NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcwade

Scottish surname meaning "son of Wade".

In the 1881 census there were 42 people recorded with the Mcwade surname, ranking it #27,721 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 99, ranked #31,358, down from #27,721 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Bracknell Forest and Sefton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcwade is 125 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 135.7%.

1881 census count

42

Ranked #27,721

Modern count

99

2016, ranked #31,358

Peak year

1999

125 bearers

Map years

2

1998 to 2006

Key insights

  • Mcwade had 42 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,721 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 99 in 2016, ranked #31,358.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 64 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcwade surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcwade surname density by area, 2006 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcwade 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 49 #27,768
1881 historical 42 #27,721
1891 historical 50 #30,253
1901 historical 41 #29,602
1911 historical 41 #28,802
1997 modern 124 #23,669
1998 modern 124 #24,316
1999 modern 125 #24,366
2000 modern 119 #25,072
2001 modern 113 #25,489
2002 modern 118 #25,358
2003 modern 120 #24,909
2004 modern 121 #24,939
2005 modern 118 #25,301
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 117 #26,066
2008 modern 115 #26,635
2009 modern 121 #26,373
2010 modern 118 #27,404
2011 modern 116 #27,477
2012 modern 100 #30,258
2013 modern 101 #30,591
2014 modern 96 #31,667
2015 modern 99 #31,168
2016 modern 99 #31,358

Geography

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Where Mcwades are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Bracknell Forest, Sefton and Bournemouth. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 032 Wiltshire
2 Wiltshire 030 Wiltshire
3 Bracknell Forest 013 Bracknell Forest
4 Sefton 009 Sefton
5 Bournemouth 010 Bournemouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcwade

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcwade

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mcwade is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcwade is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Mcwade

The surname McWade has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic name 'Mac Bhàidh', which translates to 'son of Baidh'. Baidh was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word 'báeth', meaning 'foolhardy' or 'reckless'.

The McWade name can be traced back to the 12th century, with early records indicating that the family originated in the Highlands of Scotland, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Isles. Variations of the name include McWade, McVade, and McQuade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, dated 1264, which mentions a 'Gillecrist Mcbayth'. Additionally, the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instrumentalities from Scottish nobles swearing allegiance to Edward I of England.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the McWade name was Fergus McWade, a Scottish clergyman and reformer who played a role in the Scottish Reformation. He was born around 1510 and served as the minister of the parish of Dunoon from 1560 until his death in 1586.

Another historical figure with the McWade surname was Sir Patrick McWade, a Scottish soldier and landowner from the 17th century. He was born in 1620 and served as a colonel in the Royalist army during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, John McWade, born in 1712, was a prominent merchant and landowner in Glasgow. He was involved in the tobacco trade and owned several estates in the region.

The McWade name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McWade's Hill in Argyll and McWade's Well in Kilmarnock. These place names likely derived from individuals or families bearing the McWade surname who resided in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the McWade surname include James McWade, a Scottish poet and writer born in 1825, and William McWade, a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist born in 1848, who made significant contributions to the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcwade families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcwade 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 7 Mcwades recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.56x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 7 7.56x
Middlesex 1 1.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ormskirk in Lancashire leads with 5 Mcwades recorded in 1881 and an index of 2777.78x.

Place Total Index
Ormskirk 5 2777.78x
Crumpsall 1 454.55x
Layton With Warbreck 1 294.12x
St George Martyr 1 769.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Caroline 1
Eliza 1
Florence 1
Lucy 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Arthur 1
Francis 1
James 1
Peter 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 Mcwade households.

FAQ

Mcwade surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcwade surname in 1881?

In 1881, 42 people were recorded with the Mcwade surname. That placed it at #27,721 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcwade surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 99 in 2016. That gives Mcwade a modern rank of #31,358.

What does the Mcwade surname mean?

Scottish surname meaning "son of Wade".

What does the Mcwade map show?

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