NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcgrory

Surname derived from the medieval Irish personal name Grigair (Gregory).

In the 1881 census there were 268 people recorded with the Mcgrory surname, ranking it #10,542 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,629, ranked #3,819, up from #10,542 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Old Monkland and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Toryglen and Oatlands, Dennistoun North and Little Earnock.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcgrory is 1,629 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 507.8%.

1881 census count

268

Ranked #10,542

Modern count

1,629

2016, ranked #3,819

Peak year

2016

1,629 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcgrory had 268 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,542 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,629 in 2016, ranked #3,819.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 538 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcgrory surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcgrory surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcgrory 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 78 #19,840
1861 historical 109 #19,693
1881 historical 268 #10,542
1891 historical 408 #8,733
1901 historical 538 #7,640
1911 historical 121 #20,336
1997 modern 1,383 #4,183
1998 modern 1,431 #4,208
1999 modern 1,476 #4,142
2000 modern 1,443 #4,200
2001 modern 1,459 #4,080
2002 modern 1,499 #4,079
2003 modern 1,461 #4,086
2004 modern 1,468 #4,074
2005 modern 1,446 #4,079
2006 modern 1,485 #3,994
2007 modern 1,483 #4,042
2008 modern 1,503 #4,022
2009 modern 1,524 #4,055
2010 modern 1,590 #3,974
2011 modern 1,585 #3,940
2012 modern 1,592 #3,865
2013 modern 1,597 #3,926
2014 modern 1,618 #3,901
2015 modern 1,606 #3,891
2016 modern 1,629 #3,819

Geography

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Where Mcgrorys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Old Monkland, Glasgow, Liverpool 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 Toryglen and Oatlands, Dennistoun North, Little Earnock, Balmalloch and Johnstone North West. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Old Monkland Lanark
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City
2 Dennistoun North Glasgow City
3 Little Earnock South Lanarkshire
4 Balmalloch North Lanarkshire
5 Johnstone North West Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcgrory

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcgrory

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

Mcgrory 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcgrory

The surname McGrory has its roots in the Gaelic-speaking regions of Ireland and Scotland, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Grádh," meaning "love" or "affection," combined with the common patronymic prefix "Mac," signifying "son of."

This surname likely originated in the Scottish Highlands or the northern regions of Ireland, where Gaelic was the predominant language. It is possible that the name was initially spelled in various ways, such as MacGrory, McGrory, or MacGrádh, reflecting the phonetic variations common in oral traditions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McGrory can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1328, a person named "Gillespie McGrory" is mentioned as a participant in a battle between the clans of Ulster.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest, a collection of official documents from the English conquest of Ireland. A notable figure from this era is Rory McGrory, a chieftain of the McGrory clan in County Londonderry, who is mentioned in records from the 1560s.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McGrory families were displaced from their ancestral lands in Ulster and resettled in other parts of Ireland or emigrated to Scotland. This dispersal contributed to the spread of the name across the British Isles.

One notable bearer of the McGrory name was Patrick McGrory (c. 1620-1678), a Catholic priest and scholar from County Londonderry who became the Bishop of Raphoe in Ireland. He played a significant role in preserving Catholic traditions during the period of religious persecution in Ireland.

In the 18th century, Terence McGrory (c. 1700-1778) was a renowned Irish harpist and composer from County Derry. He was recognized as one of the last great traditional harpists of the ancient Gaelic tradition.

Another significant figure was John McGrory (1819-1899), an Irish-born Catholic priest who became the first Bishop of the Diocese of Albuquerque in New Mexico, United States. He played a crucial role in establishing the Catholic Church in the American Southwest.

As the McGrory surname spread beyond Ireland and Scotland, it also gained a foothold in other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. Notable individuals include Patrick McGrory (1884-1938), an Australian politician and member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, and John McGrory (1919-2003), an American sportswriter and columnist for the Washington Post.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcgrory families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcgrory 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. Lanarkshire leads with 4 Mcgrorys recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.16x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 4 21.16x
Hampshire 1 8.35x
Lancashire 1 1.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 4 Mcgrorys recorded in 1881 and an index of 119.05x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 4 119.05x
Farnborough 1 769.23x
Hulme 1 68.97x

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 1
Thos. 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 Mcgrory households.

Occupation Count
Private 45th Regt 1
Tailor 1

FAQ

Mcgrory surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcgrory surname in 1881?

In 1881, 268 people were recorded with the Mcgrory surname. That placed it at #10,542 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcgrory surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,629 in 2016. That gives Mcgrory a modern rank of #3,819.

What does the Mcgrory surname mean?

Surname derived from the medieval Irish personal name Grigair (Gregory).

What does the Mcgrory map show?

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