NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcnamee

A variant of the Irish surname "McNamee," derived from the Gaelic "Mac Conmidhe," meaning "son of the hound of Meath."

In the 1881 census there were 434 people recorded with the Mcnamee surname, ranking it #7,512 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,818, ranked #3,488, up from #7,512 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Govan Combination and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Corby, Johnstone North East and Halton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcnamee is 1,897 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 318.9%.

1881 census count

434

Ranked #7,512

Modern count

1,818

2016, ranked #3,488

Peak year

2010

1,897 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcnamee had 434 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,512 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,818 in 2016, ranked #3,488.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 678 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcnamee surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcnamee surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcnamee 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 137 #13,812
1861 historical 205 #11,769
1881 historical 434 #7,512
1891 historical 524 #7,145
1901 historical 678 #6,439
1911 historical 482 #8,054
1997 modern 1,699 #3,511
1998 modern 1,746 #3,552
1999 modern 1,778 #3,514
2000 modern 1,791 #3,474
2001 modern 1,750 #3,475
2002 modern 1,799 #3,450
2003 modern 1,746 #3,492
2004 modern 1,771 #3,445
2005 modern 1,770 #3,421
2006 modern 1,780 #3,406
2007 modern 1,808 #3,388
2008 modern 1,797 #3,439
2009 modern 1,843 #3,443
2010 modern 1,897 #3,423
2011 modern 1,832 #3,478
2012 modern 1,808 #3,462
2013 modern 1,833 #3,478
2014 modern 1,848 #3,477
2015 modern 1,848 #3,450
2016 modern 1,818 #3,488

Geography

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Where Mcnamees are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Govan Combination, Gateshead, Toxteth Park and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Corby, Johnstone North East, Halton and Toryglen and Oatlands. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Corby 006 Corby
2 Johnstone North East Renfrewshire
3 Halton 015 Halton
4 Corby 008 Corby
5 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcnamee

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcnamee

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

Mcnamee 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

Mcnamee 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 Mcnamee 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mcnamee

The surname McNamee is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic 'Mac an Aidh', which means 'son of the fire'. This is likely a reference to an ancestor who worked as a blacksmith or had a fiery temperament.

McNamee is an anglicized version of the original Irish spellings 'Mac an Aidh' or 'Mac an Fhaidh'. The name was commonly found in County Donegal, particularly in the baronies of Raphoe and Kilmacrenan. It is also found in Ulster, Connacht, and parts of Leinster.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name appears in the 1659 Census of Ireland, where it is spelled 'McEnayde'. The name is also mentioned in the 1666 Hearth Money Rolls for County Donegal, spelled 'McEnnady'.

In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Brian McNamee, who was a priest and historian from County Donegal. He wrote a history of the Diocese of Raphoe, which is an important source of information on the area's history.

In the 18th century, Francis McNamee (1736-1814) was a prominent Irish Catholic landowner and politician. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament for the constituency of County Longford.

In the 19th century, James McNamee (1828-1895) was an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded the McNamee and McWilliams Company, a successful construction firm in New York City. He donated funds to establish the McNamee Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

Another notable bearer of the name was John McNamee (1868-1945), an Irish-American baseball player. He played in the Major Leagues for several teams, including the Boston Beaneaters and the St. Louis Cardinals, between 1893 and 1902.

In the 20th century, Eugene McNamee (1912-1984) was a renowned Irish-American artist known for his landscape paintings and portraits. He was born in County Donegal and later moved to the United States, where he gained recognition for his works depicting scenes from Ireland and New York City.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcnamee families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcnamee 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 19 Mcnamees recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.22x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 19 3.22x
Cheshire 13 11.84x
Durham 8 5.41x
Yorkshire 4 0.81x
Hampshire 3 2.94x
Buteshire 1 33.22x
Cumberland 1 2.34x
Middlesex 1 0.20x
Surrey 1 0.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birkenhead in Cheshire leads with 11 Mcnamees recorded in 1881 and an index of 125.71x.

Place Total Index
Birkenhead 11 125.71x
Liverpool 7 19.54x
Westoe 6 71.51x
Salford 5 28.82x
West Derby 5 28.97x
Linthorpe 4 136.05x
Aldershot 2 58.65x
Cockermouth 1 111.11x
Elvet 1 93.46x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 15.60x
Kilmory 1 227.27x
Kirkdale 1 10.07x
Oldham 1 5.25x
Portsmouth 1 42.55x
Prenton 1 5000.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 9.99x
St Marylebone London 1 3.77x
Stockport 1 17.70x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Francis 1
Isabella 1
Margaret 1
Sarah 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 8
John 6
Thomas 4
Francis 3
Albert 2
Andrew 1
Barnard 1
Bernard 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Hugh 1
Martin 1
Peter 1
Richard 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 Mcnamee households.

FAQ

Mcnamee surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcnamee surname in 1881?

In 1881, 434 people were recorded with the Mcnamee surname. That placed it at #7,512 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcnamee surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,818 in 2016. That gives Mcnamee a modern rank of #3,488.

What does the Mcnamee surname mean?

A variant of the Irish surname "McNamee," derived from the Gaelic "Mac Conmidhe," meaning "son of the hound of Meath."

What does the Mcnamee map show?

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