NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcbrearty

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "Breatach" meaning "Briton", originally denoting a descendant of a Briton.

In the 1881 census there were 81 people recorded with the Mcbrearty surname, ranking it #22,082 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 523, ranked #9,679, up from #22,082 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Johnstone North West, Merrylee and Millbrae and Greenock Town Centre and East Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcbrearty is 523 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 545.7%.

1881 census count

81

Ranked #22,082

Modern count

523

2016, ranked #9,679

Peak year

2016

523 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcbrearty had 81 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,082 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 523 in 2016, ranked #9,679.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 176 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcbrearty surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcbrearty surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcbrearty 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 73 #24,492
1881 historical 81 #22,082
1891 historical 128 #20,393
1901 historical 176 #16,401
1911 historical 73 #25,541
1997 modern 451 #10,049
1998 modern 466 #10,140
1999 modern 467 #10,179
2000 modern 479 #9,951
2001 modern 479 #9,767
2002 modern 487 #9,820
2003 modern 470 #9,924
2004 modern 465 #10,046
2005 modern 476 #9,783
2006 modern 468 #9,952
2007 modern 467 #10,053
2008 modern 476 #10,012
2009 modern 499 #9,879
2010 modern 507 #9,947
2011 modern 515 #9,745
2012 modern 519 #9,617
2013 modern 516 #9,783
2014 modern 520 #9,803
2015 modern 522 #9,710
2016 modern 523 #9,679

Geography

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Where Mcbreartys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay, Govan Combination, 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 Johnstone North West, Merrylee and Millbrae, Greenock Town Centre and East Central, Greenock East and Central Bedfordshire. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Johnstone North West Renfrewshire
2 Merrylee and Millbrae Glasgow City
3 Greenock Town Centre and East Central Inverclyde
4 Greenock East Inverclyde
5 Central Bedfordshire 028 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcbrearty

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcbrearty

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Mcbrearty 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.

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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

Mcbrearty 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mcbrearty 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 Mcbrearty 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mcbrearty

The surname McBrearty originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Breartaidh, meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy". The prefix "Mc" indicates "son of", so McBrearty translates to "son of Breartaidh".

The name is believed to have first emerged in the region of Argyll, on the western coast of Scotland, where the Gaelic language was predominant. It is possible that the name was also present in neighboring areas of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

One of the earliest known references to the name McBrearty can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of documents recording the swearing of fealty to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the McBrearty surname appeared in the Black Book of Taymouth, a historic record of land charters and other legal documents related to the Breadalbane region of central Scotland. This further solidifies the name's Scottish origins.

Notable individuals with the surname McBrearty include John McBrearty (1768-1845), a Scottish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Another significant figure was Patrick McBrearty (1832-1909), an Irish-born politician who served as a member of the Australian Legislative Council in the late 19th century.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname McBrearty was also found in various records from the counties of Donegal and Derry in Ulster, Ireland, likely due to Scottish migration and settlement in that region.

Other noteworthy individuals bearing the name include:

1. Cormac McBrearty (1886-1962), an Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler from County Donegal. 2. Eugene McBrearty (1847-1919), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist from New York. 3. James McBrearty (1861-1937), a Scottish-born politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada. 4. Seán McBrearty (1921-2012), an Irish republican and former member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). 5. William McBrearty (1842-1921), a Scottish-born farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

FAQ

Mcbrearty surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcbrearty surname in 1881?

In 1881, 81 people were recorded with the Mcbrearty surname. That placed it at #22,082 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcbrearty surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 523 in 2016. That gives Mcbrearty a modern rank of #9,679.

What does the Mcbrearty surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "Breatach" meaning "Briton", originally denoting a descendant of a Briton.

What does the Mcbrearty map show?

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