NameCensus.

UK surname

Meagher

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Meachair," meaning "descendant of the majestic one" or "proud one."

In the 1881 census there were 161 people recorded with the Meagher surname, ranking it #14,801 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 428, ranked #11,234, up from #14,801 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Coventry and South Staffordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meagher is 433 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 165.8%.

1881 census count

161

Ranked #14,801

Modern count

428

2016, ranked #11,234

Peak year

2013

433 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meagher had 161 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,801 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 428 in 2016, ranked #11,234.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 201 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Meagher surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meagher surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meagher 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 89 #18,446
1861 historical 85 #22,922
1881 historical 161 #14,801
1891 historical 159 #17,636
1901 historical 201 #15,059
1911 historical 180 #15,961
1997 modern 380 #11,418
1998 modern 403 #11,275
1999 modern 414 #11,156
2000 modern 421 #10,984
2001 modern 411 #11,003
2002 modern 419 #11,059
2003 modern 418 #10,896
2004 modern 405 #11,177
2005 modern 409 #10,999
2006 modern 404 #11,159
2007 modern 406 #11,249
2008 modern 410 #11,245
2009 modern 406 #11,586
2010 modern 412 #11,707
2011 modern 414 #11,533
2012 modern 421 #11,245
2013 modern 433 #11,184
2014 modern 430 #11,323
2015 modern 422 #11,409
2016 modern 428 #11,234

Geography

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Where Meaghers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Coventry, South Staffordshire, Merton and Lewes. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 003 Rochdale
2 Coventry 038 Coventry
3 South Staffordshire 002 South Staffordshire
4 Merton 011 Merton
5 Lewes 006 Lewes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meagher

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meagher

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Meagher surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Meagher household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Meagher is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Meagher is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Meagher falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Meagher

The surname Meagher is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the County Tipperary area of Ireland. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Meachair", which means "descendant of Meachair". Meachair is derived from the word "meacair", meaning "hospitable" or "affable".

The name first appeared in historical records in the 12th century, when it was commonly spelled "O'Meagher". It is believed that the Meagher clan was originally based in the territory of Ikerrin, which was located in what is now County Tipperary. The Meaghers were a prominent family in this region and played a significant role in Irish history.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Meagher of Ikerrin" in the year 1200. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important source for Irish history, in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the Meagher clan was involved in several conflicts with the English forces. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Meagher, who led a rebellion against the English in 1548. He was eventually captured and executed.

Another famous bearer of the name was Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867), an Irish revolutionary and leader of the Young Irelanders. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1848 and was later transported to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) as a convict. After his release, he emigrated to the United States and served as a Brigadier General in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Other notable Meaghers include William Meagher (1796-1874), an Irish politician and landowner, and John Francis Meagher (1824-1891), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the first Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada.

The name Meagher has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Meaghers' Country, a region in County Tipperary, and Meagher's Fort, a historic site in County Cork.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Meagher families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meagher 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 80 Meaghers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.88x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 80 3.88x
Channel Islands 17 33.04x
Middlesex 17 0.98x
Midlothian 15 6.45x
Surrey 13 1.54x
Hertfordshire 9 7.52x
Kent 4 0.68x
Oxfordshire 4 3.73x
Lanarkshire 3 0.53x
Yorkshire 3 0.17x
Bedfordshire 2 2.22x
Derbyshire 2 0.74x
Essex 2 0.58x
Northumberland 2 0.77x
Cornwall 1 0.51x
Glamorgan 1 0.33x
Staffordshire 1 0.17x
Sussex 1 0.34x
Warwickshire 1 0.23x

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 21 Meaghers recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.78x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 21 16.78x
Manchester 15 16.19x
Widnes 14 94.21x
St Michaelinthe Vale 11 597.83x
Berkhampstead 8 297.40x
Edinburgh St Marys 8 176.99x
St Sampson 6 258.62x
Bermondsey 5 9.67x
Edinburgh Old 5 354.61x
Lambeth 5 3.30x
Pendleton In Salford 5 20.37x
Preston 5 9.07x
Ardwick 4 21.53x
Bletchington 4 1111.11x
Everton 4 6.09x
Mile End Old Town 4 14.59x
Hammersmith London 3 7.01x
St Gilesin Fields 3 297.03x
Caddington 2 151.52x
Chelsea London 2 3.82x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 6.11x
Deptford St Nicholas 2 42.55x
Govan 2 1.44x
Kirkdale 2 5.77x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 2 12.96x
Ratcliffe London 2 20.86x
West Ham 2 2.64x
Aighton Bailey 1 101.01x
Barony 1 0.70x
Barrow In Furness 1 3.57x
Blackburn 1 1.82x
Camberwell 1 0.90x
Camborne 1 12.35x
Cheetham 1 6.51x
Cheriton 1 41.49x
Chesterfield 1 9.81x
Clapham 1 4.61x
Croydon 1 2.13x
Ditton 1 119.05x
Eastbourne 1 7.42x
Eckington 1 15.15x
Edinburgh Old Church 1 53.48x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.07x
Folkestone 1 8.70x
Haslingden 1 11.72x
Hunslet 1 3.73x
Islington London 1 0.59x
Kimberworth 1 10.47x
Moss Side 1 9.23x
Penarth 1 33.90x
Princethorpe 1 555.56x
Richmond 1 37.17x
St George Hanover 1 4.41x
St Marylebone London 1 1.08x
Watford 1 10.78x
Wednesbury 1 6.83x
West Derby 1 1.66x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
William 10
Thomas 9
James 6
Patrick 5
Daniel 4
Joseph 4
Michael 3
Cornelius 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Philip 2
Robert 2
Timothy 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Cyprian 1
David 1
Edwd. 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
H. 1
Hary 1
J. 1
Jeremiah 1
Lawrance 1
Lawrence 1
Richard 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Meagher surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meagher surname in 1881?

In 1881, 161 people were recorded with the Meagher surname. That placed it at #14,801 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meagher surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 428 in 2016. That gives Meagher a modern rank of #11,234.

What does the Meagher surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Meachair," meaning "descendant of the majestic one" or "proud one."

What does the Meagher map show?

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