NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcnee

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Naoimh meaning "son of the saint".

In the 1881 census there were 680 people recorded with the Mcnee surname, ranking it #5,298 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,268, ranked #4,719, up from #5,298 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Cardross and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blackridge, Westfield and Torphichen, Wyndford and Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcnee is 1,268 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.5%.

1881 census count

680

Ranked #5,298

Modern count

1,268

2016, ranked #4,719

Peak year

2016

1,268 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcnee had 680 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,298 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,268 in 2016, ranked #4,719.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 784 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcnee surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcnee surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcnee 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 351 #6,715
1861 historical 480 #5,436
1881 historical 680 #5,298
1891 historical 664 #5,855
1901 historical 784 #5,737
1911 historical 222 #13,992
1997 modern 1,160 #4,855
1998 modern 1,171 #4,980
1999 modern 1,183 #4,995
2000 modern 1,184 #4,963
2001 modern 1,150 #4,987
2002 modern 1,174 #4,989
2003 modern 1,145 #5,011
2004 modern 1,121 #5,103
2005 modern 1,156 #4,920
2006 modern 1,178 #4,852
2007 modern 1,210 #4,780
2008 modern 1,204 #4,826
2009 modern 1,231 #4,845
2010 modern 1,263 #4,837
2011 modern 1,226 #4,891
2012 modern 1,187 #4,955
2013 modern 1,212 #4,943
2014 modern 1,244 #4,856
2015 modern 1,251 #4,801
2016 modern 1,268 #4,719

Geography

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Where Mcnees are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Cardross, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blackridge, Westfield and Torphichen, Wyndford, Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill, Armadale South and Knightsridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Cardross Dunbarton
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blackridge, Westfield and Torphichen West Lothian
2 Wyndford Glasgow City
3 Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill Glasgow City
4 Armadale South West Lothian
5 Knightsridge West Lothian

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcnee

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcnee

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Mcnee is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcnee 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

Mcnee 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 Mcnee 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 Mcnee, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mcnee

The surname McNee is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic word 'nighean' which means 'daughter' or 'girl'. The prefix 'Mc' is a contraction of the Gaelic word 'mac' meaning 'son'. Thus, the name McNee likely referred to the 'son of the daughter' or 'son of the girl'.

The name is believed to have originated in the Highlands of Scotland, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Isles, during the medieval period. It is thought to have been a patronymic surname, originally used to identify the son of an unmarried woman or a woman whose husband's name was unknown or unimportant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th century, where a 'John McNee' is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland from the 15th century, which includes a 'Gilchrist McNee' from the Isle of Islay.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname was Donald McNee, a Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Raphoe in Ireland from 1575 to 1593. Around the same time, a John McNee was recorded as a landowner in the parish of Kilchoman on the Isle of Islay.

During the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. For instance, a Duncan McNee is mentioned in the Argyll Sasines (land records) of 1662, while a Finlay McNee is recorded in the Presbytery Records of Islay in 1688.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname was Archibald McNee, a Scottish soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Argyllshire around 1740 and fought in several major battles, including the Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777.

Another significant figure was John McNee, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in the parish of Kildalton on the Isle of Islay in 1785 and is known for his works in both English and Gaelic, including a collection of poems titled "The Songs of Islay".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcnee families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcnee 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. Cheshire leads with 6 Mcnees recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.41x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 6 16.41x
Lancashire 6 3.05x
Devon 3 8.70x
Middlesex 2 1.21x

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 6 Mcnees recorded in 1881 and an index of 206.19x.

Place Total Index
Birkenhead 6 206.19x
Barrow In Furness 3 112.36x
Tormoham 3 205.48x
Kirkdale 2 60.42x
Bethnal Green London 1 13.89x
Great Crosby 1 185.19x
Whitechapel London 1 61.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Barbra 2
Catherine 2
Annie 1
Janet 1
Janette 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
John 2
Andrew 1
Edward 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Terrance 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 Mcnee households.

FAQ

Mcnee surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcnee surname in 1881?

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

How common is the Mcnee surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,268 in 2016. That gives Mcnee a modern rank of #4,719.

What does the Mcnee surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Naoimh meaning "son of the saint".

What does the Mcnee map show?

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