NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccafferty

Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eachmharcaigh," meaning "son of Eachmharcach," a personal name signifying "horse rider" or "cavalry soldier."

In the 1881 census there were 897 people recorded with the Mccafferty surname, ranking it #4,245 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,532, ranked #1,920, up from #4,245 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ11, Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill and Carnwadric West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccafferty is 3,548 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 293.8%.

1881 census count

897

Ranked #4,245

Modern count

3,532

2016, ranked #1,920

Peak year

2010

3,548 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccafferty had 897 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,245 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,532 in 2016, ranked #1,920.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,386 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccafferty surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccafferty surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccafferty 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 231 #9,334
1861 historical 366 #6,987
1881 historical 897 #4,245
1891 historical 1,115 #3,807
1901 historical 1,386 #3,631
1911 historical 126 #19,831
1997 modern 3,148 #2,043
1998 modern 3,270 #2,051
1999 modern 3,331 #2,035
2000 modern 3,316 #2,030
2001 modern 3,250 #2,026
2002 modern 3,331 #2,026
2003 modern 3,281 #2,017
2004 modern 3,273 #2,015
2005 modern 3,262 #1,996
2006 modern 3,288 #1,994
2007 modern 3,353 #1,965
2008 modern 3,362 #1,984
2009 modern 3,465 #1,964
2010 modern 3,548 #1,962
2011 modern 3,467 #1,983
2012 modern 3,435 #1,963
2013 modern 3,469 #1,977
2014 modern 3,521 #1,962
2015 modern 3,540 #1,930
2016 modern 3,532 #1,920

Geography

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Where Mccaffertys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, 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 IZ11, Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill, Carnwadric West, IZ13 and Craigneuk Wishaw. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ11 West Dunbartonshire
2 Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill Glasgow City
3 Carnwadric West Glasgow City
4 IZ13 West Dunbartonshire
5 Craigneuk Wishaw North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccafferty

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccafferty

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mccafferty is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mccafferty 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mccafferty

The surname McCafferty is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic Mac Aphartáin or Mac Aferatáin. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Aphartáin/Aferatáin." The name Aphartáin is derived from the Old Irish word "afer," meaning "cold" or "keen," and the diminutive suffix "-án."

The McCafferty surname is most commonly found in counties Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh in Ulster, Ireland. It is believed to have originated in the area around the townlands of Aghyaran and Aghalurcher in County Fermanagh. The name is first recorded in the Annals of Ulster in the 14th century, which mention an Edmond Mac Caferthy in 1356.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCafferty surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, which mention a Richard McCafferty in County Fermanagh in 1585. The surname is also found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663-1665, which list several McCafferty households in County Fermanagh.

Notable McCaffertys throughout history include:

1. James McCafferty (1803-1869), an Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Donegal from 1857 to 1865. 2. John McCafferty (1846-1923), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1900 to 1909. 3. Thomas McCafferty (1885-1964), an Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1926 to 1930. 4. John McCafferty (born 1936), an Irish-American actor best known for his roles in the films "The Deer Hunter" and "Taps." 5. Fergus McCafferty (born 1973), an Irish author and playwright, known for his works such as "The Gathering" and "Nowhere Man."

The McCafferty surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Aghyaran and Aghalurcher in County Fermanagh, where the name is believed to have originated. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as MacCafferty, McCafferity, and McCaffarty, have been observed throughout historical records.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccafferty families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccafferty 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. Durham leads with 7 Mccaffertys recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.11x.

County Total Index
Durham 7 16.11x
Cumberland 5 39.75x
Lancashire 3 1.73x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 7 Mccaffertys recorded in 1881 and an index of 215.38x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 7 215.38x
St Cuthbert Within 5 3333.33x
Tottington Lower End 2 243.90x
Moss Side 1 109.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Ann 1
Marion 1
Mary 1
Matilda 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Edward 2
Charles 1
Hugh 1
Patrick 1
W.H. 1
William 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 Mccafferty households.

FAQ

Mccafferty surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccafferty surname in 1881?

In 1881, 897 people were recorded with the Mccafferty surname. That placed it at #4,245 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccafferty surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,532 in 2016. That gives Mccafferty a modern rank of #1,920.

What does the Mccafferty surname mean?

Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eachmharcaigh," meaning "son of Eachmharcach," a personal name signifying "horse rider" or "cavalry soldier."

What does the Mccafferty map show?

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