MacBirney Surname

14,316,765th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
New Zealand
Highest density in:
New Zealand

MacBirney Surname Definition:

MACBIRNIE, Macburnie, Macburney: The first form occurs often in the Acts of Parliament of Scotland in the early seventeenth century. The name is of Norse origin, from the personal name Bjarni (= bear, N. bjorn, a bear), and is therefore parallel to the name Matheson (in Gaelic M'Mhathain) and Irish Macmahon (MacMathghamhain).

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MacBirney Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
New Zealand11:4,528,32355,372
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland11:4,429,86640,727

MacBirney Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

MACBIRNIE, Macburnie, Macburney: The first form occurs often in the Acts of Parliament of Scotland in the early seventeenth century. The name is of Norse origin, from the personal name Bjarni (= bear, N. bjorn, a bear), and is therefore parallel to the name Matheson (in Gaelic M'Mhathain) and Irish Macmahon (MacMathghamhain). David M'Birny was a witness in Kirkcudbright in 1466 (RMS., II, 907), and in 1494 mention is made of the spouse of John Makbirny (ALA., II, p. 356). Cuthbert McBurnie was appointed "Brig maistre" of Dumfries in 1520 (Edgar, p. 203—204). John Makbirny had sasine of lands in Dunscoir in 1591 (ER., XXII, p. 538), and a later John M'Burnie was retoured heir of John M'Burnie of Row in 1680 (Retours, Dumfries, 302). William McBurney in the parish of Balmaghie, 1684 (RPC., 3. ser. IX, p. 573). Machburny 1684, Mackbirnie and Mackbirnye 1607. See also Burnie.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

Mac Biorna (W) A Scottish name of comparatively recent introduction, now numerous in northeast Ulster. SIF 26

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

MacBirney Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacBirney Come From? nationality or country of origin

MacBirney is found in New Zealand more than any other country/territory. It may appear in the variant forms:. Click here for further possible spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name MacBirney? popularity and diffusion

It is the 14,316,765th most widely held family name on a worldwide basis. It is borne by approximately 1 in 2,147,483,647 people. The surname is primarily found in Oceania, where 100 percent of MacBirney live; 100 percent live in Australasia and 100 percent live in Australia and New Zealand.

The last name is most numerous in New Zealand, where it is borne by 1 people, or 1 in 4,528,323.

MacBirney Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the MacBirney last name is principally Episcopalian (100%) in Ireland.

Phonetically Similar Names

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MacBirney Reference & Research

McBirney FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

McBirney FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacBirney
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis