NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccann

A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Cann," likely derived from a nickname for a wolf cub.

In the 1881 census there were 4,170 people recorded with the Mccann surname, ranking it #1,078 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 12,956, ranked #499, up from #1,078 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Gateshead and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kilsyth East and Croy, Ruchill and Possil Park.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccann is 13,001 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 210.7%.

1881 census count

4,170

Ranked #1,078

Modern count

12,956

2016, ranked #499

Peak year

2014

13,001 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccann had 4,170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,078 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 12,956 in 2016, ranked #499.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,465 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccann surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccann surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccann 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 1,574 #1,831
1861 historical 2,006 #1,451
1881 historical 4,170 #1,078
1891 historical 4,492 #1,048
1901 historical 5,465 #1,017
1911 historical 3,285 #1,589
1997 modern 11,308 #538
1998 modern 11,753 #539
1999 modern 12,019 #532
2000 modern 11,943 #533
2001 modern 11,759 #530
2002 modern 12,036 #531
2003 modern 11,848 #525
2004 modern 12,015 #524
2005 modern 12,067 #513
2006 modern 12,086 #514
2007 modern 12,231 #511
2008 modern 12,344 #509
2009 modern 12,705 #506
2010 modern 12,955 #505
2011 modern 12,790 #504
2012 modern 12,531 #505
2013 modern 12,834 #505
2014 modern 13,001 #497
2015 modern 12,912 #499
2016 modern 12,956 #499

Geography

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Where Mccanns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Gateshead, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kilsyth East and Croy, Ruchill, Possil Park, Anderston and Govan and Linthouse. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kilsyth East and Croy North Lanarkshire
2 Ruchill Glasgow City
3 Possil Park Glasgow City
4 Anderston Glasgow City
5 Govan and Linthouse Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccann

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccann

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

Mccann 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mccann

The surname McCann is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Cana or Mac Cathan, which means "son of Cana" or "son of Cathan." The name Cana or Cathan was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "cath," meaning "battle" or "warrior."

The McCann surname can be traced back to the 11th century in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Armagh, Monaghan, and Fermanagh. It was originally a Gaelic clan name associated with the territories of East Ulster and the ancient kingdom of Airgíalla.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCann surname is found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Gilla Patraic Mac Cathan" in the year 1167. The surname is also found in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important source of Irish history, which refers to a "Maolmuire Mac Cana" in the year 1237.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the McCann surname appeared in various legal and administrative records, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Hearth Money Rolls. One notable example is Sir Séon McCann (c. 1570-1635), a prominent Irish soldier and landowner from County Armagh, who served in the Spanish Army of Flanders.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, the McCann name became more widespread in the northern counties of Ireland, as families were granted lands and settled in areas like County Antrim and County Down. The surname is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Ballymacann (from the Irish "Baile Mhic Cana," meaning "townland of the sons of Cana") and Drumacann (from the Irish "Druim Mhic Cana," meaning "ridge of the sons of Cana").

Notable individuals with the McCann surname include:

1. Bernard McCann (1736-1798), an Irish revolutionary and United Irishman who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. 2. Colum McCann (born 1965), an Irish novelist and writer, best known for his novels "Let the Great World Spin" and "TransAtlantic." 3. John McCann (1905-1980), an Irish Franciscan friar and historian who wrote extensively on Irish history and the Irish Franciscan tradition. 4. Joshua McCann (c. 1777-1846), an Irish-American soldier and pioneer who fought in the War of 1812 and was one of the founders of the city of Chicago, Illinois. 5. Marie McCann (born 1984), an Irish long-distance runner and Olympian who represented Ireland in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccann families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccann 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 156 Mccanns recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.39x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 156 3.39x
Durham 39 3.39x
Yorkshire 32 0.83x
Northumberland 23 3.99x
Staffordshire 20 1.53x
Denbighshire 19 12.99x
Middlesex 18 0.46x
Cheshire 14 1.64x
Lincolnshire 13 2.10x
Surrey 12 0.64x
Flintshire 10 9.61x
Cumberland 8 2.40x
Essex 7 0.92x
Glamorgan 4 0.59x
Gloucestershire 4 0.53x
Kent 4 0.30x
Hampshire 3 0.38x
Warwickshire 3 0.31x
Berkshire 2 0.69x
Royal Navy 2 4.33x
Worcestershire 2 0.40x
Derbyshire 1 0.16x
Isle of Man 1 1.39x

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 41 Mccanns recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.69x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 41 14.69x
Manchester 24 11.61x
Preston 14 11.39x
Great Grimsby 13 33.08x
Toxteth Park 12 7.71x
Birtley 10 212.77x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 10 20.04x
Walton Le Dale 9 72.87x
Bishopwearmouth 8 8.09x
Bootle Cum Linacre 8 21.92x
Flint 8 135.36x
Llangerniew 8 851.06x
Stoke Upon Trent 8 5.77x
West Derby 8 5.95x
Longbenton 7 28.69x
West Ham 7 4.15x
Wrexham Regis 7 64.46x
Barnsley 6 15.16x
Holy Trinity 6 6.50x
Kirkdale 6 7.76x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 17.44x
Westoe 6 9.19x
York St Margaret 6 252.10x
Birkenhead 5 7.34x
Burslem 5 13.35x
Camberwell 5 2.02x
Great Bolton 5 8.21x
Holywell 5 168.92x
Ince In Makerfield 5 23.39x
St Marylebone London 5 2.42x
Uttoxeter 5 74.74x
Chelsea London 4 3.43x
Monks Coppenhall 4 12.40x
Stapleton 4 27.76x
Stockport 4 9.09x
Ulverston 4 29.90x
Birmingham 3 0.92x
Cardiff St Mary 3 8.08x
Croydon 3 2.86x
Elswick 3 6.52x
Kingston On Thames 3 6.62x
Leeds 3 1.38x
Pontefract 3 36.28x
Radcliffe 3 13.54x
Ruabon 3 14.92x
Tonge 3 31.12x
Batley 2 5.48x
Chorley 2 7.75x
Everton 2 1.37x
Heworth 2 8.81x
Maidstone 2 5.08x
Manningham 2 4.23x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 2 26.39x
Old Windsor 2 59.52x
Oswaldtwistle 2 12.32x
Portsea 2 1.29x
St Giles In Fields 2 14.97x
St Gilesin Fields 2 88.50x
Walton On Hill 2 8.04x
Wednesfield 2 10.40x
Whitehaven 2 11.25x
Armley 1 5.91x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 1.37x
Cowpen Bewley 1 76.34x
Dover Castle 1 104.17x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 7.82x
Dudley 1 1.63x
Farnborough 1 11.99x
Gorton 1 2.31x
Layton With Warbreck 1 5.93x
Maghull 1 52.36x
Maughold 1 18.02x
Penrith 1 8.12x
Rotherhithe 1 2.09x
Seaton 1 25.71x
Sheffield 1 0.82x
St Cuthbert Within 1 25.91x
St George Hanover 1 1.98x
Swansea St Thomas 1 14.77x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 51
Elizabeth 18
Ann 14
Margaret 12
Sarah 11
Catherine 10
Alice 9
Jane 9
Bridget 7
Rose 6
Anne 4
Annie 3
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Kate 3
Louisa 3
Maria 3
Hannah 2
Rebecca 2
Susana 2
Teresa 2
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Clara 1
Edithe 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Ester 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Helen 1
Honora 1
Isabella 1
Jinney 1
Katie 1
Maggie 1
Marcella 1
Margt. 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Rosa 1
Rosanna 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 33
James 16
William 14
Michael 12
Thomas 12
Joseph 11
Charles 7
Edward 6
Hugh 6
Peter 6
George 4
Henry 4
Matthew 4
Owen 4
Patrick 4
Andrew 3
Arthur 3
Bernard 3
Daniel 3
Francis 3
Richard 3
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Cornelius 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Felix 2
Frederick 2
Adam 1
Alexander 1
Alexr. 1
Barnett 1
Christopher 1
Cristy 1
Edmund 1
Edwd.Casey 1
Frances 1
Fredrick 1
Jno.Albert 1
Mary 1
Pat 1
Patk. 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Mccann surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccann surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,170 people were recorded with the Mccann surname. That placed it at #1,078 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccann surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 12,956 in 2016. That gives Mccann a modern rank of #499.

What does the Mccann surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Cann," likely derived from a nickname for a wolf cub.

What does the Mccann map show?

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