NameCensus.

UK surname

Brotchie

In the 1881 census there were 110 people recorded with the Brotchie surname, ranking it #18,695 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 90, ranked #32,202, down from #18,695 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Dunnet. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Aboyne and South Deeside, Cambridge and Morningside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brotchie is 134 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 18.2%.

1881 census count

110

Ranked #18,695

Modern count

90

2016, ranked #32,202

Peak year

1901

134 bearers

Map years

5

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Brotchie had 110 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,695 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016, ranked #32,202.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 134 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Student Living and Professional Footholds.

Brotchie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brotchie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brotchie 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 123 #14,886
1861 historical 95 #21,768
1881 historical 110 #18,695
1891 historical 122 #21,053
1901 historical 134 #19,288
1911 historical 66 #26,249
1997 modern 97 #27,342
1998 modern 105 #26,822
1999 modern 107 #26,754
2000 modern 104 #27,150
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 108 #26,698
2003 modern 107 #26,617
2004 modern 105 #27,181
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 98 #29,019
2008 modern 98 #29,355
2009 modern 92 #30,820
2010 modern 92 #31,366
2011 modern 95 #30,877
2012 modern 103 #29,733
2013 modern 96 #31,381
2014 modern 98 #31,370
2015 modern 98 #31,342
2016 modern 90 #32,202

Geography

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Where Brotchies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Dunnet, Thurso and Stranton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Aboyne and South Deeside, Cambridge, Morningside, Richmond upon Thames and Tollcross. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dunnet Caithness
4 Thurso Caithness
5 Stranton Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Aboyne and South Deeside Aberdeenshire
2 Cambridge 002 Cambridge
3 Morningside City of Edinburgh
4 Richmond upon Thames 012 Richmond upon Thames
5 Tollcross City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brotchie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brotchie

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

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Student Living and Professional Footholds

Nationally, the Brotchie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Student Living and Professional Footholds, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Brotchie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

The Group includes many students, some of whom reside in communal residences. Single-person households are the most prevalent and the modal age band is 25 to 44. There are few families with dependent children. A significant number of White residents were born in EU countries (although UK-born residents are more common than in the rest of the Group), and households reflect a diversity of ethnic groups. Residential turnover is exceptionally high and, communal properties aside, flats are the norm. Some properties, including those in the private rental sector, are over-crowded. Many residents are professionals and technicians educated to degree level, and the Group is particularly common near the campuses of established university towns and cities.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Brotchie 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

Brotchie 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

Brotchie 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 Brotchie 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 Brotchie, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Brotchie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brotchie 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. Caithness leads with 46 Brotchies recorded in 1881 and an index of 313.14x.

County Total Index
Caithness 46 313.14x
Midlothian 26 18.09x
Lancashire 6 0.47x
Yorkshire 5 0.47x
Aberdeenshire 4 4.03x
Lanarkshire 4 1.15x
Durham 3 0.94x
Glamorgan 3 1.61x
Surrey 3 0.57x
Renfrewshire 2 2.41x
Angus 1 1.01x
Argyllshire 1 3.35x
Ayrshire 1 1.25x
Banffshire 1 4.49x
Dunbartonshire 1 3.47x
Kent 1 0.27x
Middlesex 1 0.09x
Orkney 1 8.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thurso in Caithness leads with 18 Brotchies recorded in 1881 and an index of 786.03x.

Place Total Index
Thurso 18 786.03x
Dunnet 13 2203.39x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 13 22.48x
Olrig 12 1643.84x
South Leith 6 37.08x
Aberdeen Old Machar 4 19.28x
Bootle Cum Linacre 4 39.56x
Easington In Guisbrough 4 1666.67x
Battersea 3 7.60x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 3 88.24x
Glasgow 3 4.87x
St John Near Swansea 3 129.87x
Stranton 3 27.91x
Edinburgh Greenside 2 105.26x
Wick 2 42.11x
Barony 1 1.14x
Cardross 1 28.90x
Chislehurst 1 51.02x
Colinton 1 62.50x
Cullen 1 121.95x
Dundee 1 2.69x
Haworth 1 39.53x
Islington London 1 0.96x
Kilmore Kilbride 1 52.63x
Kirkwall St Ola 1 56.50x
Largs 1 52.91x
Liberton 1 45.05x
Paisley Middle Church 1 20.66x
Pendlebury 1 37.17x
Salford 1 2.67x
Watten 1 192.31x
West Greenock 1 6.70x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Celie 1
Elizabeth 1
Ethel 1
Frances 1
Jane 1
Jeanie 1
Mary 1
Susie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
James 2
David 1
John 1
Richard 1
William 1
Willie 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 Brotchie households.

FAQ

Brotchie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brotchie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 110 people were recorded with the Brotchie surname. That placed it at #18,695 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brotchie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016. That gives Brotchie a modern rank of #32,202.

What does the Brotchie map show?

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