NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcsherry

An Irish surname meaning "son of Seary" or "son of the freebooter".

In the 1881 census there were 143 people recorded with the Mcsherry surname, ranking it #15,955 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,055, ranked #5,529, up from #15,955 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bothwell, St Bees and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Castle Douglas, Fauldhouse and Easterhouse East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcsherry is 1,076 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 637.8%.

1881 census count

143

Ranked #15,955

Modern count

1,055

2016, ranked #5,529

Peak year

2010

1,076 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcsherry had 143 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,955 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,055 in 2016, ranked #5,529.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 350 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcsherry surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcsherry surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Mcsherry 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 55 #27,007
1881 historical 143 #15,955
1891 historical 223 #13,800
1901 historical 350 #10,439
1911 historical 117 #20,757
1997 modern 930 #5,815
1998 modern 939 #5,962
1999 modern 956 #5,923
2000 modern 965 #5,857
2001 modern 930 #5,918
2002 modern 974 #5,811
2003 modern 953 #5,822
2004 modern 929 #5,931
2005 modern 933 #5,861
2006 modern 970 #5,690
2007 modern 989 #5,657
2008 modern 999 #5,657
2009 modern 1,042 #5,590
2010 modern 1,076 #5,534
2011 modern 1,037 #5,645
2012 modern 1,001 #5,730
2013 modern 1,039 #5,663
2014 modern 1,072 #5,535
2015 modern 1,057 #5,548
2016 modern 1,055 #5,529

Geography

Back to top

Where Mcsherrys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bothwell, St Bees, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Castle Douglas, Fauldhouse, Easterhouse East, South Leith and Fernhill and Cathkin. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bothwell Lanark
2 St Bees Cumberland
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Castle Douglas Dumfries and Galloway
2 Fauldhouse West Lothian
3 Easterhouse East Glasgow City
4 South Leith City of Edinburgh
5 Fernhill and Cathkin South Lanarkshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Mcsherry

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Mcsherry

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

Mcsherry 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcsherry

The surname McSherry originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Shíthigh", meaning "son of Shíthigh". The name Shíthigh itself is believed to be a personal name derived from the Irish word "sídhe", meaning "fairy mound" or "fairy dwelling".

McSherry is an anglicized version of the original Irish surname, which evolved through various spellings such as McSherry, McSherry, and McSherry. The prefix "Mac" denotes "son of" in Gaelic, indicating that the name was originally a patronymic, referring to the son of an individual named Shíthigh.

The earliest recorded instances of the McSherry surname can be traced back to the 16th century in counties such as Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh in Ulster, Ireland. The name was particularly prominent in the Barony of Raphoe, County Donegal, where the McSherry clan held significant influence and landholdings.

In the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, there are references to individuals bearing the name McSherry or variations thereof. For instance, in the year 1499, a Fergal McSherry is mentioned as the chief of the Clan Shíthigh in County Donegal.

Notable individuals with the surname McSherry include:

1. Theophilus McSherry (1809-1890), an American Catholic priest and historian from Maryland. 2. James McSherry (1819-1869), an Irish-American Catholic priest and writer from New York. 3. Patrick McSherry (1830-1905), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand. 4. Hugh McSherry (1855-1922), an Irish politician and journalist who served as a Member of Parliament for West Donegal. 5. Liam McSherry (1892-1978), an Irish politician and trade unionist who served as a Member of Parliament for Derry City.

The McSherry surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McSherry's Townland in County Donegal, reflecting the historical presence and influence of the clan in that region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Mcsherry families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcsherry 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 5 Mcsherrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.81x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 5 4.81x
Middlesex 2 2.28x
Nottinghamshire 2 16.93x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 4 Mcsherrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 63.29x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 4 63.29x
Hampstead London 2 147.06x
Nottingham St Mary 2 65.36x
Everton 1 30.21x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Amy 1
Ellen 1
Julia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
Felix 1
Frank 1
Jas. 1
Michael 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 Mcsherry households.

FAQ

Mcsherry surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcsherry surname in 1881?

In 1881, 143 people were recorded with the Mcsherry surname. That placed it at #15,955 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcsherry surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,055 in 2016. That gives Mcsherry a modern rank of #5,529.

What does the Mcsherry surname mean?

An Irish surname meaning "son of Seary" or "son of the freebooter".

What does the Mcsherry map show?

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