UK surname

Mcaleenan

An Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Giolla Éanaigh meaning "son of the servant of St Eanach".

In the 1881 census there were 7 people recorded with the Mcaleenan surname, ranking it #32,765 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 151, ranked #23,615, up from #32,765 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ryedale, Blantyre South and Wheatlands and South Staffordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcaleenan is 151 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 2057.1%.

1881 census count

Ranked #32,765

Modern count

151

2016, ranked #23,615

Peak year

2016

151 bearers

Map years

1998 to 2016

Key insights

• Mcaleenan had 7 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #32,765 surname in that year.
• The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016, ranked #23,615.
• Within the historical census years, the highest count was 25 in 1901.
• The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Map

Mcaleenan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcaleenan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Year

Loading map

Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Mcaleenan 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	5	#32,456
1861	historical	9	#32,724
1881	historical	7	#32,765
1891	historical	12	#33,181
1901	historical	25	#31,259
1911	historical	6	#33,255
1997	modern	109	#25,650
1998	modern	125	#24,198
1999	modern	136	#23,186
2000	modern	144	#22,357
2001	modern	136	#22,855
2002	modern	142	#22,687
2003	modern	137	#22,939
2004	modern	146	#22,202
2005	modern	142	#22,577
2006	modern	138	#23,156
2007	modern	140	#23,231
2008	modern	138	#23,763
2009	modern	144	#23,577
2010	modern	143	#24,247
2011	modern	142	#24,182
2012	modern	137	#24,731
2013	modern	142	#24,547
2014	modern	144	#24,504
2015	modern	145	#24,246
2016	modern	151	#23,615

Geography

Where Mcaleenans 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 Ryedale, Blantyre South and Wheatlands, South Staffordshire, Forgewood and Carlisle. 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	Ryedale 003	Ryedale
2	Blantyre South and Wheatlands	South Lanarkshire
3	South Staffordshire 001	South Staffordshire
4	Forgewood	North Lanarkshire
5	Carlisle 012	Carlisle

Forenames

First names often paired with Mcaleenan

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Recent female names

Mary Catherine Rosemary Margaret Patricia Anne Maureen Geraldine Christine Claire

Recent male names

Patrick James John Thomas Paul Joseph Niall Gerard Conor Michael

Modern profile

Neighbourhood profile for Mcaleenan

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

Mcaleenan is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mcaleenan falls in decile 4 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.

More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mcaleenan 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.

Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate: White - Irish

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

Origin

Meaning and origin of Mcaleenan

The surname McAleenan has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the early 17th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic name MacAleenan, which itself is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Gille Éanáin, meaning "son of the servant of St. Éanán."

St. Éanán was a 7th-century Irish saint and abbot, and the name Gille Éanáin was a common personal name among Irish families who venerated this saint. The prefix "Mac" means "son of" in Gaelic, so the name essentially denotes a family descended from someone named Gille Éanáin.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 17th century, with variations such as McAleenan, McAlenan, and McAlenon appearing in parish records and land registries across counties like Tyrone, Donegal, and Fermanagh in Ulster. These variations likely emerged due to the phonetic transcription of the Gaelic name into English.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Patrick McAleenan, a landowner in County Tyrone who was mentioned in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663. Another notable figure was John McAleenan, a Catholic priest from County Donegal who was executed in 1644 during the Irish Confederate Wars for his religious beliefs.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in several historical records, such as the 1766 Religious Census of Ireland, which listed several McAleenan families in County Tyrone. The 1796 Flaxgrowers' List for County Fermanagh also included several individuals with the surname.

Throughout the 19th century, several McAleenans achieved prominence in various fields. One example is James McAleenan (1823-1889), an Irish-born journalist and newspaper editor who worked for publications in New York City and was an advocate for Irish nationalism. Another notable figure was John McAleenan (1846-1920), a successful businessman and philanthropist from County Donegal who donated funds for the construction of several schools and churches in his hometown.

Into the 20th century, the name continued to be associated with individuals of Irish descent. For instance, Frank McAleenan (1914-1977) was a American professional baseball player who spent several seasons in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals.

While the McAleenan surname originated in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly areas with significant Irish diaspora populations, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

FAQ

Mcaleenan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcaleenan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7 people were recorded with the Mcaleenan surname. That placed it at #32,765 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcaleenan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016. That gives Mcaleenan a modern rank of #23,615.

What does the Mcaleenan surname mean?