NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccahill

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cathail" meaning "son of the battler" or "son of the warrior".

In the 1881 census there were 58 people recorded with the Mccahill surname, ranking it #25,428 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 309, ranked #14,442, up from #25,428 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Port Glasgow, Greenock and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Port Glasgow Upper East, Lennoxtown and Maybole.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccahill is 315 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 432.8%.

1881 census count

58

Ranked #25,428

Modern count

309

2016, ranked #14,442

Peak year

2015

315 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccahill had 58 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,428 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 309 in 2016, ranked #14,442.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 107 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccahill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccahill surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccahill 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 7 #32,070
1861 historical 61 #26,170
1881 historical 58 #25,428
1891 historical 70 #28,073
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1997 modern 290 #13,832
1998 modern 302 #13,839
1999 modern 303 #13,873
2000 modern 298 #13,981
2001 modern 287 #14,131
2002 modern 291 #14,275
2003 modern 292 #14,065
2004 modern 284 #14,377
2005 modern 293 #14,030
2006 modern 288 #14,267
2007 modern 289 #14,401
2008 modern 280 #14,823
2009 modern 288 #14,838
2010 modern 300 #14,730
2011 modern 305 #14,439
2012 modern 307 #14,288
2013 modern 306 #14,557
2014 modern 306 #14,647
2015 modern 315 #14,247
2016 modern 309 #14,442

Geography

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Where Mccahills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Port Glasgow, Greenock, Glasgow, Paisley Abbey and Kilbarchan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Port Glasgow Upper East, Lennoxtown, Maybole, Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central and Greenock East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Port Glasgow Renfrew
2 Greenock Renfrew
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Paisley Abbey Renfrew
5 Kilbarchan Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Port Glasgow Upper East Inverclyde
2 Lennoxtown East Dunbartonshire
3 Maybole South Ayrshire
4 Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central Inverclyde
5 Greenock East Inverclyde

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccahill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccahill

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

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mccahill is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Mccahill 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

Mccahill falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mccahill 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 Mccahill, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mccahill

The surname McCahill is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Cathail, meaning "son of Cathal." The name Cathal itself is an ancient Irish personal name, thought to be derived from the word "cath," meaning "battle" or "warrior."

The McCahill name can be traced back to County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1272, where it is written as "Mac Cathail."

One of the earliest known bearers of the McCahill name was Niall Mac Cathail, a 14th-century chieftain of the Cenél Conaill dynasty in Donegal. He is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the 17th century.

In the 16th century, the McCahill name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of documents relating to the administration of Ireland during the Tudor period. One entry from 1586 references a pardon granted to "Donill McCahill of Glanfyn."

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McCahills were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland or abroad. Some McCahills settled in County Tyrone, where the name is still found today.

Notable McCahills throughout history include:

1. Patrick McCahill (1807-1885), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist from New York City. 2. John McCahill (1829-1908), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Fredericksburg. 3. Mary McCahill (1870-1942), an Irish-American labor activist and suffragist from Boston, Massachusetts. 4. Francis McCahill (1901-1979), an Irish-born American Roman Catholic priest and educator who served as the president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. 5. Thomas McCahill (1925-1999), an American automotive journalist and writer, best known for his irreverent and humorous car reviews in magazines like Mechanix Illustrated and Car and Driver.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

FAQ

Mccahill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccahill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 58 people were recorded with the Mccahill surname. That placed it at #25,428 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccahill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 309 in 2016. That gives Mccahill a modern rank of #14,442.

What does the Mccahill surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cathail" meaning "son of the battler" or "son of the warrior".

What does the Mccahill map show?

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