NameCensus.

UK surname

Ballingall

A Scottish locational surname referring to those from a place called Ballingall.

In the 1881 census there were 431 people recorded with the Ballingall surname, ranking it #7,555 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 383, ranked #12,269, down from #7,555 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Scoonie. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central, Wemyss and Largo.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ballingall is 517 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.1%.

1881 census count

431

Ranked #7,555

Modern count

383

2016, ranked #12,269

Peak year

1901

517 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ballingall had 431 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,555 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 383 in 2016, ranked #12,269.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 517 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Ballingall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ballingall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ballingall 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 234 #9,241
1861 historical 266 #9,318
1881 historical 431 #7,555
1891 historical 479 #7,684
1901 historical 517 #7,852
1911 historical 97 #23,076
1997 modern 332 #12,645
1998 modern 351 #12,511
1999 modern 370 #12,124
2000 modern 362 #12,264
2001 modern 362 #12,076
2002 modern 378 #11,939
2003 modern 365 #12,038
2004 modern 364 #12,110
2005 modern 363 #12,037
2006 modern 362 #12,151
2007 modern 361 #12,303
2008 modern 372 #12,123
2009 modern 363 #12,602
2010 modern 364 #12,851
2011 modern 363 #12,738
2012 modern 358 #12,724
2013 modern 382 #12,337
2014 modern 380 #12,449
2015 modern 382 #12,322
2016 modern 383 #12,269

Geography

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Where Ballingalls are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central, Wemyss, Largo, Kirkcudbright and Northern and Irvine Valley Rural. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Scoonie Fife
4 Largo Fife
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central Inverclyde
2 Wemyss Fife
3 Largo Fife
4 Kirkcudbright Dumfries and Galloway
5 Northern and Irvine Valley Rural East Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ballingall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ballingall

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ballingall, 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 Ballingall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Ballingall 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Ballingall is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ballingall 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

Ballingall falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ballingall

The surname Ballingall is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the village of Balgownie, located in the northeast of Scotland near Aberdeen. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "bail" meaning village and "goibhnidh" meaning smith, indicating that the original bearers of the name were likely blacksmiths residing in the village of Balgownie.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a person named William de Balgouy is mentioned. This spelling variation, "de Balgouy," suggests that the name was initially a locational surname, referring to someone from the village of Balgownie.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records as "Balingall," "Ballingaw," and "Ballingall." This last spelling became the most widely adopted version. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Sir Michael Ballingall, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who lived from around 1540 to 1612.

The Ballingall surname is also found in early records from the county of Fife in eastern Scotland. In the late 16th century, John Ballingall was a prominent landowner and laird of the estate of Ardownie in Fife. His son, also named John Ballingall, was born in 1596 and served as a minister in the Church of Scotland.

Another notable figure was Thomas Ballingall, a Scottish philosopher and academic who lived from 1683 to 1755. He was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and made significant contributions to the study of optics and the nature of light.

In the 18th century, James Ballingall, born in 1738, was a Scottish physician and medical writer who practiced in Edinburgh. He published several works on medical topics, including a treatise on the anatomy of the human body.

As the Ballingall family spread throughout Scotland and beyond, the name continued to appear in various historical records and documents. However, its origins can be traced back to the village of Balgownie and the smith families who resided there in the 13th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ballingall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ballingall 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 163 Ballingalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 65.49x.

County Total Index
Fife 163 65.49x
Midlothian 57 10.12x
Lanarkshire 53 3.90x
Angus 34 8.73x
Perthshire 19 10.07x
Lancashire 15 0.30x
Middlesex 13 0.31x
Dunbartonshire 12 10.62x
Hampshire 10 1.16x
Inverness-shire 9 7.17x
Renfrewshire 9 2.76x
Stirlingshire 7 4.51x
Yorkshire 5 0.12x
Bedfordshire 4 1.84x
Northumberland 4 0.64x
Roxburghshire 4 5.25x
Cheshire 3 0.32x
Clackmannanshire 3 8.64x
Kinross-shire 2 18.81x
Argyllshire 1 0.85x
Kent 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 2.00x
Surrey 1 0.05x
Worcestershire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Largo in Fife leads with 37 Ballingalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 1145.51x.

Place Total Index
Largo 37 1145.51x
Govan 31 9.22x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 24 10.59x
Scoonie 24 445.27x
Barony 18 5.23x
South Leith 17 26.82x
Kinghorn 16 303.03x
Markinch 13 153.85x
Abbotshall 12 129.03x
Wemyss 12 113.96x
North Leith 10 38.37x
Dundee 9 6.19x
Inverness 9 28.50x
Liff Benvie 9 15.22x
Dunfermline 8 20.90x
Hurstbourne Priors 8 1355.93x
Airlie 7 560.00x
Oldham 7 4.35x
Port Glasgow 7 44.44x
St Pancras London 7 2.07x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 6 45.05x
Kincardine 6 309.28x
Dysart 5 29.83x
Forfar 5 23.71x
New Kilpatrick 5 46.51x
Newington 5 43.59x
Salford 5 3.41x
Strathmiglo 5 168.35x
Auchtertool 4 388.35x
Bonhill 4 22.05x
Clapham 4 454.55x
Falkirk 4 11.02x
Forgan 4 83.86x
Kennoway 4 176.99x
Perth East Church 4 22.48x
Balmerino 3 312.50x
Bowden 3 270.27x
Chester St Oswald 3 17.86x
Elie 3 306.12x
Glasgow 3 1.24x
Poplar London 3 3.78x
Abbotts Ann 2 206.19x
Blairgowrie 2 26.81x
Bothkennar 2 43.20x
Crieff 2 28.49x
Dumbarton 2 12.71x
Dunbog 2 625.00x
Eaglesham 2 100.00x
Ferry Port On Craig 2 48.90x
Islington London 2 0.49x
Kilconquhar 2 67.57x
Kirkcaldy 2 16.21x
Newburgh 2 63.29x
Norham 2 143.88x
Royton 2 13.11x
St Vigeans 2 9.51x
Alloa 1 5.94x
Caputh 1 33.67x
Cardross 1 7.37x
Croydon 1 0.88x
Cupar 1 9.24x
Dunning 1 42.37x
Hamilton 1 2.64x
Hobkirk 1 104.17x
Inverkeithing 1 26.67x
Kilfinan 1 32.05x
Kinross 1 27.47x
Madderty 1 131.58x
Montrose 1 4.24x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 3.08x
Orwell 1 34.13x
Perth West Church 1 11.17x
Rhynd 1 232.56x
St George In East London 1 2.53x
Stirling 1 5.12x
Stretford 1 3.64x
Tillicoultry 1 12.95x
Wouldham 1 54.95x
Yardley 1 7.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 3
Amy 2
Annie 2
Jane 2
Margaret 2
Mary 2
Alice 1
Alison 1
Ann 1
Bertha 1
C.A. 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Florence 1
Harriett 1
Lucy 1
Madeline 1
Maria 1
Nancy 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
David 4
Charles 3
George 3
James 3
John 3
Henry 2
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Bertie 1
Frank 1
Norman 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Sidney 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
William 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 Ballingall households.

FAQ

Ballingall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ballingall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 431 people were recorded with the Ballingall surname. That placed it at #7,555 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ballingall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 383 in 2016. That gives Ballingall a modern rank of #12,269.

What does the Ballingall surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname referring to those from a place called Ballingall.

What does the Ballingall map show?

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