NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccourt

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cuarta," meaning "son of the descendant of the court poet."

In the 1881 census there were 854 people recorded with the Mccourt surname, ranking it #4,427 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,679, ranked #2,497, up from #4,427 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, St Bees and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, Copeland and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccourt is 2,689 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 213.7%.

1881 census count

854

Ranked #4,427

Modern count

2,679

2016, ranked #2,497

Peak year

2015

2,689 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccourt had 854 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,427 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,679 in 2016, ranked #2,497.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,165 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccourt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccourt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccourt 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 352 #6,705
1861 historical 488 #5,352
1881 historical 854 #4,427
1891 historical 938 #4,415
1901 historical 1,165 #4,194
1911 historical 719 #5,942
1997 modern 2,241 #2,768
1998 modern 2,313 #2,790
1999 modern 2,352 #2,774
2000 modern 2,421 #2,693
2001 modern 2,350 #2,707
2002 modern 2,438 #2,678
2003 modern 2,400 #2,661
2004 modern 2,427 #2,634
2005 modern 2,444 #2,590
2006 modern 2,427 #2,606
2007 modern 2,446 #2,614
2008 modern 2,451 #2,629
2009 modern 2,554 #2,597
2010 modern 2,654 #2,567
2011 modern 2,654 #2,532
2012 modern 2,607 #2,531
2013 modern 2,651 #2,534
2014 modern 2,675 #2,531
2015 modern 2,689 #2,498
2016 modern 2,679 #2,497

Geography

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Where Mccourts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, St Bees, Govan Combination, Gateshead and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland, Copeland, County Durham and Toryglen and Oatlands. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 St Bees Cumberland
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 009 Sunderland
2 Copeland 005 Copeland
3 County Durham 018 County Durham
4 Copeland 003 Copeland
5 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccourt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccourt

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Mccourt is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Mccourt 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mccourt

The surname McCourt is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Cuarta, which translates to "son of Cuarta." The name Cuarta is thought to have been a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "cuarta," meaning "skilled" or "dexterous."

The McCourt surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Ulster and Connacht. It is believed to have originated among the Uí Briúin dynasty, a powerful family that ruled over regions of Connacht and Ulster during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCourt name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1201, the Annals mention a "Gillacuarta Mac Cuarta" as a participant in a battle between rival Irish clans.

In the 16th century, the McCourt surname is found in various Irish records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were administrative documents issued by the English Crown in Ireland. One notable McCourt mentioned in these records is Dermot McCourt, who received a pardon from Queen Elizabeth I in 1592.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century, many McCourts were displaced from their ancestral lands and scattered throughout Ireland and beyond. Some McCourts immigrated to the American colonies, with records showing McCourts settling in Pennsylvania and Virginia as early as the late 1700s.

Historically, the McCourt surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Turlough McCourt (c. 1550-1624), an Irish chieftain and leader of the McCourt clan in County Antrim. Another prominent figure was Reverend James McCourt (1680-1753), a Presbyterian minister and co-founder of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University.

In more recent times, Frank McCourt (1930-2009) gained worldwide recognition for his memoir "Angela's Ashes," which chronicled his impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1997.

Other notable McCourts throughout history include John McCourt (1768-1853), an Irish-American soldier who served in the Revolutionary War, and Michael McCourt (1914-1998), an Irish playwright and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccourt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccourt 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. Cumberland leads with 18 Mccourts recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.77x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 18 29.77x
Northumberland 14 13.40x
Yorkshire 13 1.87x
Lancashire 11 1.32x
Durham 6 2.87x
Staffordshire 6 2.53x
Cheshire 3 1.94x
Middlesex 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whitehaven in Cumberland leads with 14 Mccourts recorded in 1881 and an index of 434.78x.

Place Total Index
Whitehaven 14 434.78x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 10 160.26x
Scarborough 7 110.76x
Heworth 6 145.63x
Sedgley 6 68.10x
Liverpool 5 9.88x
Manningham 5 58.34x
Cleator 4 158.73x
Eltringham 4 3636.36x
Birkenhead 3 24.27x
Preston 2 8.97x
Toxteth Park 2 7.09x
West Derby 2 8.20x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 7.06x
St Giles In Fields 1 41.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Catherine 5
Ann 4
Elizabeth 3
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Kate 2
Margaret 2
Annie 1
Bridgett 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Jemimah 1
Jessie 1
Margt. 1
Rose 1
Rossanna 1
Sarah 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 7
James 6
Thomas 4
Michael 2
Patrick 2
William 2
Alexander 1
Barnard 1
Barney 1
Hugh 1
Joseph 1
Lester 1
Louis 1
Owen 1
Stephen 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Mccourt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccourt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 854 people were recorded with the Mccourt surname. That placed it at #4,427 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccourt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,679 in 2016. That gives Mccourt a modern rank of #2,497.

What does the Mccourt surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cuarta," meaning "son of the descendant of the court poet."

What does the Mccourt map show?

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