NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcparland

Surname derived from Scottish Gaelic meaning "son of the freckled lad".

In the 1881 census there were 76 people recorded with the Mcparland surname, ranking it #22,745 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 640, ranked #8,269, up from #22,745 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Prescot and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hillhead, Kirklees and Luton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcparland is 660 in 2012. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 742.1%.

1881 census count

76

Ranked #22,745

Modern count

640

2016, ranked #8,269

Peak year

2012

660 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcparland had 76 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,745 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 640 in 2016, ranked #8,269.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 153 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcparland surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcparland surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcparland 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 23 #29,205
1861 historical 28 #30,405
1881 historical 76 #22,745
1891 historical 136 #19,601
1901 historical 153 #17,844
1911 historical 122 #20,245
1997 modern 596 #8,188
1998 modern 606 #8,329
1999 modern 632 #8,139
2000 modern 628 #8,156
2001 modern 620 #8,085
2002 modern 630 #8,163
2003 modern 615 #8,169
2004 modern 618 #8,164
2005 modern 623 #8,038
2006 modern 612 #8,161
2007 modern 631 #8,050
2008 modern 640 #8,007
2009 modern 652 #8,046
2010 modern 652 #8,224
2011 modern 655 #8,104
2012 modern 660 #7,975
2013 modern 656 #8,153
2014 modern 650 #8,255
2015 modern 630 #8,394
2016 modern 640 #8,269

Geography

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Where Mcparlands are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Hillhead, Kirklees, Luton, Tameside and Calderdale. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Prescot Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hillhead East Dunbartonshire
2 Kirklees 047 Kirklees
3 Luton 001 Luton
4 Tameside 008 Tameside
5 Calderdale 020 Calderdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcparland

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcparland

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

Mcparland is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mcparland falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mcparland

The surname McParland is of Irish origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Pharlain, which means "son of Parlan". Parlan was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word parlan, meaning "peat moor" or "peaty land".

The McParland name is most closely associated with County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, where the clan was based. The earliest known recorded instance of the name is found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of administrative records from the 16th century, where a John McParlane is mentioned in 1568.

In the 17th century, the McParland name appears in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which were tax records compiled during the reign of King Charles II. This suggests that the McParland clan was well-established in County Tyrone by this time.

One notable figure from history bearing the McParland surname was Thomas McParland, a Roman Catholic bishop who lived from 1800 to 1873. He served as the Bishop of Dromore from 1847 until his death.

Another significant individual was Michael McParland, a Franciscan friar who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Counter-Reformation and played a key role in the establishment of the Irish College in Louvain, Belgium.

In the 18th century, a John McParland was listed as a landowner in the Landed Estates Court Rentals of 1768, which recorded landholdings in Ireland at the time.

A notable McParland from more recent history was James McParland, born in 1844 and known as the "Pinkerton Spy". He worked as an undercover agent for the Pinkerton Detective Agency and infiltrated the Molly Maguires, a secret society of Irish-American coal miners in Pennsylvania.

Another individual of note was Patrick McParland, a 19th-century Irish scholar and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and culture. He was born in 1824 and is remembered for his work in preserving and promoting the Irish language and traditions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcparland families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcparland 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. Gloucestershire leads with 7 Mcparlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.25x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 7 15.25x
Lancashire 7 2.52x
Durham 6 8.62x
Flintshire 2 31.80x
Yorkshire 2 0.86x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cheltenham in Gloucestershire leads with 7 Mcparlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 197.74x.

Place Total Index
Cheltenham 7 197.74x
Winlaton 6 895.52x
Kirkdale 4 85.65x
Liverpool 3 17.79x
Clifford Cum Boston 2 952.38x
Hawarden 2 408.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Elizabeth 1
Ethel 1
Isabella 1
Margeret 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
Michael 2
Patrick 2
Edward 1
Henry 1
John 1
Micheal 1
Owen 1
Peter 1
Thomas 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 Mcparland households.

FAQ

Mcparland surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcparland surname in 1881?

In 1881, 76 people were recorded with the Mcparland surname. That placed it at #22,745 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcparland surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 640 in 2016. That gives Mcparland a modern rank of #8,269.

What does the Mcparland surname mean?

Surname derived from Scottish Gaelic meaning "son of the freckled lad".

What does the Mcparland map show?

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