NameCensus.

UK surname

Minihan

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Mionacháin meaning "descendant of a tiny one".

In the 1881 census there were 22 people recorded with the Minihan surname, ranking it #30,464 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 150, ranked #23,724, up from #30,464 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include New Forest, Richmond upon Thames and Telford and Wrekin.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Minihan is 165 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 581.8%.

1881 census count

22

Ranked #30,464

Modern count

150

2016, ranked #23,724

Peak year

1999

165 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Minihan had 22 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,464 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016, ranked #23,724.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 38 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Minihan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Minihan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Minihan 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 11 #31,309
1861 historical 12 #32,329
1881 historical 22 #30,464
1891 historical 15 #32,956
1901 historical 36 #30,099
1911 historical 38 #29,147
1997 modern 148 #21,295
1998 modern 164 #20,505
1999 modern 165 #20,535
2000 modern 153 #21,520
2001 modern 150 #21,482
2002 modern 160 #21,011
2003 modern 156 #21,115
2004 modern 157 #21,168
2005 modern 154 #21,396
2006 modern 139 #23,044
2007 modern 149 #22,318
2008 modern 146 #22,822
2009 modern 150 #22,937
2010 modern 163 #22,205
2011 modern 162 #22,101
2012 modern 149 #23,372
2013 modern 156 #23,004
2014 modern 158 #23,022
2015 modern 151 #23,613
2016 modern 150 #23,724

Geography

Back to top

Where Minihans 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 New Forest, Richmond upon Thames, Telford and Wrekin, Harrow and Kirklees. 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 New Forest 011 New Forest
2 Richmond upon Thames 021 Richmond upon Thames
3 Telford and Wrekin 014 Telford and Wrekin
4 Harrow 023 Harrow
5 Kirklees 025 Kirklees

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Minihan

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Minihan

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Minihan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Minihan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Minihan 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

Minihan 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

Minihan falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Minihan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Minihan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Minihan

The surname Minihan is of Irish origin, and it can be traced back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'Míneacháin," which means "descendant of Míneachán." Míneachán is a personal name that translates to "little monk" or "little friar."

The Minihan surname was first concentrated in the areas of County Galway and County Mayo in the west of Ireland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Fiants of the Tudor sovereign reign in Ireland, where it appeared as "O'Mynaghan" in 1586.

In the 17th century, the Minihan family was documented as one of the principal families of the Barony of Costello in County Mayo. The name was also mentioned in the "Annals of the Four Masters," a renowned chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Minihan surname was Dermot Minihan, who was born in County Galway around 1620. He was a prominent landowner and member of the Irish gentry during the tumultuous period of the Irish Confederate Wars and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

Another notable figure was Reverend John Minihan, who lived in the 18th century. He was a Catholic priest and scholar born in County Mayo around 1725. He authored several religious works and was known for his expertise in Irish language and literature.

In the 19th century, Patrick Minihan (1819-1891) was a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Home Rule Movement. He was born in County Mayo and became a successful businessman and landowner, using his wealth to support the cause of Irish independence.

Other historical figures with the Minihan surname include Michael Minihan (1870-1945), an Irish politician and member of the first Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament) after independence, and Mary Minihan (1903-1981), a renowned Irish traditional singer and storyteller from County Mayo.

The Minihan name has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Minihan's Beg and Minihan's More, which were townlands in County Galway. These place names further attest to the historical presence and influence of the Minihan family in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Minihan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Minihan 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. Middlesex leads with 7 Minihans recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.26x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 7 3.26x
Yorkshire 5 2.35x
Surrey 4 3.83x
Lancashire 3 1.18x
Glamorgan 1 2.68x
Lanarkshire 1 1.44x
Monmouthshire 1 6.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nether Hallam in Yorkshire leads with 5 Minihans recorded in 1881 and an index of 174.22x.

Place Total Index
Nether Hallam 5 174.22x
Camberwell 4 29.20x
St Andrew Holborn 3 410.96x
Westminster St 3 379.75x
Little Bolton 2 61.16x
Barony 1 5.70x
Broughton In Salford 1 42.92x
St George In East 1 68.49x
St Woollos 1 57.80x
Swansea Town 1 32.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Bridget 2
Maria 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Clara 1
Ellen 1
Hannah 1
Josana 1
Work 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Michael 2
Cornelious 1
Dennis 1
James 1
John 1
Patrick 1
Thomas 1
William 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 Minihan households.

FAQ

Minihan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Minihan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 22 people were recorded with the Minihan surname. That placed it at #30,464 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Minihan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016. That gives Minihan a modern rank of #23,724.

What does the Minihan surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Mionacháin meaning "descendant of a tiny one".

What does the Minihan map show?

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