NameCensus.

UK surname

Ardis

Surname referring to a person living in or from a place called Ardis.

In the 1881 census there were 20 people recorded with the Ardis surname, ranking it #30,738 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 105, ranked #30,114, up from #30,738 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bedford, Richmond upon Thames and Plymouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ardis is 106 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 425.0%.

1881 census count

20

Ranked #30,738

Modern count

105

2016, ranked #30,114

Peak year

2014

106 bearers

Map years

1

2016 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ardis had 20 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,738 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016, ranked #30,114.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 34 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ardis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ardis surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ardis 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 3 #32,890
1861 historical 7 #33,053
1881 historical 20 #30,738
1891 historical 22 #32,449
1901 historical 29 #30,848
1911 historical 34 #29,600
1997 modern 82 #29,325
1998 modern 76 #30,386
1999 modern 74 #30,759
2000 modern 72 #30,977
2001 modern 73 #30,699
2002 modern 73 #31,159
2003 modern 72 #31,281
2004 modern 84 #30,244
2005 modern 76 #31,267
2006 modern 82 #30,933
2007 modern 82 #31,295
2008 modern 86 #31,114
2009 modern 85 #31,717
2010 modern 96 #30,854
2011 modern 96 #30,721
2012 modern 98 #30,612
2013 modern 105 #29,916
2014 modern 106 #30,030
2015 modern 102 #30,624
2016 modern 105 #30,114

Geography

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Where Ardis' 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 Bedford, Richmond upon Thames, Plymouth, Wychavon and Bolton. 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 Bedford 013 Bedford
2 Richmond upon Thames 008 Richmond upon Thames
3 Plymouth 005 Plymouth
4 Wychavon 010 Wychavon
5 Bolton 025 Bolton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ardis

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ardis

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Ardis surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ardis 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Ardis 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

Ardis 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

Ardis 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 Ardis 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ardis

The surname Ardis is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period, derived from the Gaelic words "ard" meaning "high" and "is" meaning "below" or "underneath." This suggests the name may have been given to someone who lived in a high location or near a raised area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ardis can be found in the Regiam Majestatem, a legal treatise compiled in Scotland around 1320, which mentions a certain Robert de Ardis. This indicates the name was already established in the region by the 14th century.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Ardis was John Ardis, a Scottish theologian and philosopher who was born in Edinburgh around 1530. He was a prominent scholar and author of several works on logic and metaphysics.

The Ardis surname also appears in various historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, including parish records and land deeds. One such record is from the town of Kilmarnock, where a family by the name of Ardis is mentioned as landowners in the late 1600s.

Another notable figure was Sir William Ardis, a Scottish merchant and politician who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Glasgow in 1720 and served as a member of the British Parliament, representing the borough of Ayr from 1768 to 1784.

In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the Ardis surname was James Ardis, a Scottish engineer and inventor who was born in Aberdeen in 1812. He is credited with several innovations in the field of textile machinery and held numerous patents for his inventions.

The name Ardis has also been found in various place names throughout Scotland, such as the village of Ardishaig in Argyll and Bute, which likely derives from the Gaelic words "ard" and "seasg" meaning "high" and "a place of sedges or rushes."

While the surname Ardis is not as common as some others, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its Scottish roots, with several notable individuals bearing the name throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ardis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ardis 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 13 Ardis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.62x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 13 5.62x
Lanarkshire 5 7.93x
Cheshire 1 2.33x
West Lothian 1 34.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Over Darwen in Lancashire leads with 10 Ardis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 540.54x.

Place Total Index
Over Darwen 10 540.54x
Govan 5 32.07x
Liverpool 3 21.37x
Birkenhead 1 29.15x
Uphall 1 312.50x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Agnes 1
Betsy 1
Elizabeth 1
Mary 1
Rachel 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alexander 3
James 2
William 2
Joseph 1
Robert 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 Ardis households.

FAQ

Ardis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ardis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 20 people were recorded with the Ardis surname. That placed it at #30,738 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ardis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016. That gives Ardis a modern rank of #30,114.

What does the Ardis surname mean?

Surname referring to a person living in or from a place called Ardis.

What does the Ardis map show?

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