NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcarthy

An Irish surname derived from Mac Carthach meaning "son of Carthach" (a personal name).

In the 1881 census there were 189 people recorded with the Mcarthy surname, ranking it #13,322 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 174, ranked #21,466, down from #13,322 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), St Leonard Shoreditch and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Cambridgeshire, Liverpool and Waltham Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcarthy is 256 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.9%.

1881 census count

189

Ranked #13,322

Modern count

174

2016, ranked #21,466

Peak year

1891

256 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcarthy had 189 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,322 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016, ranked #21,466.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 256 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Mcarthy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcarthy surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Mcarthy 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 163 #12,156
1861 historical 230 #10,611
1881 historical 189 #13,322
1891 historical 256 #12,522
1901 historical 219 #14,292
1911 historical 140 #18,657
1997 modern 152 #20,948
1998 modern 147 #21,935
1999 modern 162 #20,781
2000 modern 146 #22,170
2001 modern 138 #22,647
2002 modern 149 #22,001
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 152 #21,628
2005 modern 136 #23,205
2006 modern 144 #22,520
2007 modern 141 #23,137
2008 modern 153 #22,132
2009 modern 161 #21,879
2010 modern 166 #21,941
2011 modern 153 #22,996
2012 modern 160 #22,260
2013 modern 159 #22,706
2014 modern 168 #22,075
2015 modern 164 #22,325
2016 modern 174 #21,466

Geography

Back to top

Where Mcarthys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), St Leonard Shoreditch, Edinburgh, St Giles-in-the-Fields and All Saints Poplar. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Cambridgeshire, Liverpool, Waltham Forest and Westminster. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 St Giles-in-the-Fields London (Central Districts)
5 All Saints Poplar London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Cambridgeshire 017 South Cambridgeshire
2 Liverpool 014 Liverpool
3 Waltham Forest 003 Waltham Forest
4 Westminster 011 Westminster
5 Liverpool 011 Liverpool

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Mcarthy

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Mcarthy

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Mcarthy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Mcarthy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mcarthy is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcarthy 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcarthy

The surname McCarthy has its origins in County Cork, Ireland. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Mac Carthaigh, which means "son of Carthach." Carthach was a personal name that likely meant "loving" or "beloved."

McCarthy is an anglicized version of the original Irish name. The earliest recorded spelling is believed to be MacCradic, which appeared in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1011.

The McCarthy family was one of the most prominent and powerful Irish families in the Middle Ages. They ruled over the region of Desmond, which encompassed much of modern-day County Cork and parts of neighboring counties.

One of the earliest recorded McCarthys was Cormac Mac Carthaigh, who was the King of Desmond in the 12th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of Inisfallen and other historical records from that time.

Another notable McCarthy was Donal Gott MacCarthy, who was the Lord of Muskerry in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule in Ireland.

In the 17th century, Justin McCarthy, a member of the McCarthy family, was a noted Irish Confederate and military leader during the Irish Confederate Wars.

The name McCarthy has also been associated with several notable figures in literature and the arts. One of the most famous was the 19th-century American novelist and poet, Mary McCarthy, who was born in 1912 and died in 1989.

Another notable bearer of the name was the Irish-American author and critic, Mary Therese Wlodek McCarthy, who was born in 1937 and is best known for her work "A Piece of Monologue."

In the field of sports, there have been several McCarthys of note, including the Irish professional boxer, Michael McCarthy, who was born in 1932 and won the British and European heavyweight titles in the 1950s.

Overall, the surname McCarthy has a rich and storied history, with its origins rooted in the ancient Irish kingdom of Desmond and a lineage that has produced numerous notable figures across various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Mcarthy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcarthy 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 25 Mcarthys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.16x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 25 3.16x
Kent 10 3.71x
Essex 8 5.13x
Cheshire 7 4.01x
Yorkshire 7 0.89x
Monmouthshire 6 10.51x
Surrey 6 1.56x
Glamorgan 3 2.18x
Durham 2 0.85x
Carmarthenshire 1 3.00x
Cornwall 1 1.12x
Devon 1 0.61x
Hampshire 1 0.62x
Lancashire 1 0.11x
Sussex 1 0.75x
Worcestershire 1 0.97x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Charlton in Kent leads with 8 Mcarthys recorded in 1881 and an index of 446.93x.

Place Total Index
Charlton 8 446.93x
St Marylebone London 7 16.60x
Thornton Hough 7 5833.33x
Whitechapel London 6 77.02x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 5 186.57x
Lambeth 5 7.26x
St Pancras London 5 7.86x
West Ham 5 14.52x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 4 366.97x
Kensington London 3 6.83x
Llantwit Vairdre 3 193.55x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 2 19.65x
Newport 2 73.53x
Brentwood 1 105.26x
Foots Cray 1 192.31x
Hornchurch 1 131.58x
Liverpool 1 1.76x
Llanelly 1 13.33x
Maidstone 1 12.45x
Maker 1 120.48x
Middlesbrough 1 9.81x
Mile End Old Town London 1 5.95x
Northfield 1 51.02x
Portsea 1 3.15x
Rye 1 78.74x
Springfield 1 147.06x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 1 89.29x
St George Hanover Square 1 7.18x
St Giles In Fields London 1 25.77x
Stoke Damerel 1 8.69x
Wandsworth 1 13.16x
York St Martin Mklgt W 1 555.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ellen 7
Margaret 5
Julia 3
Anne 2
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Kate 2
Maria 2
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Bridget 1
Bridgett 1
Briget 1
Catharine 1
Catherine 1
Ellan 1
Florence 1
Helena 1
Jane 1
Johanah 1
Johnna 1
Norah 1
Rebecca 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
Dennis 3
James 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Edward 2
Eugene 2
Micheal 2
William 2
Arttins 1
George 1
Jackie 1
Owen 1
Patrick 1
Philip 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Mcarthy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcarthy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 189 people were recorded with the Mcarthy surname. That placed it at #13,322 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcarthy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016. That gives Mcarthy a modern rank of #21,466.

What does the Mcarthy surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from Mac Carthach meaning "son of Carthach" (a personal name).

What does the Mcarthy map show?

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