NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccaffrey

Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Gofraidh, meaning "son of Gofraidh," a personal name derived from gow ("smith") and frid ("peace").

In the 1881 census there were 315 people recorded with the Mccaffrey surname, ranking it #9,393 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,920, ranked #3,322, up from #9,393 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Manchester and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Manchester, Kelvingrove and University and South Lakeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccaffrey is 1,945 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 509.5%.

1881 census count

315

Ranked #9,393

Modern count

1,920

2016, ranked #3,322

Peak year

2014

1,945 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccaffrey had 315 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,393 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,920 in 2016, ranked #3,322.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 472 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mccaffrey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccaffrey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccaffrey 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 112 #15,913
1861 historical 180 #13,057
1881 historical 315 #9,393
1891 historical 371 #9,405
1901 historical 472 #8,407
1911 historical 362 #10,020
1997 modern 1,641 #3,618
1998 modern 1,705 #3,627
1999 modern 1,737 #3,592
2000 modern 1,778 #3,497
2001 modern 1,772 #3,430
2002 modern 1,804 #3,446
2003 modern 1,789 #3,412
2004 modern 1,727 #3,523
2005 modern 1,755 #3,445
2006 modern 1,757 #3,446
2007 modern 1,789 #3,425
2008 modern 1,825 #3,393
2009 modern 1,869 #3,400
2010 modern 1,912 #3,402
2011 modern 1,901 #3,380
2012 modern 1,907 #3,318
2013 modern 1,942 #3,321
2014 modern 1,945 #3,333
2015 modern 1,942 #3,309
2016 modern 1,920 #3,322

Geography

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Where Mccaffreys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Manchester, Kelvingrove and University, South Lakeland, Knowsley and Renfrew East. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Manchester 051 Manchester
2 Kelvingrove and University Glasgow City
3 South Lakeland 004 South Lakeland
4 Knowsley 020 Knowsley
5 Renfrew East Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccaffrey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccaffrey

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mccaffrey 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

Mccaffrey 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mccaffrey

The surname McCaffrey is of Irish origin, and it dates back to the early medieval period in Ireland. The name is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Cathmhaoil," which means "battle-chief" or "warrior-chief." This name was often anglicized as Caffrey, and the prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McCaffrey can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the 17th century. The annals mention a Brian McCaffrey who was killed in a battle in County Tyrone in 1395.

The McCaffrey surname was particularly prevalent in the provinces of Ulster and Leinster, especially in counties such as Tyrone, Armagh, and Louth. The name is also associated with several notable Irish families and clans, including the McGraths of Sligo and the O'Byrnes of Wicklow.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, during the Plantation of Ulster, many McCaffreys were dispossessed of their lands and forced to migrate to other parts of Ireland or abroad. This led to the spread of the surname across Ireland and to other countries.

One notable figure with the McCaffrey surname was Sir Charles McCaffrey (1816-1881), an Irish-Australian politician and judge who served as the Chief Justice of New South Wales from 1877 until his death.

Another prominent McCaffrey was Aloysius McCaffrey (1873-1945), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey, from 1925 to 1945.

Edward McCaffrey (1891-1950) was an Irish-American screenwriter and film producer best known for his work on the 1939 film "Gone with the Wind," for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Anne McCaffrey (1926-2011) was an American-Irish writer best known for her science fiction series "Dragonriders of Pern," which earned her numerous awards and accolades, including the Hugo and Nebula awards.

Finally, Ed McCaffrey (born 1968) is a former American football player who played as a wide receiver in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Giants, winning three Super Bowl championships.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccaffrey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccaffrey 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. Lancashire leads with 25 Mccaffreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.54x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 25 5.54x
Middlesex 7 1.84x
Warwickshire 3 3.13x
Cheshire 1 1.19x
Essex 1 1.33x
Northamptonshire 1 2.79x
Nottinghamshire 1 1.95x

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 12 Mccaffreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 43.78x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 12 43.78x
Westby With Plumpton 11 15714.29x
Birmingham 3 9.38x
Hammersmith London 3 32.02x
Islington London 3 8.14x
Birkenhead 1 14.95x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 27.93x
East Ham 1 71.94x
Nottingham St Mary 1 7.54x
Weedon Beck 1 384.62x
West Derby 1 7.58x
West Drayton 1 769.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Ann 3
Catherine 2
Elizabeth 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Ellen 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Patrick 4
Hugh 3
John 3
Joseph 3
Michael 2
Thomas 2
Dennis 1
Edward 1
James 1
Wm. 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 Mccaffrey households.

FAQ

Mccaffrey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccaffrey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 315 people were recorded with the Mccaffrey surname. That placed it at #9,393 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccaffrey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,920 in 2016. That gives Mccaffrey a modern rank of #3,322.

What does the Mccaffrey surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Gofraidh, meaning "son of Gofraidh," a personal name derived from gow ("smith") and frid ("peace").

What does the Mccaffrey map show?

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