NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcconachie

An Irish surname indicating the bearer's descent from the son of a person named Conchobhar, meaning "high desire" or "wolf lover".

In the 1881 census there were 366 people recorded with the Mcconachie surname, ranking it #8,490 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 361, ranked #12,841, down from #8,490 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Aberlour, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Badenoch and Strathspey North, Nairn Rural and Torrance and Balmore.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcconachie is 380 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.4%.

1881 census count

366

Ranked #8,490

Modern count

361

2016, ranked #12,841

Peak year

1901

380 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcconachie had 366 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,490 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 361 in 2016, ranked #12,841.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 380 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mcconachie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcconachie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcconachie 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 298 #7,691
1861 historical 379 #6,739
1881 historical 366 #8,490
1891 historical 301 #11,092
1901 historical 380 #9,823
1911 historical 49 #27,894
1997 modern 309 #13,268
1998 modern 315 #13,452
1999 modern 329 #13,147
2000 modern 336 #12,921
2001 modern 328 #12,944
2002 modern 325 #13,275
2003 modern 320 #13,239
2004 modern 322 #13,260
2005 modern 330 #12,939
2006 modern 325 #13,165
2007 modern 339 #12,896
2008 modern 350 #12,694
2009 modern 369 #12,447
2010 modern 377 #12,529
2011 modern 378 #12,363
2012 modern 344 #13,121
2013 modern 339 #13,477
2014 modern 351 #13,227
2015 modern 354 #13,063
2016 modern 361 #12,841

Geography

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Where Mcconachies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Aberlour, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Aberdeen and Old Machar. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Badenoch and Strathspey North, Nairn Rural, Torrance and Balmore, Lhanbryde, Urquhart, Pitgavney and seaward and Pendle. 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 Aberlour Banff
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Aberdeen and Old Machar Aberdeen

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Badenoch and Strathspey North Highland
2 Nairn Rural Highland
3 Torrance and Balmore East Dunbartonshire
4 Lhanbryde, Urquhart, Pitgavney and seaward Moray
5 Pendle 008 Pendle

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcconachie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcconachie

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mcconachie 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

Mcconachie 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

Mcconachie falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mcconachie

The surname MCCONACHIE has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic name MacConnachy, which means "son of the prudent one" or "son of the wise one." This name is derived from the Gaelic word "connach," meaning "prudent" or "wise."

The earliest recorded instances of the name MCCONACHIE can be found in the parish records of Argyll and Bute, Scotland, from the late 1500s. During this time, the name was commonly spelled as "MacConnachy" or "McConnachy." The spelling variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the transcription of the name by scribes unfamiliar with Gaelic.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the MCCONACHIE surname was John McConachie, who was born in Inveraray, Argyll, Scotland, in the mid-17th century. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region. His descendants continued to use the MCCONACHIE spelling throughout the centuries.

In the 18th century, the MCCONACHIE name spread beyond Argyll and Bute to other parts of Scotland. Robert McConachie, born in Ayrshire in 1723, was a respected minister in the Church of Scotland and served as the parish minister in Kilmarnock for over 40 years.

As the Scottish diaspora scattered across the world, the MCCONACHIE surname traveled with them. In the early 19th century, James McConachie, born in Glasgow in 1801, emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada, where he became a successful shipbuilder and merchant.

Another notable bearer of the MCCONACHIE name was Sir William McConachie, born in Dundee in 1852. He was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the textile industry and his support for educational institutions in Scotland.

The MCCONACHIE surname has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands and has since spread worldwide. While the spelling may have varied over time, the name's essence remains connected to its Gaelic origins, reflecting the virtues of prudence and wisdom.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcconachie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcconachie 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. Hampshire leads with 3 Mcconachies recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.08x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 3 50.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Southampton St Mary in Hampshire leads with 3 Mcconachies recorded in 1881 and an index of 789.47x.

Place Total Index
Southampton St Mary 3 789.47x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Annie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2

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 Mcconachie households.

FAQ

Mcconachie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcconachie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 366 people were recorded with the Mcconachie surname. That placed it at #8,490 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcconachie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 361 in 2016. That gives Mcconachie a modern rank of #12,841.

What does the Mcconachie surname mean?

An Irish surname indicating the bearer's descent from the son of a person named Conchobhar, meaning "high desire" or "wolf lover".

What does the Mcconachie map show?

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