NameCensus.

UK surname

Scahill

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Scathaill" referring to hawk or sharp one.

In the 1881 census there were 47 people recorded with the Scahill surname, ranking it #27,019 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 275, ranked #15,720, up from #27,019 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Sheffield and Riddrie and Hogganfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Scahill is 308 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 485.1%.

1881 census count

47

Ranked #27,019

Modern count

275

2016, ranked #15,720

Peak year

2002

308 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Scahill had 47 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,019 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 275 in 2016, ranked #15,720.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 96 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Scahill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Scahill surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Scahill 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 8 #31,867
1861 historical 33 #29,814
1881 historical 47 #27,019
1891 historical 48 #30,447
1901 historical 96 #23,342
1911 historical 68 #26,050
1997 modern 276 #14,290
1998 modern 301 #13,861
1999 modern 302 #13,895
2000 modern 305 #13,769
2001 modern 298 #13,784
2002 modern 308 #13,763
2003 modern 292 #14,065
2004 modern 297 #13,971
2005 modern 293 #14,030
2006 modern 280 #14,535
2007 modern 282 #14,618
2008 modern 288 #14,537
2009 modern 304 #14,287
2010 modern 291 #15,050
2011 modern 280 #15,310
2012 modern 271 #15,628
2013 modern 271 #15,875
2014 modern 279 #15,661
2015 modern 277 #15,622
2016 modern 275 #15,720

Geography

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Where Scahills 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 Liverpool, Sheffield, Riddrie and Hogganfield, Test Valley and Salford. 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 Liverpool 004 Liverpool
2 Sheffield 047 Sheffield
3 Riddrie and Hogganfield Glasgow City
4 Test Valley 004 Test Valley
5 Salford 021 Salford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Scahill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Scahill

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Scahill, 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 Scahill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Scahill 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Scahill 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

Scahill 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

Scahill 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 Scahill is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Scahill

The surname Scahill is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "scaith" meaning champion or warrior, and "ghaill" referring to a foreigner or outsider. It is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in the region of County Mayo, located in the west of Ireland.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a historical chronicle that dates back to the 15th century. In these annals, there is a reference to a man named Scahill who was a prominent chieftain in the area around the year 1200.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a compilation of medieval Irish chronicles written in the early 17th century. Here, a person named Scahill is mentioned as a participant in a battle that took place in County Mayo in the late 12th century.

In the 16th century, the Scahill surname appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of legal documents from the reign of the Tudor monarchs in England and Ireland. This suggests that the Scahill family had acquired land and influence during this period.

One notable individual with the Scahill surname was Conor Scahill, who lived in the late 16th century and was a renowned poet and storyteller in County Mayo. His works, though largely lost, were highly regarded in his time and helped to preserve the oral traditions of the region.

Another prominent figure was Rory Scahill, born in 1785, who was a leader of the United Irishmen movement in County Mayo during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. He played a key role in organizing and leading local rebel forces against British rule.

In the 19th century, the Scahill name can be found in various historical records, such as parish registers and land deeds, indicating the family's continued presence in County Mayo and surrounding areas.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Scahill in its modern spelling can be traced back to a baptismal record from the parish of Crossmolina, County Mayo, in 1832, where a child named Michael Scahill was baptized.

Throughout its history, the Scahill surname has been associated with various place names in County Mayo, such as Scahill's Cross, Scahill's Bridge, and Scahill's Hill, reflecting the family's longstanding roots in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Scahill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Scahill 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 26 Scahills recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.78x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 26 4.78x
Renfrewshire 10 28.15x
Cheshire 3 2.97x
Cumberland 3 7.60x
Staffordshire 2 1.29x
Essex 1 1.11x
Northumberland 1 1.47x
Somerset 1 1.36x

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 11 Scahills recorded in 1881 and an index of 1057.69x.

Place Total Index
Ormskirk 11 1057.69x
Warrington 9 139.53x
Mearns 8 1290.32x
Liverpool 6 18.17x
Caldewgate 3 138.89x
Chester St John Baptist 3 164.84x
Paisley High Church 2 70.67x
Wolverhampton 2 16.81x
Boulmer Seaton House 1 3333.33x
East Ham 1 59.52x
Walcot 1 25.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Bridget 3
Mary 3
Ann 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Frances 1
Margt. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Patrick 10
John 6
Thomas 2
Anthony 1
Felix 1
Michael 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 Scahill households.

FAQ

Scahill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Scahill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 47 people were recorded with the Scahill surname. That placed it at #27,019 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Scahill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 275 in 2016. That gives Scahill a modern rank of #15,720.

What does the Scahill surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Scathaill" referring to hawk or sharp one.

What does the Scahill map show?

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