NameCensus.

UK surname

Balfour

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "village pasture" in Gaelic.

In the 1881 census there were 2,092 people recorded with the Balfour surname, ranking it #2,113 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,629, ranked #2,535, down from #2,113 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forfar Central, Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields and Kirriemuir.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Balfour is 2,643 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.7%.

1881 census count

2,092

Ranked #2,113

Modern count

2,629

2016, ranked #2,535

Peak year

2015

2,643 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Balfour had 2,092 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,113 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,629 in 2016, ranked #2,535.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,335 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Balfour surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Balfour surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Balfour 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 1,472 #1,949
1861 historical 1,594 #1,788
1881 historical 2,092 #2,113
1891 historical 2,210 #2,115
1901 historical 2,335 #2,325
1911 historical 769 #5,636
1997 modern 2,499 #2,515
1998 modern 2,567 #2,544
1999 modern 2,558 #2,571
2000 modern 2,619 #2,510
2001 modern 2,514 #2,549
2002 modern 2,591 #2,540
2003 modern 2,539 #2,535
2004 modern 2,532 #2,539
2005 modern 2,541 #2,510
2006 modern 2,548 #2,505
2007 modern 2,575 #2,496
2008 modern 2,571 #2,524
2009 modern 2,590 #2,562
2010 modern 2,640 #2,580
2011 modern 2,600 #2,582
2012 modern 2,551 #2,576
2013 modern 2,618 #2,563
2014 modern 2,633 #2,558
2015 modern 2,643 #2,536
2016 modern 2,629 #2,535

Geography

Back to top

Where Balfours are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Arbroath and St. Vigeans, 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 Forfar Central, Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields, Kirriemuir, North Mainland and Thornton and Kinglassie. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forfar Central Angus
2 Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields South Ayrshire
3 Kirriemuir Angus
4 North Mainland Shetland Islands
5 Thornton and Kinglassie Fife

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Balfour

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Balfour

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Balfour surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Balfour household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Balfour is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Balfour is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Balfour falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Balfour 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 Balfour, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Balfour

The surname Balfour is of Scottish origin, derived from the lands of Balfour in the parish of Markinch, Fife. The name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic words 'Bal', meaning a village or town, and 'pur', meaning land or soil, thus translating to "farm town".

The earliest recorded instance of the Balfour name dates back to the 12th century, when David de Balfour was mentioned in a charter from King William the Lion of Scotland in 1195. The name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, Sir John Balfour was a prominent figure who served as the Clerk Register of Scotland under King David II. He was responsible for the preservation of many important Scottish records and charters during his tenure.

The Balfours of Burleigh, near Kinross, were a notable Scottish family that played a significant role in Scottish history. In the 16th century, Sir James Balfour (1525-1583) was a Scottish judge and Lord President of the Court of Session.

Another notable figure was Robert Balfour (1550-1625), a Scottish philosopher and mathematician who was a professor at the University of Guienne in France. He made important contributions to the development of calculus and mathematical notation.

In the 17th century, Sir William Balfour (1619-1694) was a Scottish politician and writer who served as a member of the Scottish Parliament and was a staunch supporter of the Covenanters during the religious conflicts of the time.

Arthur Balfour (1848-1930) was a prominent British statesman and philosopher who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. He is remembered for his role in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which supported the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

The surname Balfour has also been associated with various place names, such as Balfour Castle in Fife, Balfour Manor in Oxfordshire, and Balfour in British Columbia, Canada.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Balfour families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Balfour 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. Fife leads with 393 Balfours recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.63x.

County Total Index
Fife 393 32.63x
Angus 250 13.26x
Midlothian 215 7.89x
Lanarkshire 180 2.74x
Middlesex 109 0.54x
Lancashire 96 0.40x
Renfrewshire 83 5.26x
Kincardineshire 69 27.85x
Yorkshire 61 0.30x
Ayrshire 52 3.41x
Perthshire 51 5.58x
Aberdeenshire 47 2.49x
Surrey 38 0.38x
Durham 37 0.61x
Orkney 29 12.95x
Cumberland 25 1.43x
Morayshire 23 7.27x
Kent 22 0.32x
Gloucestershire 21 0.53x
Roxburghshire 21 5.70x
Hampshire 19 0.46x
Northumberland 18 0.59x
Wigtownshire 17 6.29x
Sussex 16 0.47x
Dunbartonshire 14 2.56x
Stirlingshire 14 1.87x
Kirkcudbrightshire 11 3.73x
West Lothian 11 3.59x
Devon 10 0.24x
Inverness-shire 10 1.65x
Shetland 9 4.33x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.65x
Derbyshire 8 0.25x
East Lothian 8 2.97x
Warwickshire 8 0.16x
Clackmannanshire 7 4.17x
Northamptonshire 7 0.37x
Banffshire 6 1.42x
Berkshire 6 0.39x
Oxfordshire 6 0.48x
Sutherland 6 3.83x
Cambridgeshire 5 0.39x
Cheshire 5 0.11x
Dumfriesshire 5 1.11x
Monmouthshire 5 0.34x
Denbighshire 3 0.39x
Essex 3 0.07x
Berwickshire 2 0.81x
Buteshire 2 1.62x
Nairnshire 2 3.22x
Wiltshire 2 0.11x
Argyllshire 1 0.18x
Channel Islands 1 0.17x
Hertfordshire 1 0.07x
Kinross-shire 1 1.94x
Lincolnshire 1 0.03x
Norfolk 1 0.03x
Royal Navy 1 0.41x
Rutland 1 0.67x
Selkirkshire 1 0.54x
Staffordshire 1 0.01x
Worcestershire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 117 Balfours recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.67x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 117 10.67x
Govan 76 4.67x
Dundee 64 9.09x
Barony 43 2.58x
Dunfermline 40 21.60x
Paisley High Church 36 28.67x
Abbotshall 35 77.76x
St Vigeans 35 34.39x
Kensington London 30 2.65x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 29 8.22x
Westray Papa Westray 27 152.11x
Brechin 26 35.10x
Scoonie 26 99.66x
Forfar 24 23.51x
Glasgow 23 1.97x
South Leith 23 7.50x
Carnbee 21 285.33x
Liff Benvie 21 7.34x
Montrose 21 18.38x
Cameron 19 271.82x
Kilmadock 18 85.71x
Aspull 17 29.93x
Marykirk 17 166.34x
Auchtermuchty 16 98.89x
Newcastle On Tyne St 16 10.20x
St Monance 16 111.27x
Leslie 14 45.90x
Wemyss 14 27.47x
Bothwell 13 7.28x
Brighton 13 1.88x
Dysart 13 16.03x
Ferry Port On Craig 13 65.59x
Fetteresso 13 33.48x
Cupar 12 22.91x
Jedburgh 12 33.22x
Kirkcaldy 12 20.09x
Mains 12 74.91x
Markinch 12 29.35x
Maryhill 12 9.31x
St Andrews 12 21.89x
Torryburn 12 230.77x
Duddingston 11 20.10x
Edinburgh St Stephens 11 20.50x
Fordoun 11 79.25x
Lambeth 11 0.62x
Paisley Middle Church 11 11.98x
Pemberton 11 11.43x
Toxteth Park 11 1.35x
Ceres 10 69.06x
Chester Le Street 10 21.51x
Dreghorn 10 36.27x
Inverness 10 6.54x
Liberton 10 23.76x
Liverpool 10 0.68x
Newburgh 10 65.36x
Old Monkland 10 3.83x
St George Hanover Square 10 2.79x
Stoneykirk 10 51.76x
Tarbolton 10 39.90x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 9 4.79x
Boness 9 21.30x
Croydon 9 1.64x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 9 13.96x
Edinburgh St Georges 9 15.91x
Hindley 9 8.74x
Islington London 9 0.46x
Kilmaurs 9 34.74x
Poplar London 9 2.34x
Portsea 9 1.10x
Barrow In Furness 8 2.44x
Beith 8 17.61x
Bishopwearmouth 8 1.54x
Bonhill 8 9.11x
Clapham 8 3.14x
Delting 8 68.43x
Edinburgh Canongate 8 11.53x
Hampstead London 8 2.52x
Kingsbury 8 72.86x
Kirkdale 8 1.97x
Upper Denton 8 754.72x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 33
Elizabeth 19
Margaret 15
Jane 13
Sarah 13
Annie 10
Alice 9
Catherine 8
Eliza 8
Ann 6
Edith 6
Ellen 6
Isabella 6
Emily 5
Louisa 5
Clara 4
Georgina 4
Janet 4
Jessie 4
Maria 4
Emma 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Anne 2
Beatrice 2
Betsy 2
Caroline 2
Cecilia 2
Charlotte 2
Christiana 2
Constance 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Hannah 2
Helen 2
Jeanie 2
Kate 2
Lizzie 2
Mabel 2
Marie 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Blanche 1
Chartte 1
Christinana 1
Francis 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 35
James 29
William 29
David 14
George 13
Charles 11
Robert 11
Thomas 9
Henry 8
Alexander 7
Alfred 5
Arthur 5
Ernest 5
Andrew 4
Frederick 4
Edward 3
Edwin 3
Joseph 3
Herbert 2
Lewis 2
Percy 2
R. 2
Reginald 2
Wm. 2
Allan 1
Archibald 1
Archie 1
Bertie 1
Blayney 1
Buchanan 1
Claud 1
Donald 1
Duncan 1
Elias 1
Eustace 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Hugh 1
J.Esq 1
Jabez 1
Jas. 1
Kenneth 1
Louis 1
Mackintosh 1
Margaret 1
Matthew 1
Maxwell 1
Wm.W. 1

FAQ

Balfour surname: questions and answers

How common was the Balfour surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,092 people were recorded with the Balfour surname. That placed it at #2,113 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Balfour surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,629 in 2016. That gives Balfour a modern rank of #2,535.

What does the Balfour surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "village pasture" in Gaelic.

What does the Balfour map show?

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