NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcginley

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Fhionnlaigh, meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair or white warrior).

In the 1881 census there were 211 people recorded with the Mcginley surname, ranking it #12,407 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,683, ranked #2,495, up from #12,407 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Glasgow and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ01, IZ08 and IZ04.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcginley is 2,683 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1171.6%.

1881 census count

211

Ranked #12,407

Modern count

2,683

2016, ranked #2,495

Peak year

2016

2,683 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcginley had 211 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,407 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,683 in 2016, ranked #2,495.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 446 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcginley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcginley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcginley 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 81 #19,457
1861 historical 135 #16,651
1881 historical 211 #12,407
1891 historical 279 #11,698
1901 historical 446 #8,767
1911 historical 164 #16,879
1997 modern 2,342 #2,665
1998 modern 2,405 #2,693
1999 modern 2,437 #2,692
2000 modern 2,419 #2,694
2001 modern 2,365 #2,692
2002 modern 2,414 #2,699
2003 modern 2,382 #2,683
2004 modern 2,375 #2,684
2005 modern 2,424 #2,609
2006 modern 2,439 #2,599
2007 modern 2,467 #2,596
2008 modern 2,511 #2,578
2009 modern 2,580 #2,573
2010 modern 2,643 #2,575
2011 modern 2,628 #2,553
2012 modern 2,577 #2,555
2013 modern 2,636 #2,549
2014 modern 2,672 #2,532
2015 modern 2,656 #2,525
2016 modern 2,683 #2,495

Geography

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Where Mcginleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bishop Wearmouth and Paisley Abbey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ01, IZ08, IZ04, IZ03 and Toryglen and Oatlands. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Glasgow Lanark
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Bishop Wearmouth Durham
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ01 West Dunbartonshire
2 IZ08 West Dunbartonshire
3 IZ04 West Dunbartonshire
4 IZ03 West Dunbartonshire
5 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcginley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcginley

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

Mcginley 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

Mcginley 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 Mcginley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mcginley

The surname McGinley is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic name Mac Gionnlaidh, which means "son of the servant of St Finlay." It is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in County Donegal, Ireland.

The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic personal name Gionnlaidh, which is a variant of the name Finlay or Fingal. This name was quite common in Ireland during the Middle Ages and was often given to children who were born on St. Finlay's feast day.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "MacGinnlaidh" in the year 1173. The name also appears in various other medieval Irish manuscripts and records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters and the Annals of Connacht.

The McGinley surname is particularly associated with the Donegal area of Ireland, where it is believed to have originated. The name is also found in other parts of Ireland, such as Counties Tyrone and Derry, where it is believed to have spread through migration.

Notable individuals with the surname McGinley throughout history include:

1. Brian McGinley (c. 1480 - c. 1550), an Irish nobleman and chieftain of the McGinley clan in Donegal. 2. Rory McGinley (c. 1520 - c. 1595), an Irish poet and bard who composed works in the Irish language. 3. Niall McGinley (1768 - 1854), an Irish rebel who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule. 4. Patrick McGinley (1819 - 1895), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McGinley Coal Company in Pennsylvania. 5. John McGinley (1871 - 1939), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.

The surname McGinley is also associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McGinley's Brae in County Donegal, which is believed to have been named after a member of the McGinley clan.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcginley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcginley 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 11 Mcginleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.93x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 11 7.93x
Durham 1 2.88x

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 6 Mcginleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 71.26x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 6 71.26x
West Derby 5 123.15x
Bishopwearmouth 1 33.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Esther 2
Annie 1
Cathrine 1
Maria 1
Mary 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Peter 2
Edward 1
Hugh 1
James 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 Mcginley households.

FAQ

Mcginley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcginley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 211 people were recorded with the Mcginley surname. That placed it at #12,407 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcginley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,683 in 2016. That gives Mcginley a modern rank of #2,495.

What does the Mcginley surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Fhionnlaigh, meaning "son of Fionnlagh" (fair or white warrior).

What does the Mcginley map show?

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