aylesbury Vale, IZ03 and Luton. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ08 West Dunbartonshire
2 Bolton 033 Bolton
3 Aylesbury Vale 012 Aylesbury Vale
4 IZ03 West Dunbartonshire
5 Luton 003 Luton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maginn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maginn

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Maginn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Maginn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Maginn 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

Maginn is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Maginn falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Maginn 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Maginn

The surname Maginn is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name "Mac Inghinn," which means "son of the maiden" or "son of the young girl." This name likely originated in the medieval period, when many Irish surnames were formed by adding the prefix "Mac" (son of) to a personal name or descriptive term.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Irish annals and records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Feardorcha Mag Inghinn in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1407.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the Irish Fiants, a collection of official records from the English administration in Ireland. The Fiants mention several individuals with the surname Maginn, including a Patrick Maginn who received a grant of land in County Antrim in 1629.

The Maginn name has also been associated with various places in Ireland, such as Maginn's Bawn, a townland in County Down, and Maginn's Island in Lough Neagh, County Armagh.

Among notable individuals with the surname Maginn, one of the earliest was William Maginn (1793-1842), an Irish writer, poet, and critic who contributed to various literary publications, including Fraser's Magazine and Blackwood's Magazine. Another notable figure was John Maginn (1794-1857), an Irish-born artist and engraver who worked in London and is known for his etchings and engravings of portraits and landscapes.

Other notable individuals with the Maginn surname include:

1. Bernard Maginn (1837-1916), an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York, from 1887 to 1914. 2. Patrick Maginn (1823-1899), an Irish-born Catholic priest and author who served in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, and wrote several works on Catholic theology. 3. Edward Maginn (1858-1935), an Irish-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Ansonia Hotel and the Riverside Church. 4. John Maginn (1861-1935), an Irish-born journalist and editor who worked for several newspapers in the United States, including the New York Sun and the New York Herald. 5. John Maginn (1892-1982), an Irish-born artist and illustrator known for his woodcuts and illustrations for books and magazines in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maginn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maginn 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 10 Maginns recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.35x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 10 8.35x
Durham 8 7.26x
Lancashire 6 1.37x
Somerset 4 6.71x
Cheshire 3 3.67x
Kent 2 1.58x
Warwickshire 2 2.14x
Cumberland 1 3.14x
Middlesex 1 0.27x
Royal Navy 1 22.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 10 Maginns recorded in 1881 and an index of 47.01x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 10 47.01x
Brandon Byshottles 8 579.71x
Liverpool 4 14.98x
Twerton 4 655.74x
Solihull 2 298.51x
Birkenhead 1 15.34x
Gorton 1 24.21x
Margate St John Baptist 1 43.29x
Milton In Gravesend 1 52.63x
Penrith 1 84.75x
Puddington 1 5000.00x
Stockport 1 23.75x
West Derby 1 7.78x
Whitechapel London 1 27.40x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizh. 1
Ellen 1
Maargaret 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Mary 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
Francis 2
John 2
Patrick 2
Henry 1
Leonard 1
Martin 1
Peter 1
Thos. 1
William 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 Maginn households.

FAQ

Maginn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maginn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 37 people were recorded with the Maginn surname. That placed it at #28,418 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maginn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Maginn a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Maginn surname mean?

A surname denoting someone small or puny, from Irish Gaelic "maighin."

What does the Maginn map show?

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