NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcdaniel

A Scottish or Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Dháibhéid," meaning "son of David."

In the 1881 census there were 90 people recorded with the Mcdaniel surname, ranking it #20,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 233, ranked #17,625, up from #20,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Christchurch, London parishes and Walthamstow, Low Leyton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Waveney, Crookston South and Haringey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcdaniel is 240 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 158.9%.

1881 census count

90

Ranked #20,965

Modern count

233

2016, ranked #17,625

Peak year

2015

240 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcdaniel had 90 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016, ranked #17,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 107 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mcdaniel surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcdaniel surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcdaniel 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 73 #20,581
1861 historical 95 #21,768
1881 historical 90 #20,965
1891 historical 88 #25,677
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 92 #23,580
1997 modern 206 #17,315
1998 modern 206 #17,796
1999 modern 228 #16,790
2000 modern 211 #17,603
2001 modern 208 #17,513
2002 modern 222 #17,147
2003 modern 212 #17,454
2004 modern 209 #17,706
2005 modern 220 #17,078
2006 modern 226 #16,891
2007 modern 236 #16,617
2008 modern 223 #17,395
2009 modern 231 #17,331
2010 modern 234 #17,544
2011 modern 228 #17,673
2012 modern 227 #17,630
2013 modern 232 #17,663
2014 modern 238 #17,480
2015 modern 240 #17,279
2016 modern 233 #17,625

Geography

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Where Mcdaniels are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Christchurch, London parishes, Walthamstow, Low Leyton and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Waveney, Crookston South, Haringey and Barnet. 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 Christchurch Monmouthshire
2 Christchurch London (South Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Walthamstow, Low Leyton Essex
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Waveney 013 Waveney
2 Crookston South Glasgow City
3 Haringey 024 Haringey
4 Barnet 011 Barnet
5 Haringey 029 Haringey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcdaniel

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcdaniel

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Mcdaniel is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcdaniel 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

Mcdaniel falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mcdaniel

The surname McDaniel originates from Scotland and is a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the name of an ancestor. Specifically, it is a variant of the Gaelic name MacDhòmhnaill, which means "son of Donald" or "son of the world ruler."

In the early centuries after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, many Scottish families migrated southward, leading to the surname becoming anglicized to various spellings such as McDaniel, MacDaniel, and McDaniell. The name first appeared in written records in the 13th century, with early instances found in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls documenting Scottish landowners swearing fealty to King Edward I of England in the late 13th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John McDaniel, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Later, in the 16th century, the McDaniel family held lands in Argyllshire and Ayrshire, with their ancestral seat located in the village of Glendaruel, Argyll.

Notable individuals with the surname McDaniel include:

1. Joseph McDaniel (1717-1790), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Kentucky. 2. William McDaniel (1820-1898), a Confederate general during the American Civil War. 3. Hattie McDaniel (1895-1952), an African American actress who became the first black performer to win an Academy Award for her role in the film "Gone with the Wind" in 1939. 4. Wilbur McDaniel (1918-2007), an American botanist and professor at the University of Florida. 5. Maceo McDaniel (1923-2003), an American politician who served as the first African American mayor of Gulfport, Mississippi, from 1985 to 1989.

While the surname McDaniel has Scottish roots, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and the diaspora of Scottish families over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcdaniel families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcdaniel 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. Kent leads with 1 Mcdaniels recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.20x.

County Total Index
Kent 1 15.20x
Middlesex 1 5.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Deptford St Paul in Kent leads with 1 Mcdaniels recorded in 1881 and an index of 196.08x.

Place Total Index
Deptford St Paul 1 196.08x
Islington London 1 53.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Rebecca 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Ernest 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 Mcdaniel households.

Occupation Count
Needle Woman 1
Scholar 1

FAQ

Mcdaniel surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcdaniel surname in 1881?

In 1881, 90 people were recorded with the Mcdaniel surname. That placed it at #20,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcdaniel surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016. That gives Mcdaniel a modern rank of #17,625.

What does the Mcdaniel surname mean?

A Scottish or Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Dháibhéid," meaning "son of David."

What does the Mcdaniel map show?

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