NameCensus.

UK surname

Christie

A surname of Scottish and Greek origin, referring to a Christian or follower of Christ.

In the 1881 census there were 9,707 people recorded with the Christie surname, ranking it #442 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 13,523, ranked #472, down from #442 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include The Glens, Aboyne and South Deeside and Alloa South and East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Christie is 13,902 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.3%.

1881 census count

9,707

Ranked #442

Modern count

13,523

2016, ranked #472

Peak year

2010

13,902 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Christie had 9,707 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #442 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 13,523 in 2016, ranked #472.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 11,709 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Christie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Christie surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Christie 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 6,767 #413
1861 historical 7,154 #396
1881 historical 9,707 #442
1891 historical 10,287 #429
1901 historical 11,709 #444
1911 historical 2,985 #1,742
1997 modern 12,646 #480
1998 modern 13,160 #482
1999 modern 13,305 #479
2000 modern 13,303 #474
2001 modern 12,998 #475
2002 modern 13,428 #470
2003 modern 13,138 #469
2004 modern 13,219 #466
2005 modern 13,144 #461
2006 modern 13,058 #467
2007 modern 13,213 #466
2008 modern 13,322 #465
2009 modern 13,631 #467
2010 modern 13,902 #466
2011 modern 13,519 #472
2012 modern 13,240 #477
2013 modern 13,440 #485
2014 modern 13,615 #479
2015 modern 13,562 #474
2016 modern 13,523 #472

Geography

Back to top

Where Christies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Govan Combination, 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 The Glens, Aboyne and South Deeside, Alloa South and East, Methil Methilhill and Stockethill. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

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

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 The Glens Dundee City
2 Aboyne and South Deeside Aberdeenshire
3 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire
4 Methil Methilhill Fife
5 Stockethill Aberdeen City

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Christie

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Christie

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

Christie 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

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

Meaning and origin of Christie

The surname Christie has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the Scottish Gaelic personal name Gillacrist, which means "servant of Christ." Initially, the name appeared in various spellings such as Cristy, Cristi, and Cristie.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where a certain William Cristy from Fife is mentioned. Another notable early record is the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which lists a Robert Cristi.

The name Christie is closely associated with the Scottish village of Balquhidder, located in the Trossachs region of Stirlingshire. The village was home to several families bearing this surname, including the Christies of Glendochart, who were prominent landowners in the area during the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of this name was Richard Christie (1528-1594), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1589. Another prominent figure was Thomas Christie (1761-1796), a Scottish writer and philosopher who published works on political philosophy and economics.

The 18th century saw the emergence of several influential Christie families in Scotland, such as the Christies of Craigston in Aberdeenshire and the Christies of Durie in Fife. During this period, the name also spread to other parts of the British Isles, including England and Ireland.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Christie was Agatha Christie (1890-1976), the renowned English mystery novelist and playwright who is widely regarded as the "Queen of Mystery." Her works, including classics like "Murder on the Orient Express" and "And Then There Were None," have sold billions of copies worldwide.

Other notable figures with the surname Christie include John Christie (1786-1876), a Scottish botanist and horticulturist who introduced numerous plant species to Britain, and Samuel Hunter Christie (1784-1865), a British mathematician and lawyer who made significant contributions to the fields of actuarial science and life insurance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Christie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Christie 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. Angus leads with 1,312 Christies recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.95x.

County Total Index
Angus 1,312 14.95x
Aberdeenshire 1,125 12.82x
Lanarkshire 1,106 3.61x
Fife 742 13.23x
Midlothian 652 5.14x
Perthshire 541 12.73x
Kincardineshire 504 43.69x
Middlesex 364 0.38x
Lancashire 322 0.29x
Banffshire 239 12.16x
Stirlingshire 236 6.76x
Renfrewshire 228 3.11x
Durham 227 0.81x
Surrey 178 0.39x
Morayshire 167 11.35x
Northumberland 166 1.18x
Yorkshire 164 0.17x
Shetland 157 16.23x
Ayrshire 142 2.00x
East Lothian 95 7.57x
Kent 89 0.28x
Clackmannanshire 79 10.10x
Dunbartonshire 56 2.20x
Cheshire 46 0.22x
Hampshire 39 0.20x
Wigtownshire 38 3.02x
Suffolk 37 0.32x
Argyllshire 36 1.37x
Ross-shire 36 1.38x
Inverness-shire 35 1.24x
West Lothian 35 2.45x
Cumberland 33 0.40x
Gloucestershire 33 0.18x
Essex 30 0.16x
Warwickshire 28 0.12x
Staffordshire 27 0.08x
Berkshire 25 0.35x
Glamorgan 24 0.15x
Roxburghshire 24 1.40x
Sussex 24 0.15x
Caithness 21 1.62x
Devon 18 0.09x
Somerset 16 0.10x
Royal Navy 15 1.33x
Berwickshire 14 1.22x
Kirkcudbrightshire 14 1.02x
Hertfordshire 13 0.20x
Sutherland 10 1.37x
Buteshire 9 1.57x
Dumfriesshire 9 0.43x
Monmouthshire 9 0.13x
Shropshire 9 0.11x
Wiltshire 9 0.11x
Norfolk 8 0.05x
Bedfordshire 7 0.14x
Leicestershire 7 0.07x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.05x
Orkney 7 0.67x
Worcestershire 7 0.06x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.20x
Selkirkshire 6 0.70x
Huntingdonshire 5 0.27x
Isle of Man 5 0.28x
Kinross-shire 5 2.09x
Nairnshire 5 1.73x
Channel Islands 4 0.14x
Cornwall 4 0.04x
Oxfordshire 4 0.07x
Derbyshire 3 0.02x
Lincolnshire 3 0.02x
Peeblesshire 3 0.67x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.03x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.02x
Denbighshire 1 0.03x
Herefordshire 1 0.03x
Northamptonshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 360 Christies recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.99x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 360 10.99x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 297 5.82x
Govan 291 3.84x
Barony 281 3.62x
Glasgow 218 4.01x
Aberdeen Old Machar 197 10.76x
St Vigeans 197 41.59x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 195 11.88x
Fetteresso 150 82.98x
Dunnottar 147 181.12x
Liff Benvie 135 10.13x
Wemyss 114 48.05x
Arbroath 104 35.76x
Montrose 90 16.92x
Dunfermline 84 9.74x
Forfar 81 17.05x
Stirling 81 18.39x
Elgin 71 24.80x
St Ninians 71 20.50x
Brechin 62 17.98x
South Leith 61 4.27x
Westoe 56 3.51x
Auchterarder 53 44.66x
Dysart 53 14.04x
Old Monkland 51 4.20x
Banff 46 26.96x
Abbey 43 3.84x
Blairgowrie 43 25.57x
Turriff 43 30.37x
Peterhead 42 9.05x
Perth East Church 41 10.23x
Paisley High Church 40 6.84x
Bressay Burra Quarff 38 90.09x
West Greenock 38 2.88x
Cairney 37 72.41x
Everton 37 1.03x
Maryhill 37 6.17x
Fordyce 36 25.47x
Hackney London 36 0.68x
Alloa 35 9.23x
Dunrossness 35 27.48x
Perth West Church 34 16.85x
Chelsea London 33 1.16x
Edinburgh Canongate 33 10.22x
Lanark 33 13.39x
Monifieth 33 10.65x
Crail 32 55.91x
New Monkland 32 3.53x
North Leith 32 5.45x
Ormiston 32 96.18x
Fettercairn 30 61.15x
Fordoun 30 46.43x
Holy Trinity 30 1.33x
Keith 30 14.32x
Liverpool 30 0.44x
Mains 30 40.23x
St Marylebone London 30 0.59x
Toxteth Park 30 0.79x
Alva 29 17.40x
Falkirk 29 3.55x
Inverness 29 4.08x
Bishopwearmouth 28 1.16x
Crieff 28 17.71x
Hamilton 28 3.28x
Huntly 28 19.62x
Kinghorn 28 23.52x
Lambeth 28 0.34x
Paisley Middle Church 28 6.55x
St Andrews 28 10.97x
Burntisland 27 17.22x
Cupar 27 11.07x
Dunblane 27 26.54x
Kirkdale 27 1.43x
Meldrum 27 36.54x
Walls 27 57.54x
Kensington London 26 0.49x
Peterculter 26 42.00x
Strathmiglo 26 38.79x
Fraserburgh 25 10.12x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 25 2.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 147
Elizabeth 59
Jane 50
Sarah 50
Margaret 48
Alice 37
Annie 34
Ellen 33
Jessie 29
Ann 24
Isabella 24
Eliza 21
Agnes 18
Charlotte 16
Hannah 16
Catherine 15
Emily 15
Emma 13
Louisa 12
Frances 11
Anne 10
Kate 10
Edith 9
Harriet 9
Julia 9
Martha 9
Florence 8
Maria 8
Janet 7
Barbara 6
Christina 6
Gertrude 6
Helen 6
Margret 6
Matilda 6
Rose 6
Caroline 5
Clara 5
Ethel 5
Fanny 5
Isabel 5
Lucy 5
Ada 4
Amelia 4
Amy 4
Eleanor 4
Elizth. 4
Rebecca 4
Anna 3
Henrietta 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 143
John 127
James 89
George 57
Thomas 53
Charles 37
Alexander 36
Robert 36
Henry 29
David 24
Edward 17
Joseph 16
Walter 15
Richard 13
Albert 11
Andrew 11
Harry 10
Peter 10
Arthur 9
Archibald 8
Ernest 8
Alfred 7
Frank 7
Frederick 7
Geo. 7
Hugh 6
Duncan 5
Herbert 5
Patrick 5
Samuel 5
Wm. 5
Alex 4
Daniel 4
Douglas 4
Francis 4
Harold 4
Isaac 3
Leonard 3
Alex. 2
Edwin 2
Fredrick 2
Hy. 2
Kennedy 2
Matthew 2
Michael 2
Noble 2
Percy 2
Reginald 2
Richd. 2
Robt. 2

FAQ

Christie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Christie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 9,707 people were recorded with the Christie surname. That placed it at #442 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Christie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 13,523 in 2016. That gives Christie a modern rank of #472.

What does the Christie surname mean?

A surname of Scottish and Greek origin, referring to a Christian or follower of Christ.

What does the Christie map show?

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