NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccreery

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the hollow of the herdsman."

In the 1881 census there were 87 people recorded with the Mccreery surname, ranking it #21,334 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 411, ranked #11,654, up from #21,334 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wigan, Manchester and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ14, Eastleigh and Corby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccreery is 411 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 372.4%.

1881 census count

87

Ranked #21,334

Modern count

411

2016, ranked #11,654

Peak year

2016

411 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccreery had 87 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,334 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 411 in 2016, ranked #11,654.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 159 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mccreery surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccreery surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccreery 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 45 #25,168
1861 historical 28 #30,405
1881 historical 87 #21,334
1891 historical 134 #19,777
1901 historical 159 #17,442
1911 historical 144 #18,325
1997 modern 357 #11,998
1998 modern 366 #12,148
1999 modern 374 #12,026
2000 modern 363 #12,237
2001 modern 372 #11,855
2002 modern 384 #11,794
2003 modern 377 #11,762
2004 modern 375 #11,820
2005 modern 372 #11,813
2006 modern 381 #11,644
2007 modern 399 #11,396
2008 modern 405 #11,351
2009 modern 408 #11,541
2010 modern 404 #11,902
2011 modern 405 #11,765
2012 modern 385 #12,061
2013 modern 393 #12,085
2014 modern 409 #11,808
2015 modern 410 #11,686
2016 modern 411 #11,654

Geography

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Where Mccreerys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wigan, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Glasgow and Paisley Abbey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ14, Eastleigh, Corby, Maidstone and Shettleston 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 Wigan Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ14 East Lothian
2 Eastleigh 013 Eastleigh
3 Corby 006 Corby
4 Maidstone 017 Maidstone
5 Shettleston North Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccreery

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccreery

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mccreery 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

Mccreery is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mccreery falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mccreery

The surname McCreery originates from Scotland, emerging in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac," meaning "son," and "riabhach," meaning "brindled" or "grizzled," referring to someone with grayish or mixed-colored hair.

McCreery is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname MacRae or MacRory. The name first appeared in historical records in the early 13th century, with references to individuals bearing the name in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264 onwards.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments of homage to Edward I of England, which includes the name "Gillecrist MacRory." This suggests that the surname was already well-established in Scotland by the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the McCreery clan was concentrated in the Highlands, particularly in the regions of Ross-shire and Inverness-shire. The name is associated with the MacRae clan, and some McCreerys may have been a sept or branch of the larger MacRae clan.

Notable individuals with the surname McCreery include:

1. John McCreery (1768-1832), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner in Virginia, United States. 2. David McCreery (1845-1923), an Irish-born American Presbyterian minister and educator. 3. Frank McCreery (1873-1945), a Scottish-born Australian politician and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. 4. Sir Richard McCreery (1898-1967), a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army during World War II. 5. John McCreery (born 1931), an American anthropologist and expert on Japanese society and culture.

While the surname McCreery is not as common as its variants, it has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands and has been carried by individuals across various fields and regions throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccreery families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccreery 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. Ayrshire leads with 7 Mccreerys recorded in 1881 and an index of 56.45x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 7 56.45x
Yorkshire 7 4.26x
Staffordshire 3 5.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ayr in Ayrshire leads with 7 Mccreerys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1186.44x.

Place Total Index
Ayr 7 1186.44x
Bowling 7 429.45x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 50.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Amelia 1
Elizabeth 1
Emma 1
Hannah 1
Kate 1
Katherine 1
Mary 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Harry 1
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 Mccreery households.

FAQ

Mccreery surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccreery surname in 1881?

In 1881, 87 people were recorded with the Mccreery surname. That placed it at #21,334 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccreery surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 411 in 2016. That gives Mccreery a modern rank of #11,654.

What does the Mccreery surname mean?

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the hollow of the herdsman."

What does the Mccreery map show?

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