NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcdermott

Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Diarmada," meaning "son of Diarmaid," a popular Irish personal name meaning "free from envy."

In the 1881 census there were 3,387 people recorded with the Mcdermott surname, ranking it #1,344 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,779, ranked #555, up from #1,344 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Toryglen and Oatlands, Govan and Linthouse and Manchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcdermott is 11,943 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 247.8%.

1881 census count

3,387

Ranked #1,344

Modern count

11,779

2016, ranked #555

Peak year

2010

11,943 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcdermott had 3,387 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,344 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,779 in 2016, ranked #555.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,871 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcdermott surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcdermott surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcdermott 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 973 #2,868
1861 historical 1,343 #2,131
1881 historical 3,387 #1,344
1891 historical 3,958 #1,214
1901 historical 4,871 #1,160
1911 historical 4,289 #1,209
1997 modern 10,962 #563
1998 modern 11,368 #562
1999 modern 11,460 #563
2000 modern 11,345 #565
2001 modern 11,145 #561
2002 modern 11,518 #553
2003 modern 11,094 #561
2004 modern 11,151 #556
2005 modern 11,136 #551
2006 modern 11,154 #551
2007 modern 11,233 #552
2008 modern 11,406 #550
2009 modern 11,658 #554
2010 modern 11,943 #555
2011 modern 11,820 #554
2012 modern 11,603 #556
2013 modern 11,779 #558
2014 modern 11,930 #556
2015 modern 11,850 #554
2016 modern 11,779 #555

Geography

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Where Mcdermotts are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Toryglen and Oatlands, Govan and Linthouse, Manchester, Warrington and Tameside. 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 London parishes London 3
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City
2 Govan and Linthouse Glasgow City
3 Manchester 032 Manchester
4 Warrington 017 Warrington
5 Tameside 018 Tameside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcdermott

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcdermott

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

Mcdermott 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcdermott

The surname McDermott is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name Mac Diarmada, meaning "son of Diarmaid." Diarmaid was a personal name derived from the Old Irish words "diar," meaning "free," and "maid," meaning "lord" or "chief." The name is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in the Irish counties of Roscommon and Sligo.

The McDermott family was a prominent clan in the region of Connacht, particularly in the area now known as County Roscommon. One of the earliest recorded references to the name is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The Annals mention several members of the McDermott clan, including Tomaltach Mac Diarmada, who was chief of the clan in the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the McDermott clan was among the Irish families who resisted the Norman invasion and continued to hold significant territory in Connacht. During this period, the name appeared in various forms, such as Mac Diarmata and MacDermot, reflecting the changing spelling conventions of the time.

One of the most notable figures in the history of the McDermott name was Conor McDermott, who was the last chief of the clan in the 16th century. He fought against the English forces during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603) and was eventually forced to surrender his lands in the early 17th century as part of the Plantation of Ulster.

Other notable individuals with the McDermott surname include:

1. Brian McDermott (1949-), an English former professional footballer and manager. 2. John McDermott (1891-1957), an American baseball player and manager. 3. Seán McDermott (1904-1966), an Irish republican and member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). 4. Terry McDermott (1951-), an English former professional footballer and manager. 5. William McDermott (1832-1886), an Irish-American inventor and entrepreneur who co-founded the McDermott Shipyard in New Jersey.

While the McDermott name has evolved over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic culture of Ireland and the McDermott clan's historical prominence in the region of Connacht.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcdermott families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcdermott 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 187 Mcdermotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.01x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 187 3.01x
Yorkshire 76 1.47x
Middlesex 66 1.26x
Staffordshire 26 1.47x
Cumberland 23 5.11x
Denbighshire 22 11.14x
Cheshire 17 1.47x
Durham 17 1.09x
Kent 14 0.78x
Northumberland 12 1.54x
Worcestershire 11 1.61x
Surrey 9 0.35x
Warwickshire 7 0.53x
Shropshire 6 1.33x
Buckinghamshire 5 1.58x
Essex 5 0.48x
Hampshire 5 0.47x
Lincolnshire 5 0.60x
Channel Islands 4 2.58x
Suffolk 3 0.47x
Bedfordshire 2 0.74x
Cornwall 2 0.34x
Derbyshire 2 0.24x
Devon 2 0.18x
Glamorgan 2 0.22x
Lanarkshire 2 0.12x
Flintshire 1 0.71x
Gloucestershire 1 0.10x
Royal Navy 1 1.61x
Sussex 1 0.11x

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 37 Mcdermotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.82x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 37 9.82x
Manchester 32 11.47x
Islington London 25 4.93x
Kirkdale 19 18.20x
Sheffield 17 10.31x
Caldewgate 15 60.83x
Wrexham Regis 15 102.25x
Newton 14 29.28x
Dewsbury 12 22.58x
Bootle Cum Linacre 10 20.30x
Bradford 10 7.97x
Walton On Hill 10 29.75x
Hulme 9 6.95x
Leeds 9 3.08x
Poplar London 9 9.12x
Wolverhampton 9 6.63x
Dudley 8 9.64x
Chorlton On Medlock 7 7.10x
Darlington 7 11.66x
Plumstead 7 11.77x
Toxteth Park 7 3.33x
Whitehaven 7 29.18x
Wrexham Abbot 7 141.13x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 6 8.91x
Knutsford Nether 6 85.96x
Ratcliffe London 6 20.78x
Warrington 6 8.16x
Whitechapel London 6 11.64x
Burton Upon Trent 5 12.11x
Chester St John Baptist 5 24.11x
Gillingham 5 13.59x
Huddersfield 5 6.62x
Keighley 5 9.05x
Lambeth 5 1.10x
Shrewsbury St Mary 5 28.06x
Thornaby 5 25.83x
Wallsend 5 20.27x
Wycombe 5 21.22x
Bethnal Green London 4 1.76x
Birkenhead 4 4.35x
Birmingham 4 0.91x
Boston Hall Hills 4 283.69x
Colchester St Botolph 4 45.56x
Gorton 4 6.86x
Hackney London 4 1.36x
Kearsley 4 30.65x
Salford 4 2.19x
St Helier 4 7.93x
West Derby 4 2.20x
Aldershot 3 8.36x
Ashton Under Lyne 3 2.21x
Blackburn 3 1.82x
Everton 3 1.52x
Ipswich St Margaret 3 13.88x
Kensington London 3 1.03x
Kings Norton 3 4.90x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 1.60x
Ashton In Makerfield 2 11.32x
Aston 2 0.55x
Bishop Auckland 2 9.58x
Burnley 2 3.83x
Cannock 2 6.49x
East Denton 2 112.99x
Falmouth 2 9.55x
Glasgow 2 0.67x
Halifax 2 2.63x
Leatherhead 2 31.35x
Manningham 2 3.13x
Morley 2 7.42x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 2 4.30x
Newcastle On Tyne St 2 4.96x
St George Hanover 2 2.93x
St Gilesin Fields 2 65.57x
Stafford St Mary 2 8.01x
Studham 2 134.23x
Willenhall 2 6.05x
Wyke In Bradford 2 21.58x
Rusholme 1 6.04x
St Anne Soho London 1 3.35x
Wednesbury 1 2.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 63
Ellen 22
Catherine 18
Bridget 17
Elizabeth 17
Margaret 17
Sarah 17
Ann 13
Jane 6
Agnes 5
Annie 4
Alice 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Rose 3
Winifred 3
Adelaide 2
Eliza 2
Frances 2
Isabella 2
Julia 2
Margt. 2
Maria 2
Anne 1
Bridgett 1
Caroline 1
Cathn. 1
Ciceily 1
Constance 1
Delia 1
Eleanor 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Georgina 1
Grace 1
Gresham 1
Harriet 1
Johanna 1
Kate 1
Katherine 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Margarett 1
Margreat 1
Martha 1
Maryanne 1
Maud 1
May 1
Mercy 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 42
Thomas 29
James 28
Patrick 20
Michael 12
William 11
Joseph 10
Edward 9
Charles 8
Peter 8
Henry 7
Hugh 5
Martin 5
Andrew 4
George 4
Robert 4
Bernard 3
Francis 3
Hubert 3
Lawrence 3
Thos. 3
Daniel 2
Edmund 2
Harry 2
Richard 2
Timothy 2
Arthur 1
Bartholemew 1
Christopher 1
Claude 1
Dominicke 1
Dudley 1
Ernest 1
Fitzroy 1
Frances 1
Fredk.W. 1
Fredrick 1
Gilbert 1
Hiram 1
Jas. 1
Kenneth 1
Louis 1
Osmond 1
Percy 1
Philip 1
Reginald 1
Roger 1
Rubin 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Mcdermott surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcdermott surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,387 people were recorded with the Mcdermott surname. That placed it at #1,344 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcdermott surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,779 in 2016. That gives Mcdermott a modern rank of #555.

What does the Mcdermott surname mean?

Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Diarmada," meaning "son of Diarmaid," a popular Irish personal name meaning "free from envy."

What does the Mcdermott map show?

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