NameCensus.

UK surname

Airlie

In the 1881 census there were 124 people recorded with the Airlie surname, ranking it #17,429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 434, ranked #11,102, up from #17,429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bothwell, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Berwickshire East, Leith (Albert Street) and City Centre East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Airlie is 438 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 250.0%.

1881 census count

124

Ranked #17,429

Modern count

434

2016, ranked #11,102

Peak year

1998

438 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Airlie had 124 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 434 in 2016, ranked #11,102.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 283 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Airlie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Airlie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Airlie 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 39 #26,319
1861 historical 72 #24,643
1881 historical 124 #17,429
1891 historical 220 #13,937
1901 historical 283 #12,117
1911 historical 32 #29,838
1997 modern 419 #10,625
1998 modern 438 #10,617
1999 modern 427 #10,919
2000 modern 434 #10,730
2001 modern 421 #10,789
2002 modern 419 #11,059
2003 modern 398 #11,301
2004 modern 399 #11,297
2005 modern 397 #11,250
2006 modern 402 #11,213
2007 modern 408 #11,203
2008 modern 398 #11,525
2009 modern 406 #11,586
2010 modern 420 #11,536
2011 modern 414 #11,533
2012 modern 410 #11,518
2013 modern 415 #11,604
2014 modern 434 #11,246
2015 modern 427 #11,292
2016 modern 434 #11,102

Geography

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Where Airlies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bothwell, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Berwickshire East, Leith (Albert Street), City Centre East, Eddlewood and Craven. 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 Bothwell Lanark
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Berwickshire East Scottish Borders
2 Leith (Albert Street) City of Edinburgh
3 City Centre East Glasgow City
4 Eddlewood South Lanarkshire
5 Craven 007 Craven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Airlie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Airlie

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Airlie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Airlie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Airlie is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Airlie is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Airlie 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 Airlie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Airlie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Airlie 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. Lanarkshire leads with 53 Airlies recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.55x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 53 13.55x
Midlothian 14 8.64x
Angus 13 11.60x
Dunbartonshire 9 27.69x
Renfrewshire 9 9.60x
Ayrshire 6 6.63x
Kirkcudbrightshire 5 28.56x
Hertfordshire 4 4.80x
Cumberland 3 2.88x
Stirlingshire 3 6.72x
Perthshire 2 3.68x
Argyllshire 1 2.97x
East Lothian 1 6.24x
Middlesex 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 36 Airlies recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.37x.

Place Total Index
Barony 36 36.37x
Liff Benvie 11 64.67x
Old Kilpatrick 7 182.29x
Carrington 5 2000.00x
Coylton 5 390.63x
Glasgow 5 7.20x
Kirkgunzeon 5 1851.85x
Govan 4 4.13x
Renfrew 4 129.03x
St Albans 4 233.92x
Caldewgate 3 52.54x
New Monkland 3 25.95x
Paisley High Church 3 40.21x
Shettleston 3 85.71x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 3.07x
Edinburgh Trinity 2 384.62x
Houston Killallan 2 219.78x
Mid Calder 2 285.71x
South Leith 2 10.97x
St Ninians 2 45.25x
Blairgowrie 1 46.51x
Bonhill 1 19.16x
Caputh 1 117.65x
Cortachy 1 714.29x
Dundee 1 2.39x
Dunoon Kilmun 1 38.02x
Edinburgh Greenside 1 46.73x
Falkirk 1 9.58x
Lesmahagow 1 24.15x
Loudoun 1 45.87x
Row 1 23.81x
St George Hanover Square 1 4.69x
Walston 1 714.29x
Yester 1 256.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Catherine 2
Eliza 1
Florence 1
H. 1
Maud 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Martin 1
Thomas 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 Airlie households.

FAQ

Airlie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Airlie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 124 people were recorded with the Airlie surname. That placed it at #17,429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Airlie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 434 in 2016. That gives Airlie a modern rank of #11,102.

What does the Airlie map show?

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