NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcenaney

A surname derived from an Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "son of Oenghus".

In the 1881 census there were 30 people recorded with the Mcenaney surname, ranking it #29,363 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 235, ranked #17,530, up from #29,363 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Greenock Town Centre and East Central, Northumberland and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcenaney is 259 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 683.3%.

1881 census count

30

Ranked #29,363

Modern count

235

2016, ranked #17,530

Peak year

2010

259 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcenaney had 30 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,363 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 235 in 2016, ranked #17,530.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 90 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Mcenaney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcenaney surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcenaney 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 1 #33,412
1861 historical 4 #33,628
1881 historical 30 #29,363
1891 historical 50 #30,253
1901 historical 90 #24,021
1911 historical 80 #24,821
1997 modern 251 #15,236
1998 modern 248 #15,772
1999 modern 238 #16,308
2000 modern 238 #16,290
2001 modern 239 #15,963
2002 modern 244 #16,085
2003 modern 237 #16,191
2004 modern 242 #16,050
2005 modern 245 #15,857
2006 modern 234 #16,493
2007 modern 233 #16,752
2008 modern 241 #16,481
2009 modern 245 #16,646
2010 modern 259 #16,386
2011 modern 253 #16,493
2012 modern 241 #16,925
2013 modern 241 #17,202
2014 modern 243 #17,232
2015 modern 240 #17,279
2016 modern 235 #17,530

Geography

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Where Mcenaneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Greenock Town Centre and East Central, Northumberland, Cheshire East, South Ribble and Gateshead. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Greenock Town Centre and East Central Inverclyde
2 Northumberland 009 Northumberland
3 Cheshire East 025 Cheshire East
4 South Ribble 011 South Ribble
5 Gateshead 025 Gateshead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcenaney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcenaney

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Mcenaney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Mcenaney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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, Mcenaney 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

Mcenaney 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

Mcenaney falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mcenaney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mcenaney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mcenaney

The surname MCENANEY is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Mac Éanaí" or "Mac Eonaí," meaning "son of Éanadh" or "son of Eonadh." Éanadh and Eonadh are believed to be older Irish forms of the name Ennis or Ennis.

The name first appeared in records in County Clare, Ireland, where it was concentrated in the area around the town of Ennis. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where the name "Mac Eonaí" is mentioned in an entry from the year 1284.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official letters and documents from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. The spelling "McEnaney" is found in these records, indicating that the name had evolved to its modern form by that time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Terence McEnaney, who was born in County Clare around 1550 and served as a soldier in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.

Another prominent figure with the surname was John McEnaney, a Catholic priest born in County Clare in 1762. He was known for his efforts to promote Irish language and culture during a time when the use of Irish was suppressed by the British authorities.

In the 19th century, the name was associated with the town of Ennis and the surrounding area. Patrick McEnaney, born in 1820, was a prominent merchant and landowner in Ennis. His son, Michael McEnaney (1849-1924), was a successful businessman and served as the Mayor of Ennis.

One of the most notable bearers of the name was John McEnaney (1875-1955), a Irish nationalist politician and journalist. He was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party and served as a Member of Parliament for the Kilkenny City constituency from 1910 to 1918.

The name MCENANEY has also been found in other parts of Ireland, particularly in counties Galway and Mayo, suggesting that bearers of the name may have migrated from Clare to other regions over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcenaney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcenaney 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. Northumberland leads with 3 Mcenaneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 68.97x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 3 68.97x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Westgate in Northumberland leads with 2 Mcenaneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 740.74x.

Place Total Index
Westgate 2 740.74x
Elswick 1 285.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ellen 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Owen 1
Peter 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 Mcenaney households.

Occupation Count
Bookseller 1

FAQ

Mcenaney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcenaney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 30 people were recorded with the Mcenaney surname. That placed it at #29,363 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcenaney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 235 in 2016. That gives Mcenaney a modern rank of #17,530.

What does the Mcenaney surname mean?

A surname derived from an Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "son of Oenghus".

What does the Mcenaney map show?

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