NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcalpine

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "son of Alpin" in Gaelic.

In the 1881 census there were 1,754 people recorded with the Mcalpine surname, ranking it #2,465 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,523, ranked #2,619, down from #2,465 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to North Bute and Rothesay, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Carse of Stirling and Gourock Upper and West Central and Upper Larkfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcalpine is 2,595 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.8%.

1881 census count

1,754

Ranked #2,465

Modern count

2,523

2016, ranked #2,619

Peak year

2010

2,595 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcalpine had 1,754 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,465 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,523 in 2016, ranked #2,619.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,090 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcalpine surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcalpine surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcalpine 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 955 #2,906
1861 historical 1,092 #2,573
1881 historical 1,754 #2,465
1891 historical 1,857 #2,478
1901 historical 2,090 #2,566
1911 historical 311 #11,150
1997 modern 2,373 #2,633
1998 modern 2,442 #2,663
1999 modern 2,471 #2,656
2000 modern 2,472 #2,642
2001 modern 2,423 #2,633
2002 modern 2,476 #2,642
2003 modern 2,429 #2,628
2004 modern 2,462 #2,605
2005 modern 2,423 #2,612
2006 modern 2,441 #2,596
2007 modern 2,473 #2,590
2008 modern 2,475 #2,611
2009 modern 2,519 #2,626
2010 modern 2,595 #2,615
2011 modern 2,509 #2,666
2012 modern 2,465 #2,658
2013 modern 2,489 #2,674
2014 modern 2,521 #2,656
2015 modern 2,503 #2,649
2016 modern 2,523 #2,619

Geography

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Where Mcalpines are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around North Bute and Rothesay, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Carse of Stirling, Gourock Upper and West Central and Upper Larkfield and Callander and Trossachs. 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 North Bute and Rothesay Bute
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 010 Northumberland
2 Carse of Stirling Stirling
3 Northumberland 011 Northumberland
4 Gourock Upper and West Central and Upper Larkfield Inverclyde
5 Callander and Trossachs Stirling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcalpine

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcalpine

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Mcalpine is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Mcalpine 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcalpine

The surname McAlpine is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic "Mac Ailpein" meaning "son of Alpin" or "son of the great warrior". It is believed to have originated in the Kingdom of Dalriada, an ancient region spanning parts of western Scotland and northern Ireland, during the 6th to 9th centuries AD.

The name is thought to be derived from the ancient Scottish king Alpin, who ruled the Kingdom of Dalriada in the 8th century. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed individuals who had sworn allegiance to King Edward I of England.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname McAlpine was Sir John McAlpine, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century. Another early figure was Duncan McAlpine, a 15th-century Scottish laird and chieftain of the McAlpine clan.

In the 16th century, the McAlpine family established themselves as notable landowners and prominent figures in the counties of Argyll and Ayr, with their ancestral lands centered around the area of Loch Fyne. A notable figure from this period was Sir John McAlpine of Kenmore, who played a significant role in the Reformation in Scotland.

As the name spread beyond its Scottish origins, it also took on various spellings, such as MacAlpine, McAlpin, and McAlpine. One notable bearer of the name in the 17th century was Sir Robert McAlpine, a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1668 to 1670.

In more recent history, the McAlpine family has produced several notable figures, including Sir Robert McAlpine (1847-1934), the founder of the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons, and his grandson Sir William McAlpine (1936-2018), who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament and was a successful businessman.

Other notable individuals with the surname McAlpine include the Scottish-Canadian author and poet Alistair MacAlpine (1850-1924), the British actor Ian McAlpine (1909-2003), and the Australian cricketer Rodney McAlpine (1960-2001).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcalpine families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcalpine 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. Middlesex leads with 14 Mcalpines recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.05x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 14 3.05x
Lancashire 13 2.39x
Essex 7 7.74x
Devon 3 3.14x
Renfrewshire 3 8.45x
Lanarkshire 2 1.35x
Cheshire 1 0.99x
Hampshire 1 1.06x
Kent 1 0.64x
Royal Navy 1 18.32x
Surrey 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 10 Mcalpines recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.28x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 10 30.28x
Bethnal Green London 9 45.20x
West Ham 6 30.03x
East Stonehouse 3 159.57x
West Greenock 3 47.02x
Glasgow 2 7.60x
Manchester 2 8.18x
Westminster St John 2 35.84x
Alverstoke 1 29.41x
East Ham 1 59.52x
Kensington London 1 3.92x
Lewisham 1 11.99x
Newington 1 5.91x
Northwich 1 625.00x
West Derby 1 6.29x
Westminster St 1 59.17x
Willesden 1 23.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Mary 3
Sarah 2
Alice 1
Catherine 1
Christina 1
Ellen 1
Hannah 1
Jane 1
Lizzie 1
Matilda 1
Mrs 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
William 5
Alexander 2
Arthur 1
Francis 1
G. 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
James 1
Jas. 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Thomas 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 Mcalpine households.

FAQ

Mcalpine surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcalpine surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,754 people were recorded with the Mcalpine surname. That placed it at #2,465 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcalpine surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,523 in 2016. That gives Mcalpine a modern rank of #2,619.

What does the Mcalpine surname mean?

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "son of Alpin" in Gaelic.

What does the Mcalpine map show?

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