NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcevoy

Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe, meaning "son of the fair-haired man."

In the 1881 census there were 1,287 people recorded with the Mcevoy surname, ranking it #3,174 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,896, ranked #1,736, up from #3,174 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockport, Ardrossan North West and Manchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcevoy is 4,187 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 202.7%.

1881 census count

1,287

Ranked #3,174

Modern count

3,896

2016, ranked #1,736

Peak year

2010

4,187 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcevoy had 1,287 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,174 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,896 in 2016, ranked #1,736.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,586 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcevoy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcevoy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcevoy 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 366 #6,483
1861 historical 522 #5,026
1881 historical 1,287 #3,174
1891 historical 1,348 #3,228
1901 historical 1,586 #3,255
1911 historical 1,501 #3,216
1997 modern 3,622 #1,789
1998 modern 3,881 #1,737
1999 modern 3,927 #1,732
2000 modern 3,856 #1,748
2001 modern 3,770 #1,749
2002 modern 3,872 #1,750
2003 modern 3,819 #1,742
2004 modern 3,838 #1,730
2005 modern 3,836 #1,702
2006 modern 3,862 #1,689
2007 modern 3,895 #1,692
2008 modern 3,927 #1,690
2009 modern 4,050 #1,676
2010 modern 4,187 #1,658
2011 modern 4,036 #1,700
2012 modern 3,969 #1,694
2013 modern 3,990 #1,715
2014 modern 4,023 #1,717
2015 modern 3,952 #1,722
2016 modern 3,896 #1,736

Geography

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Where Mcevoys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford and West Derby. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockport, Ardrossan North West, Manchester, Wirral and Oldham. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 West Derby Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockport 018 Stockport
2 Ardrossan North West North Ayrshire
3 Manchester 017 Manchester
4 Wirral 006 Wirral
5 Oldham 007 Oldham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcevoy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcevoy

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

Mcevoy 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

Mcevoy 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 Mcevoy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mcevoy

The surname McEvoy is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Eidhigh, meaning "son of Eidheadh." Eidheadh was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word eidh, meaning "guest" or "traveler." The name McEvoy first appeared in County Laois and County Offaly in the Irish Midlands.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the annals, the name appears as Mac Eidhigh or Mac Eididhigh, with various spelling variations. One notable entry from 1418 mentions Diarmaid Mac Eidhigh, a member of the Gaelic nobility in County Laois.

In the 16th century, the Clan McEvoy was prominent in the Leix and Offaly regions, where they held significant landholdings. During the Tudor conquest of Ireland, several members of the clan were involved in the rebellion against English rule, including Rory McEvoy, who was executed in 1577 for his role in the Second Desmond Rebellion.

The McEvoy surname can be traced back to several notable figures in Irish history. In the 17th century, Thaddeus McEvoy (1623-1693) was a Franciscan friar and author who wrote on the persecution of Catholics in Ireland. In the 18th century, John McEvoy (1722-1809) was a Catholic bishop of Kilmore and a prominent figure in the Irish Catholic Church.

Another notable McEvoy was Andrew McEvoy (1836-1921), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. In the 20th century, James McEvoy (1907-1978) was an Irish diplomat who served as the first Irish ambassador to Spain and later to the United States.

Other prominent individuals with the McEvoy surname include Patrick McEvoy (1922-2003), an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and member of Dáil Éireann, and Niall McEvoy (born 1959), an Irish hurler who played for the Dublin senior hurling team and won several All-Ireland medals.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcevoy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcevoy 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 139 Mcevoys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.51x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 139 4.51x
Yorkshire 21 0.82x
Durham 17 2.20x
Glamorgan 15 3.32x
Northumberland 15 3.89x
Middlesex 11 0.42x
Warwickshire 9 1.38x
Sussex 7 1.60x
Kent 5 0.56x
Surrey 5 0.40x
Cheshire 4 0.70x
Essex 4 0.78x
Oxfordshire 4 2.50x
Devon 3 0.56x
Flintshire 2 2.87x
Hampshire 2 0.38x
Gloucestershire 1 0.20x
Isle of Man 1 2.08x
Staffordshire 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 34 Mcevoys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.18x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 34 18.18x
Kirkdale 26 50.19x
Bootle Cum Linacre 19 77.71x
Moss Side 14 86.42x
Salford 11 12.15x
Leeds 10 6.89x
Toxteth Park 10 9.59x
Longbenton 9 55.05x
Sunderland 8 58.69x
Coxhoe 7 319.63x
Roath 7 34.11x
Subdeanery 7 210.84x
Barnsley 5 18.85x
Manchester 5 3.61x
Newton 5 21.07x
Ashton Under Lyne 4 5.94x
Aston 4 2.22x
Birmingham 4 1.83x
Cardiff St John 4 27.10x
Cardiff St Mary 4 16.07x
Oldham 4 4.03x
Oxford St Peter Le Bailey 4 500.00x
Wallsend 4 32.68x
Chorlton On Medlock 3 6.13x
Cranford 3 666.67x
Dover St Mary Virgin 3 35.01x
Halifax 3 7.95x
Stoke Damerel 3 7.94x
Bexley 2 25.54x
Brampton Bierlow 2 60.79x
Frimley 2 55.56x
Hackney London 2 1.37x
Layton With Warbreck 2 17.70x
Preston 2 2.43x
Sale 2 28.45x
St Martin In Fields 2 12.88x
West Ham 2 1.77x
Aldershot 1 5.61x
Birtley 1 31.75x
Bishopwearmouth 1 1.51x
Bradford 1 1.61x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 2.09x
Chelmsford 1 11.38x
Chester St John Baptist 1 9.71x
Chester St Oswald 1 9.64x
Chiswick 1 7.05x
Coventry St Michael 1 4.76x
Croydon 1 1.42x
East Ham 1 10.52x
Harborne 1 3.56x
Holywell 1 11.42x
Isleworth 1 8.67x
Kensington London 1 0.69x
Kingston On Thames 1 3.29x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 4.34x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 1 19.69x
Onchan 1 7.20x
Portsea 1 0.96x
Richmond 1 5.64x
St Pancras London 1 0.48x
Whitford 1 27.70x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 30
Sarah 11
Margaret 10
Elizabeth 8
Bridget 7
Catherine 7
Ann 6
Eliza 6
Ellen 4
Jane 3
Kate 3
Anne 2
Margeret 2
Margt. 2
Rose 2
Susannah 2
Theresa 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
C. 1
Caroline 1
Catharine 1
Eda 1
Emma 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Hellena 1
Henrietta 1
Julia 1
Lilly 1
Lizzie 1
Lizzy 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 21
John 19
Thomas 12
Michael 9
Patrick 9
Edward 6
William 6
Joseph 4
Bernard 3
Francis 3
George 3
Hugh 3
Owen 3
Stephen 3
Daniel 2
Henry 2
Lawrence 2
Luke 2
Peter 2
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Chas 1
Dominic 1
Ernest 1
Felix 1
Indson 1
Jeremiah 1
Jno. 1
Martin 1
Mathew 1
Matthew 1
Norman 1
Partick 1
Philip 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Trevis 1
Wilberforce 1
Willm.Edwd. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Mcevoy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcevoy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,287 people were recorded with the Mcevoy surname. That placed it at #3,174 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcevoy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,896 in 2016. That gives Mcevoy a modern rank of #1,736.

What does the Mcevoy surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe, meaning "son of the fair-haired man."

What does the Mcevoy map show?

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