NameCensus.

UK surname

Ardrey

A variant spelling of the Scottish place name Ardrie, derived from a Gaelic term meaning "high ground" or "green height".

In the 1881 census there were 55 people recorded with the Ardrey surname, ranking it #25,862 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 106, ranked #29,927, down from #25,862 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Wigan and St Edmundsbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ardrey is 116 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 92.7%.

1881 census count

55

Ranked #25,862

Modern count

106

2016, ranked #29,927

Peak year

2015

116 bearers

Map years

1

2016 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ardrey had 55 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,862 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016, ranked #29,927.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 80 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ardrey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ardrey surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ardrey 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 30 #27,891
1861 historical 23 #31,039
1881 historical 55 #25,862
1891 historical 80 #26,785
1901 historical 72 #26,162
1911 historical 73 #25,541
1997 modern 90 #28,360
1998 modern 91 #28,806
1999 modern 95 #28,465
2000 modern 95 #28,441
2001 modern 95 #28,101
2002 modern 94 #28,797
2003 modern 89 #29,380
2004 modern 97 #28,455
2005 modern 94 #28,973
2006 modern 88 #30,160
2007 modern 89 #30,383
2008 modern 89 #30,713
2009 modern 94 #30,538
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 100 #30,058
2012 modern 102 #29,902
2013 modern 107 #29,561
2014 modern 113 #28,779
2015 modern 116 #28,151
2016 modern 106 #29,927

Geography

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Where Ardreys 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, Wigan and St Edmundsbury. 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 030 Liverpool
2 Liverpool 019 Liverpool
3 Wigan 028 Wigan
4 Liverpool 028 Liverpool
5 St Edmundsbury 008 St Edmundsbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ardrey

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ardrey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ardrey, 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 Ardrey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ardrey 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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Ardrey is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Ardrey 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

Ardrey 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 Ardrey 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ardrey

The surname Ardrey has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "ard" meaning "high" and "reidh" meaning "plain" or "level ground", suggesting that the name may have been initially used to describe someone who lived on a high plain or elevated ground.

The earliest known record of the name Ardrey appears in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1592, referring to a person named John Ardrey. The name was also found in various Scottish parish records from the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ardrey was Robert Ardrey, who was born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland in 1658. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.

In the 18th century, the name Ardrey was associated with the Ardrey Estate, a historic property located in the parish of Stewarton, East Ayrshire. The estate was owned by the Ardrey family for several generations.

A notable figure in history with the surname Ardrey was General Sir Robert Ardrey (1774-1847), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Stewarton, East Ayrshire, and had a distinguished military career, rising to the rank of General.

Another individual of note was Robert Ardrey (1908-1980), an American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is best known for his works exploring the relationship between human nature and evolutionary biology, such as the book "African Genesis" published in 1961.

Other individuals with the surname Ardrey include William Ardrey (1801-1864), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow, and Robert Ardrey (1838-1909), a Scottish-American businessman and banker who founded the Ardrey National Bank in Tennessee.

The surname Ardrey has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Scotland. For example, the village of Ardrey in East Ayrshire is believed to have derived its name from the Ardrey family who owned lands in the area.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ardrey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ardrey 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 30 Ardreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.71x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 30 4.71x
Middlesex 10 1.86x
Surrey 5 1.91x
Ayrshire 4 9.97x
Kent 3 1.64x
Cumberland 1 2.17x
Hampshire 1 0.91x
Lanarkshire 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Skerton in Lancashire leads with 6 Ardreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1153.85x.

Place Total Index
Skerton 6 1153.85x
Battersea 5 25.33x
Fulham London 5 64.27x
Liverpool 5 12.94x
Manchester 5 17.47x
St Giles In Fields London 5 190.11x
Hulme 4 30.10x
Oldham 4 19.47x
Openshaw 4 134.23x
Riccarton Hurlford 4 571.43x
Deptford St Paul 2 14.16x
Allington 1 3333.33x
Barony 1 2.28x
Basingstoke 1 79.37x
Everton 1 4.93x
Keswick 1 169.49x
Poulton Barre 1 138.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Elizabeth 3
A. 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Betty 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
F. 1
Florence 1
Jessey 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Mildred 1
Nelly 1
Rhoda 1
Sarah 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 7
Thomas 4
Frank 2
George 2
John 2
Joseph 2
Archibald 1
Harry 1
Malpas 1
Samuel 1
Underhill 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 Ardrey households.

FAQ

Ardrey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ardrey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 55 people were recorded with the Ardrey surname. That placed it at #25,862 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ardrey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016. That gives Ardrey a modern rank of #29,927.

What does the Ardrey surname mean?

A variant spelling of the Scottish place name Ardrie, derived from a Gaelic term meaning "high ground" or "green height".

What does the Ardrey map show?

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