NameCensus.

UK surname

Dearie

A surname derived from the Middle English term of endearment "dearie".

In the 1881 census there were 166 people recorded with the Dearie surname, ranking it #14,496 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 413, ranked #11,609, up from #14,496 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Beith, Govan Combination and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Keppochhill, Barlanark and Glenwood North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dearie is 413 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 148.8%.

1881 census count

166

Ranked #14,496

Modern count

413

2016, ranked #11,609

Peak year

2016

413 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dearie had 166 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,496 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 413 in 2016, ranked #11,609.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 191 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Routine Occupations or Retirement.

Dearie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dearie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dearie 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 66 #21,617
1861 historical 105 #20,298
1881 historical 166 #14,496
1891 historical 158 #17,705
1901 historical 191 #15,579
1911 historical 10 #32,609
1997 modern 369 #11,690
1998 modern 376 #11,918
1999 modern 377 #11,954
2000 modern 385 #11,738
2001 modern 363 #12,057
2002 modern 369 #12,144
2003 modern 352 #12,365
2004 modern 354 #12,358
2005 modern 360 #12,112
2006 modern 361 #12,178
2007 modern 373 #12,005
2008 modern 373 #12,104
2009 modern 382 #12,150
2010 modern 382 #12,410
2011 modern 373 #12,496
2012 modern 385 #12,061
2013 modern 399 #11,944
2014 modern 406 #11,865
2015 modern 406 #11,781
2016 modern 413 #11,609

Geography

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Where Dearies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Beith, Govan Combination, Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Paisley Abbey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Keppochhill, Barlanark, Glenwood North, Greenfield and Gourock East, Greenock West and Lyle Road. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Beith Ayr
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Kilmarnock Ayr
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Keppochhill Glasgow City
2 Barlanark Glasgow City
3 Glenwood North Glasgow City
4 Greenfield Glasgow City
5 Gourock East, Greenock West and Lyle Road Inverclyde

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dearie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dearie

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

Routine Occupations or Retirement

Nationally, the Dearie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Routine Occupations or Retirement, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Dearie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are characterised by high proportions of single, often never-married adults of normal retirement age or older, including many that are in the most advanced age groups. Most adults are UK born and live at high residential densities, and many of the children living with parents are in adulthood. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are uncommon, but above average proportions of households include individuals that identify with different ethnic groups. Long-term disability is relatively common, and the dominant accommodation type is flats. Unemployment rates are high, with most of those employed working in routine occupations. Few individuals have high level qualifications. Car ownership is not high.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Dearie is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dearie 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

Dearie falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Dearie

The surname "DEARIE" is believed to have originated in England, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a variation or diminutive form of the name "Dear," which itself derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer" or "beloved."

One of the earliest known references to the name "DEARIE" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1379, which mention a "John Derie." This suggests that the name was already in use by the 14th century, albeit with a slightly different spelling.

The name's connection to the word "deer" or "beloved" might indicate that it was initially a descriptive surname, possibly given to someone with a gentle or endearing personality, or perhaps someone who worked with deer or lived near a place associated with deer.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records with different spellings, such as "Deryy," "Deare," and "Deerye." One notable example is William Deerye, born around 1525 in Lincolnshire, who served as a member of the English parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

By the 17th century, the spelling "DEARIE" had become more prevalent, as evidenced by the birth of Edward Dearie in 1632 in Somerset. Interestingly, there is also a record of a place called "Deariesforth" in Yorkshire, which might have contributed to the name's evolution and association with a particular location.

Other notable individuals who bore the surname "DEARIE" include John Dearie (1745-1810), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer, and Mary Dearie (1805-1889), an English author and poet who published several works under the pseudonym "Marian Douglas."

In the 19th century, the surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with families bearing the name "DEARIE" residing in counties such as Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Gloucestershire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dearie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dearie 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 77 Dearies recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.88x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 77 14.88x
Ayrshire 31 25.89x
Stirlingshire 27 45.76x
Renfrewshire 14 11.29x
Wigtownshire 6 28.25x
Lancashire 3 0.16x
Angus 1 0.67x
Devon 1 0.30x
Durham 1 0.21x
Hampshire 1 0.31x
Perthshire 1 1.39x
West Lothian 1 4.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 51 Dearies recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.95x.

Place Total Index
Barony 51 38.95x
Kilmarnock 17 119.30x
Campsie 13 401.23x
Govan 10 7.81x
Abbey 9 47.57x
Beith 9 252.10x
Strathblane 9 1216.22x
Penninghame 6 276.50x
Dalmellington 5 142.05x
Falkirk 5 36.21x
Glasgow 5 5.44x
Carluke 3 63.83x
Liverpool 3 2.60x
Dalziel 2 35.91x
Maryhill 2 19.74x
Paisley High Church 2 20.26x
Port Glasgow 2 33.39x
Bothwell 1 7.13x
Dundee 1 1.81x
Hamilton 1 6.93x
Hart 1 86.21x
Kirkliston 1 70.92x
New Monkland 1 6.54x
Old Monkland 1 4.87x
Paisley Low Church 1 25.51x
Perth East Church 1 14.77x
Portsea 1 1.56x
Stoke Damerel 1 4.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Annie 1
Clara 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
Eliza 1
Patrick 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 Dearie households.

FAQ

Dearie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dearie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 166 people were recorded with the Dearie surname. That placed it at #14,496 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dearie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 413 in 2016. That gives Dearie a modern rank of #11,609.

What does the Dearie surname mean?

A surname derived from the Middle English term of endearment "dearie".

What does the Dearie map show?

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