NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcvey

Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh," a personal name meaning "fire" or "fiery one."

In the 1881 census there were 1,057 people recorded with the Mcvey surname, ranking it #3,725 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,442, ranked #2,699, up from #3,725 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill, Knowsley and Paisley Ferguslie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcvey is 2,442 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 131.0%.

1881 census count

1,057

Ranked #3,725

Modern count

2,442

2016, ranked #2,699

Peak year

2016

2,442 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcvey had 1,057 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,725 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,442 in 2016, ranked #2,699.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,316 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Mcvey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcvey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcvey 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 594 #4,316
1861 historical 628 #4,264
1881 historical 1,057 #3,725
1891 historical 1,095 #3,860
1901 historical 1,316 #3,801
1911 historical 337 #10,547
1997 modern 2,097 #2,939
1998 modern 2,150 #2,980
1999 modern 2,175 #2,966
2000 modern 2,149 #2,983
2001 modern 2,097 #2,988
2002 modern 2,155 #2,977
2003 modern 2,070 #3,028
2004 modern 2,100 #2,981
2005 modern 2,119 #2,925
2006 modern 2,140 #2,902
2007 modern 2,202 #2,863
2008 modern 2,242 #2,835
2009 modern 2,319 #2,816
2010 modern 2,395 #2,791
2011 modern 2,315 #2,842
2012 modern 2,272 #2,837
2013 modern 2,365 #2,786
2014 modern 2,426 #2,746
2015 modern 2,432 #2,719
2016 modern 2,442 #2,699

Geography

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Where Mcveys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill, Knowsley, Paisley Ferguslie, Gallowgate North and Bellgrove and Parkhead East and Braidfauld North. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill Glasgow City
2 Knowsley 001 Knowsley
3 Paisley Ferguslie Renfrewshire
4 Gallowgate North and Bellgrove Glasgow City
5 Parkhead East and Braidfauld North Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcvey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcvey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mcvey, 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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Mcvey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Mcvey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mcvey 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

Mcvey 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mcvey

The surname MCVEY is believed to have originated in Ireland, tracing its roots back to the early 17th century. It is thought to be a variant of the more common Irish surname McVeigh, derived from the Gaelic name Mac Bheatha, meaning "son of Bheatha."

MCVEY is a patronymic surname, indicating that the name was originally formed by adding the prefix "Mac" (meaning "son of") to the personal name Bheatha. This practice of creating surnames from a father's given name was common in Ireland and Scotland during the medieval period.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the MCVEY surname can be found in Irish census records from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The name was particularly prevalent in County Armagh and County Tyrone in Ulster, where many families bearing the name resided.

One notable historical figure with the surname MCVEY was John McVey, an Irish-born soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War. Born in County Armagh around 1755, McVey fought alongside the Continental Army and was present at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, which effectively ended the war.

Another prominent individual with the MCVEY surname was James McVey, a Scottish-born railway engineer who lived from 1815 to 1896. He played a crucial role in the construction of several major railway lines in Scotland and England during the 19th century, including the Glasgow and South Western Railway.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the MCVEY surname can be found in the marriage records of Baltimore, Maryland, where a John McVey married Mary Dunn in 1818. This suggests that Irish immigrants bearing the MCVEY name had already begun settling in America by the early 19th century.

Another notable American with the MCVEY surname was Patrick McVey, a lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a United States Congressman from 1873 to 1875. He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1828 and later immigrated to the United States.

In more recent history, one of the most famous individuals with the MCVEY surname was Edna McVey, an American educator and psychologist who lived from 1888 to 1976. She was a pioneer in the field of child psychology and served as the director of the famous Gesell Institute of Child Development in New Haven, Connecticut.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcvey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcvey 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 34 Mcveys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.74x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 34 4.74x
Northumberland 10 11.11x
Cumberland 8 15.37x
Yorkshire 4 0.67x
Ayrshire 3 6.63x
Durham 1 0.56x
Hampshire 1 0.81x
Warwickshire 1 0.66x

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 19 Mcveys recorded in 1881 and an index of 43.60x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 19 43.60x
Great Bolton 8 84.21x
Workington 7 234.90x
Chirton 6 294.12x
Toxteth Park 6 24.69x
Manningham 4 54.20x
Westgate 4 71.81x
Girvan 3 263.16x
Alverstoke 1 22.27x
Arlecdon 1 72.46x
Birmingham 1 1.97x
Gateshead 1 7.42x
Kirkdale 1 8.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Margaret 4
Catherine 2
Jane 2
Amanda 1
Bridget 1
Dorothy 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Isabella 1
Johanah 1
Rosannah 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
John 4
Patrick 4
Michael 3
Robert 3
Thomas 3
Hugh 2
William 2
Arthur 1
Barny 1
Henry 1
Johnny 1
Joseph 1
Peter 1

FAQ

Mcvey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcvey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,057 people were recorded with the Mcvey surname. That placed it at #3,725 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcvey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,442 in 2016. That gives Mcvey a modern rank of #2,699.

What does the Mcvey surname mean?

Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh," a personal name meaning "fire" or "fiery one."

What does the Mcvey map show?

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