NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcelroy

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Giolla Rua, meaning "son of the red-haired servant or devotee."

In the 1881 census there were 585 people recorded with the Mcelroy surname, ranking it #5,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,714, ranked #3,641, up from #5,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Manchester and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ11, IZ12 and Craigneuk Wishaw.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcelroy is 1,738 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 193.0%.

1881 census count

585

Ranked #5,965

Modern count

1,714

2016, ranked #3,641

Peak year

2014

1,738 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcelroy had 585 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,714 in 2016, ranked #3,641.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 870 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mcelroy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcelroy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcelroy 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 198 #10,483
1861 historical 260 #9,516
1881 historical 585 #5,965
1891 historical 579 #6,585
1901 historical 870 #5,262
1911 historical 569 #7,112
1997 modern 1,589 #3,719
1998 modern 1,623 #3,789
1999 modern 1,666 #3,729
2000 modern 1,649 #3,743
2001 modern 1,600 #3,776
2002 modern 1,646 #3,740
2003 modern 1,594 #3,775
2004 modern 1,603 #3,777
2005 modern 1,624 #3,682
2006 modern 1,601 #3,731
2007 modern 1,622 #3,728
2008 modern 1,655 #3,683
2009 modern 1,696 #3,678
2010 modern 1,715 #3,723
2011 modern 1,705 #3,693
2012 modern 1,671 #3,704
2013 modern 1,714 #3,677
2014 modern 1,738 #3,649
2015 modern 1,704 #3,675
2016 modern 1,714 #3,641

Geography

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Where Mcelroys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to IZ11, IZ12, Craigneuk Wishaw, Salford and IZ14. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ11 West Dunbartonshire
2 IZ12 West Dunbartonshire
3 Craigneuk Wishaw North Lanarkshire
4 Salford 016 Salford
5 IZ14 West Dunbartonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcelroy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcelroy

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

Mcelroy 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcelroy

The surname McElroy originated in Scotland, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Gille Ruaidh," meaning "son of the red-haired lad." It is believed to have first appeared in the 12th or 13th century in the regions of Argyll and Ayr.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1390, which mention a "John McElroy." The name also appears in the Black Book of Taymouth, a 16th-century manuscript detailing land grants and disputes in the area of Perthshire.

The McElroys were a prominent clan in Galloway and Ayrshire, with their ancestral lands located near the town of Kilwinning. The name is closely associated with the Isle of Arran, where several branches of the clan settled.

Notable individuals with the surname McElroy include:

1. James McElroy (1787-1847), an Irish-American trader and explorer who was one of the first Europeans to visit the Rocky Mountains. 2. Joseph McElroy (1930-2022), an American novelist and writer, best known for his acclaimed novel "Ancient History: A Paraphase." 3. Mary McElroy (1841-1917), an Irish-American labor organizer and advocate for women's rights, often referred to as the "Irish Queen of the Prairies." 4. Robert McElroy (1600-1670), a Scottish clergyman and philosopher who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow. 5. William McElroy (1917-1999), an American biochemist and Nobel Prize winner for his research on the chemical mechanisms of bioluminescence.

Variations in the spelling of the name include MacElroy, McIlroy, and McIlroie, among others. Place names such as Kilmarnock and Kilwinning, both in Ayrshire, Scotland, are also associated with the McElroy clan and may have influenced the surname's origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcelroy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcelroy 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 56 Mcelroys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.37x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 56 6.37x
Derbyshire 6 5.17x
Cumberland 5 7.84x
Cheshire 3 1.83x
Northumberland 3 2.72x
Yorkshire 2 0.27x
Hampshire 1 0.66x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirkdale in Lancashire leads with 21 Mcelroys recorded in 1881 and an index of 141.99x.

Place Total Index
Kirkdale 21 141.99x
Liverpool 12 22.47x
Crumpsall 7 338.16x
Glossop Dale 6 110.50x
Salford 5 19.33x
Workington 5 136.99x
Everton 4 14.27x
Monks Coppenhall 3 48.62x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 45.52x
Toxteth Park 3 10.07x
Aldershot 1 19.65x
Great Bolton 1 8.58x
Knaresborough 1 86.96x
Leeds 1 2.41x
Pendleton In Salford 1 9.54x
Spotland 1 10.22x
West Derby 1 3.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 6
Ellen 3
Margaret 3
Jane 2
Alice 1
Catherine 1
Eliza 1
Jannett 1
Louisa 1
Margret 1
Matilda 1
Ros 1
Sabrina 1
Sarah 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Mcelroy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcelroy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 585 people were recorded with the Mcelroy surname. That placed it at #5,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcelroy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,714 in 2016. That gives Mcelroy a modern rank of #3,641.

What does the Mcelroy surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Giolla Rua, meaning "son of the red-haired servant or devotee."

What does the Mcelroy map show?

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