NameCensus.

UK surname

Mccutcheon

A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a cook, from Gaelic "Mac Uisdein" meaning "son of Uisdean."

In the 1881 census there were 762 people recorded with the Mccutcheon surname, ranking it #4,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,241, ranked #2,898, up from #4,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sorbie, Govan Combination and Dailly. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stranraer West, Stranraer South and Rhins North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mccutcheon is 2,247 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 194.1%.

1881 census count

762

Ranked #4,843

Modern count

2,241

2016, ranked #2,898

Peak year

2015

2,247 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mccutcheon had 762 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,241 in 2016, ranked #2,898.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,094 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mccutcheon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mccutcheon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mccutcheon 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 313 #7,385
1861 historical 357 #7,155
1881 historical 762 #4,843
1891 historical 891 #4,624
1901 historical 1,094 #4,412
1911 historical 301 #11,422
1997 modern 1,886 #3,193
1998 modern 1,989 #3,171
1999 modern 2,059 #3,111
2000 modern 2,075 #3,078
2001 modern 2,052 #3,043
2002 modern 2,115 #3,028
2003 modern 2,026 #3,082
2004 modern 2,014 #3,097
2005 modern 2,066 #2,989
2006 modern 2,084 #2,971
2007 modern 2,138 #2,928
2008 modern 2,152 #2,944
2009 modern 2,155 #3,011
2010 modern 2,206 #3,004
2011 modern 2,161 #3,025
2012 modern 2,171 #2,948
2013 modern 2,206 #2,955
2014 modern 2,244 #2,928
2015 modern 2,247 #2,901
2016 modern 2,241 #2,898

Geography

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Where Mccutcheons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sorbie, Govan Combination, Dailly, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stranraer West, Stranraer South, Rhins North, Carrick South and Stranraer East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Sorbie Wigtown
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Dailly Ayr
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stranraer West Dumfries and Galloway
2 Stranraer South Dumfries and Galloway
3 Rhins North Dumfries and Galloway
4 Carrick South South Ayrshire
5 Stranraer East Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mccutcheon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mccutcheon

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

Mccutcheon 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mccutcheon

The surname McCutcheon is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "Mac Cuithchain," meaning "son of the strange one." The name can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Galloway and Ayrshire in Scotland.

The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which contains the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Among those listed is Gillecolm McCutcheon, a landowner from Galloway.

In the 15th century, the McCutcheons were prominent in the Barony of Drummore in Wigtownshire, Scotland. This is evidenced by the appearance of the name in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland during that period.

One notable McCutcheon was Sir John McCutcheon (c. 1460-1520), a Scottish knight and landowner from Ayrshire. He fought alongside King James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

The name also appears in the Bute Manuscript, a 16th-century document that records the genealogies of several Scottish families. It mentions a certain Robert McCutcheon, who was a prominent figure in the Barony of Drummore in the late 1500s.

In the 17th century, the McCutcheons were involved in the Scottish Covenanter movement, which sought to preserve Presbyterian beliefs in Scotland. One such individual was William McCutcheon (1616-1679), a minister and Covenanter who was executed for his religious beliefs during the Killing Times.

Another notable McCutcheon was John McCutcheon (1725-1795), a Scottish-born American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and served as a captain in the Virginia militia.

As the name spread beyond Scotland, variations in spelling emerged, such as McCutchen, McCutchin, and McCutchan. However, the original Scottish spelling of McCutcheon remained prevalent.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mccutcheon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mccutcheon 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 18 Mccutcheons recorded in 1881 and an index of 43.26x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 18 43.26x
Cumberland 12 25.07x
Lancashire 9 1.36x
Glamorgan 6 6.20x
Middlesex 6 1.08x
Gloucestershire 3 2.75x
Durham 1 0.60x
Northumberland 1 1.21x
Warwickshire 1 0.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Maybole in Ayrshire leads with 13 Mccutcheons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1023.62x.

Place Total Index
Maybole 13 1023.62x
St Cuthbert W O 9 386.27x
Toxteth Park 9 40.29x
Mile End Old Town London 6 50.72x
Swansea Town 6 75.57x
Caldewgate 3 114.50x
Dalmellington 2 163.93x
Upton St Leonards 2 714.29x
Byker 1 24.45x
Coventry St Michael 1 22.22x
Craigie 1 909.09x
Girvan 1 96.15x
Stapleton 1 48.31x
Straiton 1 416.67x
West Auckland 1 166.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Elizabeth 3
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Annie 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Janet 1
M. 1
Maud 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 3
Ellwood 2
James 2
William 2
Alex. 1
Edward 1
Frederick 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Lester 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Sydney 1
Thomas 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 Mccutcheon households.

FAQ

Mccutcheon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mccutcheon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 762 people were recorded with the Mccutcheon surname. That placed it at #4,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mccutcheon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,241 in 2016. That gives Mccutcheon a modern rank of #2,898.

What does the Mccutcheon surname mean?

A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a cook, from Gaelic "Mac Uisdein" meaning "son of Uisdean."

What does the Mccutcheon map show?

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