NameCensus.

UK surname

Mciver

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacÍomhair," meaning "son of Íomhar" (Ivor).

In the 1881 census there were 2,510 people recorded with the Mciver surname, ranking it #1,783 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,695, ranked #3,686, down from #1,783 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lochs, Barvas and Carloway and Gairloch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Knowsley and Breich Valley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mciver is 2,772 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.5%.

1881 census count

2,510

Ranked #1,783

Modern count

1,695

2016, ranked #3,686

Peak year

1891

2,772 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mciver had 2,510 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,783 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,695 in 2016, ranked #3,686.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,772 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mciver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mciver surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mciver 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 1,421 #2,023
1861 historical 1,400 #2,047
1881 historical 2,510 #1,783
1891 historical 2,772 #1,702
1901 historical 2,153 #2,498
1911 historical 694 #6,121
1997 modern 1,528 #3,850
1998 modern 1,585 #3,866
1999 modern 1,614 #3,840
2000 modern 1,594 #3,869
2001 modern 1,570 #3,847
2002 modern 1,577 #3,904
2003 modern 1,563 #3,853
2004 modern 1,560 #3,864
2005 modern 1,535 #3,874
2006 modern 1,517 #3,929
2007 modern 1,532 #3,918
2008 modern 1,560 #3,881
2009 modern 1,639 #3,801
2010 modern 1,670 #3,818
2011 modern 1,644 #3,830
2012 modern 1,599 #3,850
2013 modern 1,672 #3,755
2014 modern 1,693 #3,732
2015 modern 1,692 #3,702
2016 modern 1,695 #3,686

Geography

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Where Mcivers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lochs, Barvas and Carloway, Gairloch, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Knowsley, Breich Valley, Greenock Town Centre and East Central and Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 Lochs Ross And Cromarty
2 Barvas and Carloway Ross And Cromarty
3 Gairloch Ross And Cromarty
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 029 Rotherham
2 Knowsley 015 Knowsley
3 Breich Valley West Lothian
4 Greenock Town Centre and East Central Inverclyde
5 Newcastle upon Tyne 020 Newcastle upon Tyne

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mciver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mciver

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

Mciver 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

Mciver 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 Mciver 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mciver

The surname McIver is of Scottish origin and dates back to the early 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Iomhair, meaning "son of Ivor" or "son of Ivor the brown". The name Ivor is itself derived from the Old Norse name Ivarr, which means "archer" or "bowman".

The McIver surname is most closely associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly the areas of Argyll and the Isles. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists landowners in Scotland who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence.

In the 14th century, a branch of the McIver clan settled on the island of Islay, where they became prominent landowners and warriors. The Clan McIver was closely allied with the powerful Clan Donald, and they played a significant role in many of the inter-clan conflicts that plagued the Scottish Highlands during this period.

One of the earliest recorded McIvers was Gillespie McIver, who was born around 1350 and served as a loyal retainer to the Lord of the Isles. In the 15th century, Angus McIver was a renowned warrior who fought alongside the Clan Donald against the Scottish Crown during the Battle of Harlaw in 1411.

In the 16th century, the surname McIver began to spread beyond the Scottish Highlands. John McIver, born in 1512, was a prominent merchant in Aberdeen who traded with the Netherlands and other European countries. Another notable McIver from this period was Dugald McIver, a Scottish scholar and poet who was born in 1560 and studied at the University of Glasgow.

As the centuries passed, the McIver surname continued to be associated with Scottish history and culture. In the 18th century, Alasdair McIver was a renowned piper and composer who served as the personal piper to the Chief of the Clan MacLeod. In the 19th century, Iain McIver was a celebrated Gaelic poet and bard who was born on the Isle of Islay in 1825.

Throughout history, the surname McIver has been spelled in various ways, including McIvor, McIver, McKeever, and McEever, reflecting the varied pronunciation and spelling conventions of different regions. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained constant, rooted in the ancient Celtic and Norse traditions of Scotland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mciver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mciver 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. Yorkshire leads with 24 Mcivers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.76x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 24 2.76x
Lancashire 20 1.92x
Cheshire 13 6.71x
Durham 7 2.68x
Northumberland 7 5.36x
Kent 3 1.00x
Lincolnshire 2 1.42x
Middlesex 2 0.23x
Royal Navy 2 19.12x
Worcestershire 2 1.74x
Berkshire 1 1.52x
Flintshire 1 4.24x
Hampshire 1 0.56x
Lanarkshire 1 0.35x
Midlothian 1 0.85x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.85x
Ross-shire 1 4.15x
Surrey 1 0.23x

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 12 Mcivers recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.97x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 12 18.97x
Leeds 9 18.32x
Nether Hallam 8 67.97x
Birkenhead 5 32.36x
Heworth 5 97.09x
Blackburn 4 14.43x
Latchford 4 310.08x
Lymm 4 283.69x
Sculcoates 4 29.01x
Longbenton 3 54.25x
Southcoates 3 62.11x
Birtley 2 186.92x
Deptford St Paul 2 8.66x
Dudley 2 14.35x
Great Bolton 2 14.49x
Great Grimsby 2 22.45x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 2 25.64x
Aldershot 1 16.58x
Anderston 1 1428.57x
Barvas 1 62.11x
Buscot 1 909.09x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 2.11x
Elswick 1 9.60x
Layton With Warbreck 1 26.18x
Mickleham 1 416.67x
Mold 1 46.73x
Nottingham St Mary 1 3.27x
Royal Navy 1 11.19x
St George Hanover 1 8.73x
Wallsend 1 24.15x
Walmer 1 76.92x
Walton On Hill 1 17.73x
Willesden 1 12.08x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Catherine 4
Elizabeth 3
Margaret 3
Matilda 3
Ann 2
Edith 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Rachael 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Christiana 1
Eliza 1
Elizh. 1
Frances 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Lousia 1
Priscilla 1
Rebecca 1
Sara 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 7
William 5
James 4
Samuel 3
Daniel 2
George 2
Roland 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Andrew 1
Charles 1
Colin 1
David 1
Donald 1
Edward 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Kenneth 1
Patrick 1
Richard 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Mciver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mciver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,510 people were recorded with the Mciver surname. That placed it at #1,783 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mciver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,695 in 2016. That gives Mciver a modern rank of #3,686.

What does the Mciver surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacÍomhair," meaning "son of Íomhar" (Ivor).

What does the Mciver map show?

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