NameCensus.

UK surname

Balloch

In the 1881 census there were 208 people recorded with the Balloch surname, ranking it #12,511 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 418, ranked #11,472, up from #12,511 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dunbar, New Monkland and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hart, Grangemouth - Town Centre and Grangemouth - Newlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Balloch is 430 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 101.0%.

1881 census count

208

Ranked #12,511

Modern count

418

2016, ranked #11,472

Peak year

2010

430 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Balloch had 208 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,511 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 418 in 2016, ranked #11,472.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 256 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Balloch surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Balloch surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Balloch 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 208 #12,511
1891 historical 205 #14,649
1901 historical 256 #12,934
1911 historical 19 #31,416
1997 modern 406 #10,889
1998 modern 406 #11,228
1999 modern 426 #10,938
2000 modern 417 #11,068
2001 modern 407 #11,079
2002 modern 387 #11,713
2003 modern 383 #11,614
2004 modern 402 #11,244
2005 modern 397 #11,250
2006 modern 377 #11,743
2007 modern 395 #11,481
2008 modern 398 #11,525
2009 modern 409 #11,524
2010 modern 430 #11,306
2011 modern 423 #11,333
2012 modern 422 #11,223
2013 modern 414 #11,624
2014 modern 420 #11,567
2015 modern 424 #11,364
2016 modern 418 #11,472

Geography

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Where Ballochs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dunbar, New Monkland, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Bathgate. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hart, Grangemouth - Town Centre, Grangemouth - Newlands, Bow Farm, Barrs Cottage, Cowdenknowes and Overton and The Grange. 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 Dunbar Haddington
2 New Monkland Lanark
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Bathgate Linlithgow

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hart 008 Hart
2 Grangemouth - Town Centre Falkirk
3 Grangemouth - Newlands Falkirk
4 Bow Farm, Barrs Cottage, Cowdenknowes and Overton Inverclyde
5 The Grange City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Balloch

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Balloch

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Balloch surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Balloch household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Balloch 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

Balloch is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Balloch falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Balloch families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Balloch 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. Lanarkshire leads with 52 Ballochs recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.92x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 52 7.92x
Midlothian 36 13.25x
Stirlingshire 31 41.43x
Dunbartonshire 13 23.84x
East Lothian 13 48.38x
Renfrewshire 12 7.63x
Ayrshire 11 7.24x
West Lothian 11 36.01x
Argyllshire 8 14.16x
Banffshire 5 11.88x
Cambridgeshire 3 2.33x
Perthshire 3 3.29x
Essex 2 0.50x
Rutland 2 13.42x
Selkirkshire 2 10.89x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.53x
Angus 1 0.53x
Fife 1 0.83x
Roxburghshire 1 2.72x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Falkirk in Stirlingshire leads with 26 Ballochs recorded in 1881 and an index of 148.40x.

Place Total Index
Falkirk 26 148.40x
Barony 15 9.03x
Govan 15 9.24x
Dunbar 13 344.83x
Edinburgh Canongate 13 187.86x
Bathgate 10 150.83x
Campbeltown 8 117.47x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 8 7.32x
New Monkland 8 41.24x
Kirkintilloch 7 94.47x
Eastwood 6 61.98x
Lasswade 6 96.62x
Galston 5 120.48x
Gamrie 5 106.38x
Kilmaurs 5 193.80x
Shettleston 5 85.18x
East Greenock 4 26.94x
Edinburgh Old Church 4 183.49x
Glasgow 4 3.43x
Cumbernauld 3 100.33x
Old Monkland 3 11.52x
Row 3 42.55x
St Andrewthe Less 3 20.44x
Dunipace 2 152.67x
Edinburgh High Church 2 116.96x
St Ninians 2 26.95x
Uppingham 2 112.36x
West Ham 2 2.26x
Bothwell 1 5.62x
Duddingston 1 18.32x
Dunblane 1 45.87x
Dunfermline 1 5.41x
Galashiels 1 14.73x
Kelso 1 27.32x
Kilmadock 1 47.85x
Kirkoswald 1 80.65x
Neilston 1 12.67x
Newton 1 109.89x
Paisley Middle Church 1 10.93x
Polmont 1 36.23x
Ruthven 1 714.29x
Scone 1 61.73x
Selkirk 1 19.34x
Shotts 1 12.74x
Turriff 1 33.00x
West Calder 1 18.66x
Whitburn 1 22.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Agnes 1
Barbara 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alexander 1
Gideon 1
James 1
John 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 Balloch households.

FAQ

Balloch surname: questions and answers

How common was the Balloch surname in 1881?

In 1881, 208 people were recorded with the Balloch surname. That placed it at #12,511 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Balloch surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 418 in 2016. That gives Balloch a modern rank of #11,472.

What does the Balloch map show?

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