NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccarroll

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cearbhaill," meaning "son of Cearbhall," a personal name of uncertain meaning.

In the 1881 census there were 134 people recorded with the Mccarroll surname, ranking it #16,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 896, ranked #6,324, up from #16,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Newcastle St John, Prescot and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Burnbank North, Kilsyth East and Croy and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccarroll is 914 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 568.7%.

1881 census count

134

Ranked #16,602

Modern count

896

2016, ranked #6,324

Peak year

2010

914 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccarroll had 134 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 896 in 2016, ranked #6,324.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 235 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccarroll surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccarroll surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccarroll 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 35 #27,037
1861 historical 63 #25,901
1881 historical 134 #16,602
1891 historical 222 #13,854
1901 historical 235 #13,662
1911 historical 139 #18,745
1997 modern 823 #6,393
1998 modern 853 #6,417
1999 modern 854 #6,457
2000 modern 834 #6,559
2001 modern 843 #6,381
2002 modern 883 #6,272
2003 modern 871 #6,227
2004 modern 856 #6,315
2005 modern 867 #6,206
2006 modern 879 #6,142
2007 modern 897 #6,101
2008 modern 901 #6,128
2009 modern 902 #6,255
2010 modern 914 #6,316
2011 modern 895 #6,348
2012 modern 881 #6,344
2013 modern 887 #6,400
2014 modern 910 #6,322
2015 modern 905 #6,305
2016 modern 896 #6,324

Geography

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Where Mccarrolls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Newcastle St John, Prescot, 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 Burnbank North, Kilsyth East and Croy, County Durham, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Kilmacolm, Quarriers, Greenock Upper East/Central. 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 Newcastle St John Northumberland
2 Prescot Lancashire
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Burnbank North South Lanarkshire
2 Kilsyth East and Croy North Lanarkshire
3 County Durham 040 County Durham
4 Nuneaton and Bedworth 006 Nuneaton and Bedworth
5 Kilmacolm, Quarriers, Greenock Upper East/Central Inverclyde

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccarroll

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccarroll

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

Mccarroll is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mccarroll 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 Mccarroll 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 - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mccarroll, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mccarroll

The surname McCarroll is of Irish origin, stemming from the 17th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name Mac Arail, which means "son of Arail." The name Arail is a diminutive form of the Irish name Arul, derived from the Old Norse name Arndill, meaning "eagle power."

McCarroll is considered a variant spelling of the more common Irish surnames McCarrell and McCarrol. These names were primarily found in County Down, particularly in the baronies of Iveagh and Kinelearty. In the 16th and 17th centuries, records show the McCarroll surname concentrated in the areas around Downpatrick and Newry.

One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which list several McCarroll households in County Down. The 1659 Census of Ireland also includes entries for families with this surname.

Notable individuals with the McCarroll surname include John McCarroll (1718-1810), an Irish-born merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania. Another prominent figure was Reverend James McCarroll (1799-1874), an Irish Presbyterian minister who emigrated to the United States and became the second president of Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, William McCarroll (1815-1890) was a successful businessman and politician in Ontario, Canada, serving as a member of the Canadian House of Commons. Meanwhile, John McCarroll (1826-1898) was an American Catholic priest and author from Philadelphia.

Moving into the 20th century, Kathleen McCarroll (1919-2001) was a British actress and theater director, best known for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. More recently, Thomas McCarroll (born 1945) is an American author and educator who has written extensively on Irish literature and culture.

Throughout history, the McCarroll surname has undergone various spelling variations, including MacCarroll, McCarrole, McCarrold, and McArrol, reflecting the differences in pronunciation and transcription across regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccarroll families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccarroll 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. Denbighshire leads with 2 Mccarrolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 181.82x.

County Total Index
Denbighshire 2 181.82x
Yorkshire 1 3.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wrexham Regis in Denbighshire leads with 2 Mccarrolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 2500.00x.

Place Total Index
Wrexham Regis 2 2500.00x
Eston 1 1666.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizth. 1
Florence 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 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 Mccarroll households.

Occupation Count
Labourer Iron Works 1

FAQ

Mccarroll surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccarroll surname in 1881?

In 1881, 134 people were recorded with the Mccarroll surname. That placed it at #16,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccarroll surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 896 in 2016. That gives Mccarroll a modern rank of #6,324.

What does the Mccarroll surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cearbhaill," meaning "son of Cearbhall," a personal name of uncertain meaning.

What does the Mccarroll map show?

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