NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcgoldrick

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ualghairg," meaning "son of Ualgharg" (a personal name meaning "proud").

In the 1881 census there were 149 people recorded with the Mcgoldrick surname, ranking it #15,551 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,788, ranked #3,522, up from #15,551 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Johnstone North West, Paisley West and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcgoldrick is 1,822 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1100.0%.

1881 census count

149

Ranked #15,551

Modern count

1,788

2016, ranked #3,522

Peak year

2014

1,822 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcgoldrick had 149 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,551 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,788 in 2016, ranked #3,522.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 333 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcgoldrick surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcgoldrick surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcgoldrick 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 19 #29,904
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 149 #15,551
1891 historical 176 #16,404
1901 historical 333 #10,843
1911 historical 97 #23,076
1997 modern 1,543 #3,817
1998 modern 1,591 #3,860
1999 modern 1,622 #3,820
2000 modern 1,625 #3,795
2001 modern 1,617 #3,739
2002 modern 1,657 #3,722
2003 modern 1,587 #3,794
2004 modern 1,601 #3,782
2005 modern 1,617 #3,703
2006 modern 1,651 #3,638
2007 modern 1,648 #3,673
2008 modern 1,659 #3,675
2009 modern 1,675 #3,731
2010 modern 1,750 #3,649
2011 modern 1,716 #3,666
2012 modern 1,728 #3,595
2013 modern 1,768 #3,582
2014 modern 1,822 #3,518
2015 modern 1,809 #3,509
2016 modern 1,788 #3,522

Geography

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Where Mcgoldricks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Gateshead, Edinburgh, Manchester and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Johnstone North West, Paisley West, Wigan, Greenend and Carnbroe and Sunnyside and Cliftonville. 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 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Johnstone North West Renfrewshire
2 Paisley West Renfrewshire
3 Wigan 038 Wigan
4 Greenend and Carnbroe North Lanarkshire
5 Sunnyside and Cliftonville North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcgoldrick

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcgoldrick

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Mcgoldrick is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Mcgoldrick is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Mcgoldrick

The surname McGoldrick originated in Ireland and dates back to the 13th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "MacГолdric," which means "son of Goldric." The name Goldric is derived from the Old Norse name "Gudrik," which combines the elements "gud" (God) and "ric" (ruler or power).

The McGoldrick name is associated with County Donegal in Ulster, particularly in the Inishowen peninsula. The early bearers of this name were part of the Gallóglaigh, a class of elite mercenary warriors who served Irish and Norman lords.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McGoldrick name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a 17th-century chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1345, a Domhnall Mac Goldric is mentioned as a leader of a galloglass contingent.

In the 16th century, the McGoldricks were prominent landowners in Inishowen and held the hereditary constableship of the castle of Dunavenny. A notable figure from this period was Fergus Oge McGoldrick, who was involved in conflicts with the English authorities in the late 1500s.

During the 17th century, many McGoldricks were dispossessed of their lands during the Plantation of Ulster and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Some members of the clan sought refuge in the Laggan district of County Donegal, where they maintained a strong presence.

In the 18th century, a notable McGoldrick was Charles McGoldrick, a landowner and Catholic priest who was hanged in 1718 for his involvement in the Jacobite uprising of 1715. He is remembered as a martyr for the Catholic faith in Ireland.

Other notable McGoldricks throughout history include John McGoldrick (1866-1942), a Irish-American labor activist and leader in the American Federation of Labor; and Michael McGoldrick (1858-1924), a Scottish-born journalist and author who wrote extensively about the American West.

Today, the McGoldrick name remains most prevalent in Ireland, particularly in County Donegal, as well as in areas of the United States and Canada with significant Irish diaspora populations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcgoldrick families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcgoldrick 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 8 Mcgoldricks recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.32x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 8 5.32x
Northumberland 4 21.21x
Yorkshire 1 0.80x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Everton in Lancashire leads with 8 Mcgoldricks recorded in 1881 and an index of 166.67x.

Place Total Index
Everton 8 166.67x
Wallsend 4 666.67x
Leeds 1 14.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Agnes 1
Catherine 1
Lily 1
Maria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 3
Denis 1
Philip 1
Richard 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 Mcgoldrick households.

FAQ

Mcgoldrick surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcgoldrick surname in 1881?

In 1881, 149 people were recorded with the Mcgoldrick surname. That placed it at #15,551 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcgoldrick surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,788 in 2016. That gives Mcgoldrick a modern rank of #3,522.

What does the Mcgoldrick surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ualghairg," meaning "son of Ualgharg" (a personal name meaning "proud").

What does the Mcgoldrick map show?

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