NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcguinness

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mag Aonghusa, meaning "descendant of Angus" (Angus itself meaning "unique choice").

In the 1881 census there were 680 people recorded with the Mcguinness surname, ranking it #5,298 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,310, ranked #1,068, up from #5,298 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Toxteth Park and Bidstone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dundyvan, Shotts and Oakley Comrie and Blairhall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcguinness is 6,409 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 827.9%.

1881 census count

680

Ranked #5,298

Modern count

6,310

2016, ranked #1,068

Peak year

2010

6,409 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcguinness had 680 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,298 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,310 in 2016, ranked #1,068.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,333 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcguinness surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcguinness surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcguinness 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 104 #16,746
1861 historical 172 #13,619
1881 historical 680 #5,298
1891 historical 882 #4,672
1901 historical 1,330 #3,767
1911 historical 1,333 #3,586
1997 modern 5,554 #1,171
1998 modern 5,784 #1,171
1999 modern 5,847 #1,167
2000 modern 5,796 #1,164
2001 modern 5,753 #1,152
2002 modern 5,961 #1,141
2003 modern 5,807 #1,143
2004 modern 5,809 #1,144
2005 modern 5,866 #1,113
2006 modern 5,919 #1,103
2007 modern 5,966 #1,106
2008 modern 6,019 #1,105
2009 modern 6,205 #1,100
2010 modern 6,409 #1,084
2011 modern 6,300 #1,089
2012 modern 6,164 #1,086
2013 modern 6,251 #1,094
2014 modern 6,332 #1,083
2015 modern 6,302 #1,075
2016 modern 6,310 #1,068

Geography

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Where Mcguinness' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Toxteth Park, Bidstone, Manchester and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dundyvan, Shotts, Oakley Comrie and Blairhall and Liverpool. 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 Gateshead Durham
2 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Bidstone Cheshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dundyvan North Lanarkshire
2 Shotts North Lanarkshire
3 Oakley Comrie and Blairhall Fife
4 Liverpool 004 Liverpool
5 Liverpool 014 Liverpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcguinness

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcguinness

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

Mcguinness 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

Mcguinness 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 Mcguinness is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mcguinness

The surname McGuinness is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name "MacConghalaigh," which translates to "son of the descendant of Conghalach." Conghalach is an old Gaelic personal name composed of the elements "con" meaning hound or wolf, and "gal" meaning valor or bravery, thus suggesting a brave or valorous person.

The McGuinness clan hailed from County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province of Ireland. The name first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with references to members of the clan in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Annals, which mention a Domhnall Mac Conghalaigh, a prominent chieftain from County Donegal who died in 1247. Another notable figure was Tuathal Mac Conghalaigh, a 14th-century bishop of Raphoe, a diocese in County Donegal.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McGuinness clan played a significant role in the Nine Years' War (1594-1603), a conflict between the Irish chieftains and the English forces. Aodh Ruadh Mac Conghalaigh, a McGuinness chieftain, was a prominent leader in the war and fought alongside the famous Irish chieftain, Red Hugh O'Donnell.

The surname McGuinness is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Ballymaconaghy in County Donegal, which means "the town of the McGuinness clan." Other variations of the name's spelling include McGuiness, McGinnis, and Guinness, the latter of which became famous for the Irish brewing family.

Notable individuals with the McGuinness surname include:

1. Martin McGuinness (1950-2017), an Irish republican politician who served as Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2017. 2. Paddy McGuinness (born 1973), an English comedian, actor, and television presenter. 3. Frank McGuinness (born 1953), an Irish playwright and poet, known for works such as "Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme." 4. Thomas McGuinness (1901-1971), an American businessman and co-founder of the United Fruit Company. 5. John McGuinness (born 1972), an English motorcycle racer and multiple-time winner of the Isle of Man TT races.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcguinness families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcguinness 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 43 Mcguinness' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.02x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 43 3.02x
Yorkshire 26 2.19x
Durham 11 3.08x
Northumberland 10 5.60x
Cheshire 8 3.02x
Middlesex 8 0.67x
Nottinghamshire 6 3.71x
Hampshire 5 2.03x
Devon 2 0.80x
Isle of Man 2 8.98x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.38x
Kent 1 0.24x

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 19 Mcguinness' recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.97x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 19 21.97x
Leeds 14 20.85x
Chirton 9 222.77x
Kirkdale 9 37.58x
Stockton On Tees 8 46.48x
Appleton 6 1000.00x
Nottingham St Mary 6 14.34x
Richmond 6 322.58x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 5 294.12x
Warrington 5 29.62x
Portsea 4 8.30x
Sheffield 4 10.57x
Bradford 3 45.05x
Little Bolton 3 16.38x
Toxteth Park 3 6.22x
Birkenhead 2 9.47x
Isleworth 2 37.52x
Onchan 2 31.15x
Stoke Damerel 2 11.44x
Sunderland 2 31.75x
Aldershot 1 12.14x
Ampleforth Oswaldkirk 1 833.33x
Elswick 1 7.02x
Gravesend 1 28.82x
Great Marlow 1 51.02x
Halifax 1 5.73x
Mile End Old Town 1 5.28x
Stanhope 1 27.10x
Walton On Hill 1 12.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Margaret 6
Ann 5
Catherine 4
Hannah 3
Alice 2
Elizabeth 2
Julia 2
Margt. 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Caroline 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Helen 1
Hellen 1
Jane 1
Levina 1
Rachel 1
Rosanna 1
Rose 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
James 9
Thomas 9
Patrick 6
Edward 5
Daniel 3
William 3
George 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Arthur 1
Bernard 1
Edmound 1
Frederick 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Martin 1
Michael 1
Millison 1
Owen 1
Peter 1
Robert 1

FAQ

Mcguinness surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcguinness surname in 1881?

In 1881, 680 people were recorded with the Mcguinness surname. That placed it at #5,298 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcguinness surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,310 in 2016. That gives Mcguinness a modern rank of #1,068.

What does the Mcguinness surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mag Aonghusa, meaning "descendant of Angus" (Angus itself meaning "unique choice").

What does the Mcguinness map show?

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