NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcconville

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Conmhaoil, meaning "son of Conmhaol," a personal name of uncertain origin.

In the 1881 census there were 505 people recorded with the Mcconville surname, ranking it #6,730 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,936, ranked #3,305, up from #6,730 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Manchester and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wishaw South, Manchester and Craigend and Ruchazie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcconville is 1,936 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 283.4%.

1881 census count

505

Ranked #6,730

Modern count

1,936

2016, ranked #3,305

Peak year

2016

1,936 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcconville had 505 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,730 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,936 in 2016, ranked #3,305.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 851 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcconville surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcconville surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcconville 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 76 #20,127
1861 historical 165 #14,112
1881 historical 505 #6,730
1891 historical 594 #6,436
1901 historical 851 #5,356
1911 historical 485 #8,012
1997 modern 1,616 #3,668
1998 modern 1,671 #3,688
1999 modern 1,729 #3,605
2000 modern 1,741 #3,570
2001 modern 1,689 #3,598
2002 modern 1,733 #3,597
2003 modern 1,678 #3,620
2004 modern 1,707 #3,576
2005 modern 1,684 #3,568
2006 modern 1,727 #3,502
2007 modern 1,765 #3,465
2008 modern 1,780 #3,466
2009 modern 1,855 #3,425
2010 modern 1,895 #3,428
2011 modern 1,860 #3,435
2012 modern 1,855 #3,397
2013 modern 1,896 #3,388
2014 modern 1,922 #3,360
2015 modern 1,930 #3,324
2016 modern 1,936 #3,305

Geography

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Where Mcconvilles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and West Derby. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wishaw South, Manchester, Craigend and Ruchazie, Drumoyne and Shieldhall and Paisley North. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 West Derby Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wishaw South North Lanarkshire
2 Manchester 050 Manchester
3 Craigend and Ruchazie Glasgow City
4 Drumoyne and Shieldhall Glasgow City
5 Paisley North Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcconville

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcconville

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

Mcconville 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcconville

The surname McConville is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Mac Comhghaill, which means "son of Comhghall." Comhghall is an old Irish personal name composed of the elements "com" meaning "protection" and "gall" meaning "stranger" or "foreigner." The prefix "Mac" denotes "son of" in Gaelic.

McConville is an Anglicized form of the original Gaelic name and originated in Ireland. It is most prevalent in counties Antrim, Down, and Armagh in the northern part of the country. The name likely emerged in the 10th or 11th century during the Viking invasions of Ireland, when Irish clans sought protection from foreign invaders, leading to the formation of personal names like Comhghall.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Cumgall mac Mailmuiri" in the year 1059. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important source of Irish history, where a "Cumusgach Mac Coingill" is mentioned in 1115.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Gilbride McConville is recorded as holding lands in County Antrim. Another early bearer of the name was Hugh McConville, who was involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and was executed in 1642 for his role in the uprising.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the McConville name was associated with the Irish landed gentry and several members of the family held estates in counties Down and Armagh. One prominent figure was Arthur McConville (1672-1749), a member of the Irish Parliament who represented County Down in the early 18th century.

In more recent history, James McConville (1858-1939) was a Scottish-born Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for West Belfast from 1918 to 1922. He was also a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and participated in the Easter Rising of 1916.

Another notable figure was John McConville (1920-2003), an Irish hurler who played for the Antrim senior hurling team in the 1940s and 1950s. He won several Ulster championships and is considered one of the greatest hurlers from Antrim.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcconville families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcconville 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 12 Mcconvilles recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.96x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 12 2.96x
Cumberland 10 34.04x
Cheshire 5 6.64x
Pembrokeshire 3 27.68x
Durham 1 0.99x
Essex 1 1.48x
Northumberland 1 1.97x
Sussex 1 1.74x
Yorkshire 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cleator in Cumberland leads with 8 Mcconvilles recorded in 1881 and an index of 655.74x.

Place Total Index
Cleator 8 655.74x
Toxteth Park 7 51.06x
Altrincham 5 378.79x
Liverpool 4 16.27x
Haverfordwest St Mary 3 1875.00x
Harrington 2 571.43x
Everton 1 7.75x
Holme In Huddersfield 1 1250.00x
Lanchester 1 526.32x
Little Warley 1 1111.11x
Washington 1 1000.00x
Westgate 1 31.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Bridget 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Catharine 1
Catherine 1
Elizabeth 1
Jane 1
Martha 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
William 3
Andrew 2
James 2
Peter 2
Thomas 2
Francis 1
George 1
Joseph 1
Laurence 1
Michael 1
Owen 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 Mcconville households.

FAQ

Mcconville surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcconville surname in 1881?

In 1881, 505 people were recorded with the Mcconville surname. That placed it at #6,730 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcconville surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,936 in 2016. That gives Mcconville a modern rank of #3,305.

What does the Mcconville surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Conmhaoil, meaning "son of Conmhaol," a personal name of uncertain origin.

What does the Mcconville map show?

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