NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcmorran

From a Scottish place name referring to a person from lands near the sea.

In the 1881 census there were 373 people recorded with the Mcmorran surname, ranking it #8,380 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 488, ranked #10,156, down from #8,380 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sutton and Stoneferry, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton, Glenkens and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcmorran is 523 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.8%.

1881 census count

373

Ranked #8,380

Modern count

488

2016, ranked #10,156

Peak year

1901

523 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcmorran had 373 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,380 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 488 in 2016, ranked #10,156.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 523 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Mcmorran surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcmorran surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcmorran 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 118 #15,362
1861 historical 253 #9,764
1881 historical 373 #8,380
1891 historical 408 #8,733
1901 historical 523 #7,790
1911 historical 112 #21,274
1997 modern 461 #9,886
1998 modern 469 #10,079
1999 modern 462 #10,249
2000 modern 455 #10,340
2001 modern 468 #9,949
2002 modern 466 #10,151
2003 modern 446 #10,361
2004 modern 455 #10,208
2005 modern 452 #10,173
2006 modern 441 #10,411
2007 modern 436 #10,597
2008 modern 444 #10,535
2009 modern 460 #10,481
2010 modern 480 #10,353
2011 modern 458 #10,630
2012 modern 450 #10,654
2013 modern 472 #10,450
2014 modern 490 #10,233
2015 modern 491 #10,134
2016 modern 488 #10,156

Geography

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Where Mcmorrans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sutton and Stoneferry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Carnwath 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 Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton, Glenkens, Waveney, Huntingdonshire and Shepway. 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 Sutton and Stoneferry Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Carnwath Lanark
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton South Lanarkshire
2 Glenkens Dumfries and Galloway
3 Waveney 013 Waveney
4 Huntingdonshire 017 Huntingdonshire
5 Shepway 004 Shepway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcmorran

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcmorran

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mcmorran, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Mcmorran surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Mcmorran household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mcmorran 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

Mcmorran 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

Mcmorran falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mcmorran 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 Mcmorran, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mcmorran

The surname McMorran is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Moran" or "Muireadhan," which means "sea-born" or "descendent of the sea." The name likely originated in the coastal regions of western Scotland, particularly around the Hebrides Islands and the mainland areas of Argyll and Bute.

McMorran is a variant spelling of the more common surnames McMoran or McMurran, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common in early Scottish records. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries, with references found in various parish and clan records from the western Scottish Highlands and Islands.

One notable early bearer of the name was Donald McMorran, a clansman from the Isle of Islay who was recorded in a legal document from 1602 regarding a dispute over land rights. Another early reference can be found in the "Book of Islay," a historical record compiled in the late 17th century, which mentions a John McMorran who served as a witness in a legal case in 1689.

In the 18th century, the McMorran name appeared in various records from the parishes of Kilchoman and Kildalton on the Isle of Islay, suggesting a concentration of the surname in that region. One individual of note was Archibald McMorran, a farmer from Kildalton who was born in 1732 and served as a local elder in the parish church.

As the centuries progressed, members of the McMorran family migrated to other parts of Scotland and beyond, with some settling in the Scottish Lowlands and others eventually making their way to England, Ireland, and North America. In the early 19th century, a James McMorran from Argyllshire, born in 1798, was recorded as having served in the British Royal Navy.

Another notable figure was Alexander McMorran, a Scottish-born poet and journalist who lived from 1832 to 1901. He spent much of his life in New York City, where he worked as a writer and editor for various publications, including the New York Herald and the New York Times.

While the McMorran name is not among the most common Scottish surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the western coastal regions of Scotland and the proud heritage of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcmorran families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcmorran 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. Wiltshire leads with 2 Mcmorrans recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.68x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 2 38.68x
Yorkshire 2 3.45x
Essex 1 8.67x
Oxfordshire 1 27.70x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ecclesall Bierlow in Yorkshire leads with 2 Mcmorrans recorded in 1881 and an index of 169.49x.

Place Total Index
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 169.49x
Salisbury St Thomas 2 5000.00x
Combe 1 10000.00x
Hornchurch 1 1666.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Charlotte 1
Christine 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Robert 1
Thomas 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 Mcmorran households.

FAQ

Mcmorran surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcmorran surname in 1881?

In 1881, 373 people were recorded with the Mcmorran surname. That placed it at #8,380 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcmorran surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 488 in 2016. That gives Mcmorran a modern rank of #10,156.

What does the Mcmorran surname mean?

From a Scottish place name referring to a person from lands near the sea.

What does the Mcmorran map show?

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