NameCensus.

UK surname

Alloway

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Ayr, meaning "rocky plain" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 234 people recorded with the Alloway surname, ranking it #11,607 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 248, ranked #16,910, down from #11,607 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Dorking and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bexley, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Alloway is 308 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.0%.

1881 census count

234

Ranked #11,607

Modern count

248

2016, ranked #16,910

Peak year

1911

308 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Alloway had 234 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,607 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 248 in 2016, ranked #16,910.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 308 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Alloway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Alloway surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Alloway 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 168 #11,873
1861 historical 268 #9,274
1881 historical 234 #11,607
1891 historical 274 #11,880
1901 historical 275 #12,332
1911 historical 308 #11,230
1997 modern 234 #15,939
1998 modern 247 #15,813
1999 modern 258 #15,467
2000 modern 250 #15,741
2001 modern 250 #15,527
2002 modern 256 #15,565
2003 modern 258 #15,293
2004 modern 259 #15,348
2005 modern 249 #15,679
2006 modern 246 #15,907
2007 modern 253 #15,776
2008 modern 253 #15,941
2009 modern 268 #15,620
2010 modern 271 #15,856
2011 modern 274 #15,571
2012 modern 256 #16,253
2013 modern 256 #16,506
2014 modern 263 #16,334
2015 modern 245 #17,040
2016 modern 248 #16,910

Geography

Back to top

Where Alloways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Dorking, London parishes and Willesden. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bexley, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Bristol. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Dorking Surrey
3 London parishes London 1
4 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bexley 010 Bexley
2 Tower Hamlets 032 Tower Hamlets
3 Wandsworth 016 Wandsworth
4 Bexley 008 Bexley
5 Bristol 018 Bristol, City of

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Alloway

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Alloway

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Alloway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Alloway household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Alloway is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Alloway 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

Alloway falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Alloway 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Alloway

The surname Alloway originates from Scotland, deriving its name from the village of Alloway in Ayrshire. The name is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, with the earliest recorded spelling being "Aloway" in the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "alu" meaning "alder tree" and "wic" meaning "dwelling" or "village", indicating that the name referred to a settlement near an alder tree grove.

One of the earliest known references to the name Alloway can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners and nobles who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as "John de Aloway", suggesting that the family held land or property in the area.

In the 15th century, the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, with a "Thomas Alloway" mentioned as a tenant farmer in the year 1456. This record provides insight into the social status and occupation of some early bearers of the name.

Alloway is also closely associated with the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns, who was born in 1759 in the village of Alloway. His poem "Tam o' Shanter" is set in the area and mentions the old Alloway Kirk and the nearby Brig o' Doon, immortalizing the name in literary history.

Notable individuals with the surname Alloway include:

1. Sir William Alloway (c. 1505-1573), a Scottish landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. 2. Robert Alloway (1597-1666), a Scottish minister and author of religious texts. 3. John Alloway (1670-1732), a Scottish merchant and co-founder of the Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh. 4. William Alloway (1776-1846), a Scottish-born farmer and early settler in Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario, Canada). 5. Mary Alloway Wilbur (1828-1911), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, born in New York.

While the surname Alloway is not as common today, its rich history and connections to Scottish literature and culture make it a distinctive and intriguing name with deep roots in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Alloway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Alloway 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 62 Alloways recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.66x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 62 2.66x
Surrey 41 3.61x
Gloucestershire 24 5.25x
Berkshire 13 7.43x
Essex 13 2.82x
Wiltshire 13 6.31x
Somerset 8 2.13x
Glamorgan 7 1.72x
Devon 6 1.24x
Hampshire 6 1.26x
Leicestershire 6 2.32x
Worcestershire 6 1.97x
Nottinghamshire 5 1.59x
Warwickshire 5 0.85x
Suffolk 4 1.41x
Yorkshire 4 0.17x
Channel Islands 3 4.34x
Norfolk 3 0.84x
Huntingdonshire 2 4.32x
Oxfordshire 2 1.39x
Royal Navy 2 7.20x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.71x
Kent 1 0.13x
Midlothian 1 0.32x
Rutland 1 5.84x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 13 Alloways recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.40x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 13 6.40x
Dorking 12 157.27x
Hackney London 10 7.65x
Latton 10 4761.90x
Leyton 10 126.10x
Bisham 8 1428.57x
Hillingdon 8 107.67x
Islington London 8 3.54x
Southwark St John 8 112.20x
Westbury On Trym 8 51.65x
Kensington London 7 5.40x
Leigh 6 162.16x
Llandaff 6 44.44x
Leicester St Mary 5 23.95x
Monckton Combe 5 416.67x
Paddington London 5 5.83x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 5 151.52x
St George Hanover Square 5 12.17x
Stoke Damerel 5 14.72x
Aldeburgh 4 238.10x
Birmingham 4 2.04x
Bristol St James St Paul 4 26.23x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 9.29x
Farlington 4 408.16x
New Windsor 4 68.03x
Bermondsey 3 4.32x
Bristol St George 3 14.18x
Chelsea London 3 4.27x
Great Yarmouth 3 10.10x
Hunslet 3 8.33x
St Helier 3 13.34x
St Marylebone London 3 2.41x
Stoke Newington London 3 16.52x
Trowbridge 3 32.93x
West Ham 3 2.95x
Bristol St Michael 2 51.02x
Bulwell 2 29.28x
Camberwell 2 1.34x
Eynesbury 2 186.92x
Eynsham 2 219.78x
Nottingham St Mary 2 2.46x
Royal Navy 2 8.42x
Stroud 2 22.47x
Sutton 2 24.33x
Wells St Cuthbert 2 78.13x
Ashtead 1 135.14x
Breedon 1 175.44x
Chatham 1 4.57x
Gloucester St Michael 1 95.24x
Godshill 1 90.91x
Hambleton 1 238.10x
Hampstead London 1 2.75x
Hurley 1 109.89x
Ilfracombe 1 20.00x
Iver 1 54.95x
Leamington Hastings 1 270.27x
Nottingham St Nicholas 1 23.36x
Oakham Lordshold 1 55.87x
Ropley 1 142.86x
South Leith 1 2.85x
St Anne Soho London 1 7.51x
St Pancras London 1 0.53x
Swansea St Thomas 1 24.51x
Tottenham 1 2.69x
Walcot 1 5.00x
Whitechapel London 1 4.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 20
George 11
Charles 9
John 7
Henry 6
Thomas 6
James 5
Joseph 5
Edward 4
Frederick 4
Albert 3
Herbert 2
Mark 2
Robert 2
Silas 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
Ben 1
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
E.L. 1
Emma 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Harry 1
Horace 1
Hubert 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Leonard 1
Martyn 1
Mike 1
N.H.A. 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Sydney 1
Thoms 1
Walter 1
Wm.E. 1

FAQ

Alloway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Alloway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 234 people were recorded with the Alloway surname. That placed it at #11,607 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Alloway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 248 in 2016. That gives Alloway a modern rank of #16,910.

What does the Alloway surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Ayr, meaning "rocky plain" in Old English.

What does the Alloway map show?

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