NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccool

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cumhaill," meaning "son of Cumhaill."

In the 1881 census there were 63 people recorded with the Mccool surname, ranking it #24,711 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 674, ranked #7,950, up from #24,711 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bury, Dalziel and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Milnwood, Barnsley and Orbiston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccool is 674 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 969.8%.

1881 census count

63

Ranked #24,711

Modern count

674

2016, ranked #7,950

Peak year

2016

674 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccool had 63 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,711 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 674 in 2016, ranked #7,950.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 118 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccool surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccool surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccool 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 37 #26,673
1861 historical 54 #27,127
1881 historical 63 #24,711
1891 historical 91 #25,239
1901 historical 118 #20,721
1911 historical 81 #24,719
1997 modern 572 #8,424
1998 modern 582 #8,555
1999 modern 594 #8,497
2000 modern 599 #8,435
2001 modern 588 #8,417
2002 modern 601 #8,453
2003 modern 604 #8,283
2004 modern 586 #8,487
2005 modern 605 #8,227
2006 modern 624 #8,046
2007 modern 616 #8,193
2008 modern 630 #8,105
2009 modern 639 #8,177
2010 modern 647 #8,273
2011 modern 641 #8,241
2012 modern 649 #8,084
2013 modern 660 #8,117
2014 modern 657 #8,185
2015 modern 656 #8,136
2016 modern 674 #7,950

Geography

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Where Mccools are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bury, Dalziel, Liverpool, Leigh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Milnwood, Barnsley, Orbiston, Possil Park and Auchenback. 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 Bury Lancashire
2 Dalziel Lanark
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Leigh Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Milnwood North Lanarkshire
2 Barnsley 021 Barnsley
3 Orbiston North Lanarkshire
4 Possil Park Glasgow City
5 Auchenback East Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccool

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccool

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

Mccool is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mccool 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 Mccool is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mccool

The surname McCool is of Irish and Scottish origin, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. This name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic word "mac cuill" or "mac coul," which translates to "son of the wise" or "son of the handsome one."

In Ireland, the name McCool was particularly prevalent in the counties of Antrim, Down, and Armagh. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of this surname can be found in the Fiants of the Irish Chancery for County Antrim, where a John McCool is mentioned in 1598.

The McCool surname also has a strong presence in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. One notable Scottish bearer of this name was James McCool, a prominent merchant and shipowner in Glasgow, who lived from 1766 to 1848.

In terms of historical references, the McCool name appears in various 17th and 18th-century records, including parish registers, census records, and legal documents. One such document is the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which lists several McCool families in County Antrim.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCool surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a Niall McCool, who was a prominent Irish chieftain in the late 16th century.

Another notable bearer of the McCool surname was John McCool, an Irish-American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in County Antrim, Ireland, around 1743 and later emigrated to Pennsylvania.

In the realm of literature, the McCool surname is referenced in James Joyce's famous novel "Ulysses," where a character named McCool is mentioned as a member of the Dublin working class.

One of the most famous bearers of the McCool surname in more recent times was Joseph McCool, an American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1837 to 1922. He made his fortune in the coal and steel industries and was a prominent figure in the city of Pittsburgh.

Another notable McCool was David McCool, an Irish-American politician who served as the mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1962 to 1964. He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1906 and later immigrated to the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccool families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccool 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 8 Mccools recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.64x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 8 8.64x

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 8 Mccools recorded in 1881 and an index of 142.35x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 8 142.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2
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 Mccool households.

FAQ

Mccool surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccool surname in 1881?

In 1881, 63 people were recorded with the Mccool surname. That placed it at #24,711 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccool surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 674 in 2016. That gives Mccool a modern rank of #7,950.

What does the Mccool surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cumhaill," meaning "son of Cumhaill."

What does the Mccool map show?

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