NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcmichael

A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from a patronymic form of the personal name Michael.

In the 1881 census there were 446 people recorded with the Mcmichael surname, ranking it #7,361 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 614, ranked #8,552, down from #7,361 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Cumnock, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Thornhill, Bathgate East and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcmichael is 653 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.7%.

1881 census count

446

Ranked #7,361

Modern count

614

2016, ranked #8,552

Peak year

1998

653 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcmichael had 446 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,361 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 614 in 2016, ranked #8,552.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 499 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcmichael surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcmichael surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcmichael 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 328 #7,098
1861 historical 293 #8,589
1881 historical 446 #7,361
1891 historical 437 #8,251
1901 historical 499 #8,065
1911 historical 120 #20,447
1997 modern 613 #8,027
1998 modern 653 #7,879
1999 modern 647 #7,979
2000 modern 632 #8,111
2001 modern 612 #8,164
2002 modern 640 #8,050
2003 modern 637 #7,940
2004 modern 618 #8,164
2005 modern 617 #8,093
2006 modern 609 #8,193
2007 modern 629 #8,061
2008 modern 623 #8,175
2009 modern 641 #8,158
2010 modern 647 #8,273
2011 modern 622 #8,447
2012 modern 597 #8,640
2013 modern 601 #8,741
2014 modern 607 #8,721
2015 modern 611 #8,619
2016 modern 614 #8,552

Geography

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Where Mcmichaels are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Cumnock, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Balmaclellan and Greenock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Thornhill, Bathgate East, Rotherham, Earlston and Hurlford Rural and Drumry West. 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 New Cumnock Ayr
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Balmaclellan Kirkcudbright
5 Greenock Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Thornhill Dumfries and Galloway
2 Bathgate East West Lothian
3 Rotherham 013 Rotherham
4 Earlston and Hurlford Rural East Ayrshire
5 Drumry West Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcmichael

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcmichael

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mcmichael is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcmichael 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

Mcmichael 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 Mcmichael 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mcmichael

The surname McMichael is of Scottish origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the Gaelic personal name "Mìcheal," which is the Scottish form of the name Michael. The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of" in Gaelic, indicating that the original bearers of the name were sons of a man named Michael.

The McMichael family is believed to have originated in the region of Argyll, Scotland, where they were among the earliest settlers in the area. The name appears in various early Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Duncan McMichael, who was recorded in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1328. Another early reference can be found in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, which mentions John McMichael of Killintyre in 1437.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McMichaels were prominent landowners and clan members in the Scottish Highlands. They were involved in various feuds and conflicts with neighboring clans, such as the infamous Battle of Glenlivet in 1594, where members of the McMichael clan fought alongside the Clan Gordon.

In the late 17th century, many McMichaels immigrated to the American colonies, particularly to Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. One notable member of this early migration was John McMichael, who was born in Scotland in 1675 and settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s.

Another prominent bearer of the name was John McMichael (1724-1796), an American politician and soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Council and later became a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

In the 19th century, the McMichael family continued to spread across North America and other parts of the world. William McMichael (1807-1883) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Chatham, Ontario, and as a member of the Canadian Parliament.

Other notable individuals with the surname McMichael include Andrew McMichael (1871-1959), an American architect known for designing many buildings in San Francisco, and John McMichael (1904-1993), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the 1920s and 1930s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcmichael families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcmichael 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 9 Mcmichaels recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.98x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 9 5.98x
Essex 2 7.99x
Ayrshire 1 10.54x
Staffordshire 1 2.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Withington in Lancashire leads with 4 Mcmichaels recorded in 1881 and an index of 833.33x.

Place Total Index
Withington 4 833.33x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 83.68x
Kirkdale 2 79.05x
West Ham 2 36.17x
Ayr 1 222.22x
Penketh 1 2000.00x
Wolverhampton 1 30.40x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Kezia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Andrew 2
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
John 1
Samuel 1
William 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 Mcmichael households.

FAQ

Mcmichael surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcmichael surname in 1881?

In 1881, 446 people were recorded with the Mcmichael surname. That placed it at #7,361 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcmichael surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 614 in 2016. That gives Mcmichael a modern rank of #8,552.

What does the Mcmichael surname mean?

A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from a patronymic form of the personal name Michael.

What does the Mcmichael map show?

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