NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcelligott

Son of the worshipping servant; of Irish origin.

In the 1881 census there were 67 people recorded with the Mcelligott surname, ranking it #24,104 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 298, ranked #14,801, up from #24,104 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton-on-Trent, London parishes and Ealing, Chiswick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Westminster, Thanet and North Hertfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcelligott is 357 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 344.8%.

1881 census count

67

Ranked #24,104

Modern count

298

2016, ranked #14,801

Peak year

2002

357 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcelligott had 67 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,104 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 298 in 2016, ranked #14,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 140 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Mcelligott surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcelligott surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcelligott 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 15 #30,614
1861 historical 37 #29,339
1881 historical 67 #24,104
1891 historical 105 #23,241
1901 historical 140 #18,795
1911 historical 140 #18,657
1997 modern 316 #13,080
1998 modern 350 #12,537
1999 modern 346 #12,726
2000 modern 348 #12,614
2001 modern 341 #12,588
2002 modern 357 #12,424
2003 modern 356 #12,258
2004 modern 348 #12,495
2005 modern 313 #13,433
2006 modern 317 #13,376
2007 modern 315 #13,593
2008 modern 311 #13,800
2009 modern 335 #13,381
2010 modern 340 #13,498
2011 modern 334 #13,556
2012 modern 307 #14,288
2013 modern 307 #14,522
2014 modern 312 #14,430
2015 modern 306 #14,536
2016 modern 298 #14,801

Geography

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Where Mcelligotts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burton-on-Trent, London parishes, Ealing, Chiswick, Portsmouth, Portsea and St Anne Limehouse. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Westminster, Thanet, North Hertfordshire, Wolverhampton and Isle of Wight. 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 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Ealing, Chiswick Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 St Anne Limehouse London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Westminster 020 Westminster
2 Thanet 003 Thanet
3 North Hertfordshire 005 North Hertfordshire
4 Wolverhampton 015 Wolverhampton
5 Isle of Wight 016 Isle of Wight

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcelligott

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcelligott

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mcelligott, 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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Mcelligott surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Mcelligott household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mcelligott is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcelligott 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

Mcelligott falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mcelligott

The surname McElligott originated in Ireland and dates back to the medieval period. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Oilidh Gott," which translates to "son of the servant of God." The name suggests a connection to the monastic tradition of early medieval Ireland.

The McElligott clan was based primarily in County Kerry, in the southwestern part of Ireland. The name is found in historical records from this region, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which chronicle Irish history from the 12th to the 17th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Gillacrist Mac Oilidh Gott" in the year 1219. This entry suggests that the McElligott family had established itself in Ireland by the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the McElligotts were among the prominent Gaelic families of County Kerry. A notable figure from this era was Dermod McElligott, who served as a leader of the McElligott clan in the late 1500s and was involved in conflicts with the English authorities during the Desmond Rebellions.

Another historical figure with this surname was Robert McElligott (c. 1670-1738), an Irish Catholic priest who served as a chaplain in the army of King James II during the Williamite War in Ireland. He later became a prominent member of the Irish Catholic community in France after the war.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the McElligott name appeared in various records from County Kerry, including baptismal and marriage records from local parishes. One notable individual from this period was Michael McElligott (1770-1835), an Irish landowner and magistrate who served as the High Sheriff of County Kerry in 1813.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several members of the McElligott family emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where they and their descendants have contributed to the cultural and historical fabric of those nations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcelligott families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcelligott 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 2 Mcelligotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.08x.

County Total Index
Kent 2 12.08x
Yorkshire 2 4.16x
Hampshire 1 10.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Batley in Yorkshire leads with 2 Mcelligotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 434.78x.

Place Total Index
Batley 2 434.78x
Plumstead 2 363.64x
Aldershot 1 303.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
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 Mcelligott households.

FAQ

Mcelligott surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcelligott surname in 1881?

In 1881, 67 people were recorded with the Mcelligott surname. That placed it at #24,104 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcelligott surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 298 in 2016. That gives Mcelligott a modern rank of #14,801.

What does the Mcelligott surname mean?

Son of the worshipping servant; of Irish origin.

What does the Mcelligott map show?

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