NameCensus.

UK surname

Maginnis

A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the strong/powerful one".

In the 1881 census there were 48 people recorded with the Maginnis surname, ranking it #26,869 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 277, ranked #15,619, up from #26,869 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Boswall and Pilton, Maryhill East and Fareham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maginnis is 277 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 477.1%.

1881 census count

48

Ranked #26,869

Modern count

277

2016, ranked #15,619

Peak year

2016

277 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maginnis had 48 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,869 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016, ranked #15,619.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 76 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Maginnis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maginnis surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maginnis 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 63 #22,069
1861 historical 40 #28,970
1881 historical 48 #26,869
1891 historical 44 #30,838
1901 historical 76 #25,734
1911 historical 42 #28,691
1997 modern 202 #17,514
1998 modern 208 #17,693
1999 modern 202 #18,127
2000 modern 201 #18,152
2001 modern 200 #17,948
2002 modern 215 #17,487
2003 modern 212 #17,454
2004 modern 219 #17,180
2005 modern 238 #16,198
2006 modern 240 #16,177
2007 modern 232 #16,795
2008 modern 234 #16,827
2009 modern 239 #16,951
2010 modern 246 #16,975
2011 modern 256 #16,383
2012 modern 257 #16,212
2013 modern 264 #16,191
2014 modern 274 #15,877
2015 modern 271 #15,881
2016 modern 277 #15,619

Geography

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Where Maginnis' 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 Boswall and Pilton, Maryhill East, Fareham, Trinity and Rosyth South. 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 Boswall and Pilton City of Edinburgh
2 Maryhill East Glasgow City
3 Fareham 011 Fareham
4 Trinity City of Edinburgh
5 Rosyth South Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maginnis

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maginnis

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Maginnis, 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 Maginnis surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Maginnis 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Maginnis is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Maginnis is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Maginnis 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 Maginnis 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 Maginnis, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Maginnis

The surname Maginnis is of Irish origin, derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Mag Aonghusa" meaning "son of Angus." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the Barony of Iveagh, County Down, Northern Ireland.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Mac Aonghusa" in the year 1164. The name is thought to have evolved over time, with various spellings such as "MacGynnis," "McGinnis," and "Magennis" appearing in ancient records.

In the 16th century, the Maginnis clan was prominent in the Barony of Iveagh, and their territory included the town of Rathfriland. The clan's history is intertwined with the turbulent period of the Nine Years' War (1594-1603) and the Plantation of Ulster, during which many Maginnis landholdings were confiscated.

One notable figure from this period was Sir Hugh Maginnis (c. 1570-1629), who served as a member of the Irish Parliament and was knighted by King James I in 1621. Another was Rory Maginnis (c. 1610-1680), a military commander who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the Hearth Money Rolls, a tax record kept in Ireland from 1662 to 1665, indicating the widespread distribution of the Maginnis name across various counties.

The name Maginnis has also been associated with several place names in Northern Ireland, such as Maginnis Hill and Maginnis Rock in County Down, reflecting the historical presence of the clan in the region.

Other notable individuals bearing the Maginnis surname include John Maginnis (1807-1889), an Irish-American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New Orleans, and Martin Maginnis (1867-1944), a U.S. politician who served as a Democratic Representative from Montana.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maginnis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maginnis 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. Lancashire leads with 24 Maginnis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.32x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 24 4.32x
Derbyshire 5 6.82x
Surrey 3 1.32x
Sussex 3 3.80x
Yorkshire 3 0.65x
Lincolnshire 2 2.67x
Brecknockshire 1 10.68x
Cumberland 1 2.48x
Lanarkshire 1 0.66x
Montgomeryshire 1 9.33x
Northamptonshire 1 2.27x
Northumberland 1 1.44x
Shropshire 1 2.47x
Warwickshire 1 0.85x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirkdale in Lancashire leads with 6 Maginnis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 64.24x.

Place Total Index
Kirkdale 6 64.24x
Toxteth Park 6 31.91x
Glossop Dale 5 145.77x
Manchester 5 20.02x
Everton 3 16.95x
Holy Trinity 3 26.91x
Lambeth 3 7.35x
Westbourne 3 769.23x
Bury 2 31.55x
Great Bolton 2 27.17x
Market Rasen 2 476.19x
Birmingham 1 2.54x
Brecknock St David 1 400.00x
Egremont 1 104.17x
Glasgow 1 3.72x
Pool 1 123.46x
Shrewsbury St Chad 1 70.42x
Wallsend 1 45.25x
Winwick In Daventry 1 3333.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Mary 4
Annie 2
Ellen 2
Margaret 2
Alice 1
Catherine 1
Cathrine 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Helen 1
M.Gerty 1
Minnie 1
S.E. 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

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 Maginnis households.

FAQ

Maginnis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maginnis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 48 people were recorded with the Maginnis surname. That placed it at #26,869 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maginnis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016. That gives Maginnis a modern rank of #15,619.

What does the Maginnis surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of the strong/powerful one".

What does the Maginnis map show?

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