NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcvay

A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to a son of a servant or son of Hugh.

In the 1881 census there were 421 people recorded with the Mcvay surname, ranking it #7,681 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 586, ranked #8,873, down from #7,681 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Gateshead and Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Northumberland and North Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcvay is 606 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.2%.

1881 census count

421

Ranked #7,681

Modern count

586

2016, ranked #8,873

Peak year

2010

606 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcvay had 421 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,681 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 586 in 2016, ranked #8,873.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 492 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcvay surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcvay surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcvay 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 193 #10,704
1861 historical 270 #9,216
1881 historical 421 #7,681
1891 historical 450 #8,074
1901 historical 492 #8,149
1911 historical 478 #8,099
1997 modern 526 #8,963
1998 modern 541 #9,044
1999 modern 565 #8,787
2000 modern 538 #9,103
2001 modern 535 #8,989
2002 modern 537 #9,150
2003 modern 520 #9,233
2004 modern 502 #9,497
2005 modern 525 #9,120
2006 modern 518 #9,232
2007 modern 536 #9,068
2008 modern 537 #9,126
2009 modern 567 #8,959
2010 modern 606 #8,723
2011 modern 576 #8,955
2012 modern 588 #8,735
2013 modern 605 #8,691
2014 modern 604 #8,761
2015 modern 599 #8,750
2016 modern 586 #8,873

Geography

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Where Mcvays are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Gateshead, Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon), Manchester and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Northumberland, North Tyneside, Allerdale and Cardowan and Millerston. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 006 County Durham
2 Northumberland 035 Northumberland
3 North Tyneside 015 North Tyneside
4 Allerdale 011 Allerdale
5 Cardowan and Millerston North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcvay

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcvay

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mcvay is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcvay 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcvay

The surname McVay is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Bheadh," which was a personal name. This suggests that the name was initially a patronymic, used to identify someone as the son of a man named Bheadh.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners and lairds who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacVeydh," which is likely an early spelling variation.

In the 16th century, the McVay clan was known to have held lands in the areas of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, located in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. The name is also associated with the Isle of Islay, one of the Inner Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland.

A notable historical figure bearing the McVay surname was John McVay, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the Minister of Kilwinning, a town in Ayrshire, from 1596 until his death in 1622.

Another prominent individual was Sir Henry McVay, a Scottish soldier and landowner who lived in the 17th century. He was granted the lands of Drumlithie in Kincardineshire (now part of Aberdeenshire) by King Charles II in recognition of his military service.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records and documents related to the American colonies. One example is John McVay, who was born in Scotland around 1720 and later emigrated to Virginia, where he served as a militia captain during the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable figure from this period was Samuel McVay, an Irish-born sea captain and merchant who lived from 1737 to 1809. He was involved in the West Indies trade and was captured by the British during the American Revolutionary War while commanding a ship carrying military supplies.

In the 19th century, the McVay surname was found among Scottish emigrants who settled in various parts of the British Empire, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. One such individual was John McVay, a Scottish-born farmer who emigrated to Ontario, Canada, in the 1830s and became a prominent citizen in the town of Caledon.

Overall, the surname McVay has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with various branches and notable individuals emerging throughout the centuries in different parts of the world. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it has been associated with various regions and historical events over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcvay families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcvay 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. Yorkshire leads with 14 Mcvays recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.23x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 14 2.23x
Cumberland 10 18.32x
Durham 10 5.30x
Lancashire 10 1.33x
Northumberland 6 6.36x
Staffordshire 6 2.80x
Renfrewshire 5 10.18x
Ayrshire 2 4.22x
Lincolnshire 1 0.99x
Surrey 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hedworth Monkton Jarrow in Durham leads with 7 Mcvays recorded in 1881 and an index of 85.68x.

Place Total Index
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 7 85.68x
Cleator 6 264.32x
Sowerby In Thirsk 6 1578.95x
Wolstanton 6 92.31x
Liverpool 5 10.94x
West Greenock 5 56.69x
Manningham 4 51.68x
Newby Wiske 4 8000.00x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 53.29x
Preston In Tynemouth 3 810.81x
Whitehaven 3 103.09x
Dunlop 2 666.67x
Manchester 2 5.91x
Toxteth Park 2 7.85x
Westoe 2 18.71x
Barton St Mary 1 196.08x
Clapham 1 12.61x
Collierley 1 119.05x
Lamplugh 1 370.37x
Withington 1 41.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Ann 3
Elizabeth 3
Margaret 3
Frances 2
Kate 2
Ada 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Charlott 1
Eliza 1
Francis 1
Jane 1
Marey 1
Margret 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
James 5
William 3
Edward 2
Samuel 2
Charles 1
David 1
George 1
Henery 1
Henry 1
Michal 1
Peter 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 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 Mcvay households.

FAQ

Mcvay surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcvay surname in 1881?

In 1881, 421 people were recorded with the Mcvay surname. That placed it at #7,681 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcvay surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 586 in 2016. That gives Mcvay a modern rank of #8,873.

What does the Mcvay surname mean?

A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to a son of a servant or son of Hugh.

What does the Mcvay map show?

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