NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccandless

From the Gaelic "Mac Coinnich," meaning "son of Coinneach," a personal name derived from "caoin" meaning "handsome, fair, or kind."

In the 1881 census there were 40 people recorded with the Mccandless surname, ranking it #28,011 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 436, ranked #11,062, up from #28,011 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tameside, Huntingdonshire and Drumchapel North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccandless is 436 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 990.0%.

1881 census count

40

Ranked #28,011

Modern count

436

2016, ranked #11,062

Peak year

2016

436 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccandless had 40 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,011 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 436 in 2016, ranked #11,062.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 68 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccandless surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccandless surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccandless 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 3 #32,890
1861 historical 12 #32,329
1881 historical 40 #28,011
1891 historical 46 #30,657
1901 historical 68 #26,598
1911 historical 26 #30,547
1997 modern 367 #11,751
1998 modern 385 #11,698
1999 modern 379 #11,922
2000 modern 397 #11,463
2001 modern 388 #11,459
2002 modern 380 #11,887
2003 modern 358 #12,208
2004 modern 365 #12,077
2005 modern 366 #11,964
2006 modern 368 #11,990
2007 modern 376 #11,925
2008 modern 375 #12,059
2009 modern 393 #11,886
2010 modern 406 #11,847
2011 modern 403 #11,806
2012 modern 419 #11,295
2013 modern 428 #11,304
2014 modern 434 #11,246
2015 modern 430 #11,226
2016 modern 436 #11,062

Geography

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Where Mccandless' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tameside, Huntingdonshire, Drumchapel North, Anderston and Mosstodloch, Portgordon and seaward. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tameside 011 Tameside
2 Huntingdonshire 004 Huntingdonshire
3 Drumchapel North Glasgow City
4 Anderston Glasgow City
5 Mosstodloch, Portgordon and seaward Moray

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccandless

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccandless

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

Mccandless 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mccandless

The surname McCandless is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Fhilidh" which means "son of the bard" or "son of the poet." This name originated in the Scottish Highlands during the medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century.

McCandless is a variant spelling of the original Gaelic name, with the prefix "Mac" meaning "son of" and the root word "Candless" or "Candlish" being an Anglicized version of "an Fhilidh." This name was typically given to the son of a professional poet or bard, who played an important role in Scottish clan culture as storytellers, historians, and advisors.

One of the earliest known references to the McCandless name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 16th century, which recorded various clan members and their landholdings. The name was particularly prominent in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles, where many bards and poets were associated with powerful clans.

In the 17th century, several McCandless individuals were recorded in the parish registers of Kilmory, Arran, and other areas of western Scotland. One notable figure was John McCandless, a poet and scholar who lived in the late 16th century and was known for his works in Gaelic and Latin.

During the Scottish Diaspora of the 18th and 19th centuries, many McCandless families emigrated from Scotland to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Some prominent individuals with this surname include:

1. Henry McCandless (1788-1857), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

2. John McCandless (1835-1905), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

3. William McCandless (1853-1920), an American businessman and politician who served as the 22nd Governor of Hawaii from 1918 to 1921.

4. Christine McCandless (1945-2015), an American author and environmental activist, best known for her book "Into the Wild," which chronicled the life and death of her son, Christopher McCandless.

5. Bruce McCandless II (1937-2017), a retired United States Navy officer and former NASA astronaut, who famously performed the first untethered spacewalk in 1984.

The McCandless name has retained its Scottish roots and continues to be associated with its historical ties to the bardic tradition and cultural heritage of the Scottish Highlands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccandless families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccandless 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. Yorkshire leads with 2 Mccandless' recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.47x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2 10.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liversedge in Yorkshire leads with 2 Mccandless' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2222.22x.

Place Total Index
Liversedge 2 2222.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Hannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 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 Mccandless households.

FAQ

Mccandless surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccandless surname in 1881?

In 1881, 40 people were recorded with the Mccandless surname. That placed it at #28,011 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccandless surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 436 in 2016. That gives Mccandless a modern rank of #11,062.

What does the Mccandless surname mean?

From the Gaelic "Mac Coinnich," meaning "son of Coinneach," a personal name derived from "caoin" meaning "handsome, fair, or kind."

What does the Mccandless map show?

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