NameCensus.

UK surname

Douglass

From the Scottish place name meaning "dark river," derived from the Gaelic elements "dubh" (dark) and "glais" (river).

In the 1881 census there were 1,911 people recorded with the Douglass surname, ranking it #2,282 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,870, ranked #3,405, down from #2,282 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Warkworth and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland and South Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Douglass is 2,222 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.1%.

1881 census count

1,911

Ranked #2,282

Modern count

1,870

2016, ranked #3,405

Peak year

1851

2,222 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Douglass had 1,911 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,282 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,870 in 2016, ranked #3,405.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,222 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Douglass surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Douglass surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Douglass 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 2,222 #1,322
1861 historical 2,026 #1,435
1881 historical 1,911 #2,282
1891 historical 1,665 #2,695
1901 historical 1,884 #2,798
1911 historical 1,615 #3,009
1997 modern 1,804 #3,326
1998 modern 1,845 #3,382
1999 modern 1,896 #3,327
2000 modern 1,907 #3,293
2001 modern 1,891 #3,254
2002 modern 1,948 #3,238
2003 modern 1,873 #3,273
2004 modern 1,875 #3,278
2005 modern 1,812 #3,355
2006 modern 1,809 #3,358
2007 modern 1,838 #3,337
2008 modern 1,832 #3,380
2009 modern 1,889 #3,360
2010 modern 1,944 #3,349
2011 modern 1,924 #3,346
2012 modern 1,880 #3,356
2013 modern 1,905 #3,373
2014 modern 1,909 #3,386
2015 modern 1,884 #3,388
2016 modern 1,870 #3,405

Geography

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Where Douglass' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Warkworth, London parishes, Gateshead and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland and South Tyneside. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Warkworth Northumberland
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 029 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 006 Northumberland
3 Northumberland 025 Northumberland
4 South Tyneside 012 South Tyneside
5 South Tyneside 015 South Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Douglass

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Douglass

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Douglass surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Douglass 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 house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Douglass 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

Douglass 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

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

Meaning and origin of Douglass

The surname Douglass originated in Scotland in the 12th century and is derived from the Gaelic words "dubh" meaning "dark" and "glas" meaning "stream" or "water." It refers to the Douglas River in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Douglasdale" in the 12th century.

The Douglas family played a significant role in Scottish history, with the first recorded bearer of the name being Sir William Douglas, who was granted the lands of Douglas in Lanarkshire in the early 12th century. The family later became one of the most powerful noble families in Scotland, with members holding influential positions such as Earls of Douglas, Dukes of Touraine, and Lords of Liddesdale.

One of the earliest historical references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Several Douglases are listed in this document, including Sir William Douglas, the Governor of Berwick Castle.

In the 14th century, Sir James Douglas, also known as the "Black Douglas," was a renowned Scottish warrior and companion of Robert the Bruce. He played a crucial role in the Scottish Wars of Independence and was entrusted with the task of carrying the heart of Robert the Bruce to the Holy Land after the king's death in 1329.

Another notable figure in the history of the Douglass name was Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, who lived from 1489 to 1557. He was a prominent Scottish nobleman and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of Scotland during the reigns of James IV and James V.

In the United States, the spelling variation "Douglass" became more common, particularly among African Americans, due to the influence of abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). He adopted the additional "s" to distinguish himself from his former enslaver and took the name as a symbol of his newfound freedom.

Other notable individuals with the surname Douglass include Paul Douglass (1835-1905), a Union Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient during the American Civil War, and Andrew Ellicott Douglass (1867-1962), an American astronomer and pioneer in the field of dendrochronology.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Douglass families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Douglass 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. Durham leads with 461 Douglass' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.35x.

County Total Index
Durham 461 8.35x
Northumberland 435 15.75x
Yorkshire 191 1.04x
Middlesex 110 0.59x
Cumberland 61 3.82x
Surrey 56 0.62x
Lancashire 54 0.25x
Roxburghshire 49 14.57x
Perthshire 43 5.16x
Berkshire 38 2.73x
Lanarkshire 35 0.58x
Warwickshire 34 0.73x
Hampshire 27 0.71x
Renfrewshire 27 1.88x
Angus 23 1.34x
Norfolk 23 0.81x
Essex 21 0.57x
Aberdeenshire 20 1.16x
Cheshire 20 0.49x
Oxfordshire 19 1.66x
Inverness-shire 16 2.89x
Kent 15 0.24x
Dunbartonshire 12 2.41x
Sussex 12 0.38x
Argyllshire 9 1.74x
Berwickshire 9 4.00x
Cambridgeshire 9 0.77x
Lincolnshire 9 0.30x
Derbyshire 7 0.24x
Leicestershire 7 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.24x
Caithness 5 1.97x
Sutherland 5 3.50x
Midlothian 4 0.16x
Morayshire 4 1.39x
Buteshire 3 2.67x
Cornwall 3 0.14x
Kincardineshire 3 1.33x
Westmorland 3 0.74x
Banffshire 2 0.52x
Staffordshire 2 0.03x
Worcestershire 2 0.08x
Ayrshire 1 0.07x
Channel Islands 1 0.18x
Fife 1 0.09x
Gloucestershire 1 0.03x
Monmouthshire 1 0.07x
Ross-shire 1 0.20x
Rutland 1 0.73x
Stirlingshire 1 0.15x
Wiltshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 76 Douglass' recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.03x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 76 16.03x
Gateshead 69 16.69x
Westoe 59 18.85x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 48 20.07x
Bedlington 44 47.71x
Yetholm 43 647.59x
Tynemouth 33 22.31x
Elswick 31 14.06x
Lambeth 26 1.61x
Middlesbrough 25 10.44x
Harrington 23 119.23x
Hauxley 22 357.14x
Westgate 19 11.11x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 18 10.91x
Standlake 18 400.00x
Byker 17 12.45x
Charney 17 1205.67x
Islington London 17 0.94x
Alverstoke 16 11.62x
Monkwearmouth Shore 16 14.84x
West Greenock 16 6.20x
Winlaton 16 30.20x
Longhurst 15 280.37x
Perth East Church 14 17.82x
Stella 14 295.98x
West Ham 14 1.73x
Whitburn 14 108.78x
Houghton Le Spring 13 34.05x
Liff Benvie 13 4.98x
Reading St Giles 13 9.51x
Runcorn 13 13.76x
St Pancras London 13 0.87x
Duirinish 12 42.46x
Ford 12 72.51x
Glasgow 12 1.13x
Longbenton 11 9.40x
Monkwearmouth 11 20.81x
Penrith 11 18.63x
Sunderland 11 11.28x
Wallsend 11 12.56x
Chelsea London 10 1.79x
Cleator 10 15.03x
Govan 10 0.67x
Holy Trinity 10 2.26x
Shoreditch London 10 1.24x
Alnham 9 1084.34x
Aston 9 0.70x
Clee With Weelsby 9 13.85x
Cowpen 9 14.15x
Haslingfield 9 187.89x
Higher Booths 9 22.66x
Osgodby In Selby 9 629.37x
Preston In Tynemouth 9 82.87x
Scone 9 60.81x
St Marylebone London 9 0.91x
Stranton 9 4.84x
Ulgham 9 196.08x
West Hartford 9 1800.00x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 8 11.98x
Auchtergaven 8 57.27x
Bidford 8 79.92x
Clapham 8 3.45x
Coventry Holy Trinity 8 5.72x
Easington In Patrington 8 329.22x
Great Little Preston 8 151.80x
Kensington London 8 0.78x
Kincardine O Neil 8 65.15x
Linthorpe 8 7.29x
Little Lumley 8 245.40x
Norwich St Michael At 8 48.31x
Seghill 8 59.08x
Stanhope 8 14.03x
Toxteth Park 8 1.07x
West Derby 8 1.24x
Bellingham 7 151.19x
Cornforth 7 43.05x
Eyemouth 7 37.31x
Great Tosson Ryehill 7 909.09x
Holy Trinity St Mary 7 25.00x
Usworth 7 23.87x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 136
Elizabeth 78
Jane 64
Sarah 60
Margaret 47
Ann 31
Isabella 29
Hannah 20
Catherine 17
Annie 16
Ellen 16
Alice 15
Dorothy 10
Eliza 10
Emily 10
Emma 8
Martha 8
Agnes 7
Charlotte 7
Louisa 7
Margt. 7
Susannah 7
Edith 6
Frances 6
Ada 5
Fanny 5
Harriett 5
Maria 5
Rebecca 5
Anne 4
Clara 4
Elizth. 4
Jessie 4
Kate 4
Margret 4
Amy 3
Anna 3
Barbara 3
Caroline 3
Eleanor 3
Francis 3
Gertrude 3
Harriet 3
Janet 3
Lucy 3
Ruth 3
Elizh. 2
Isabel 2
Jemima 2
Laura 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 136
William 113
George 64
James 63
Thomas 54
Robert 48
Joseph 29
Charles 21
Edward 19
Henry 17
Alfred 12
David 10
Thos. 9
Walter 9
Andrew 8
Arthur 8
Mark 8
Wm. 8
Ernest 7
Harry 7
Hugh 7
Richard 6
Albert 5
Alexander 5
Benjamin 5
Jonathan 5
Christopher 4
Frank 4
Frederick 4
Percy 4
Peter 4
Fred 3
Frederic 3
G. 3
Matthew 3
Ralph 3
Robt. 3
Samuel 3
Tom 3
Adam 2
Cransfield 2
Francis 2
Isaac 2
J. 2
Lancelot 2
Malcolm 2
Nicholas 2
Stephen 2
Wallace 2
Daniel 1

FAQ

Douglass surname: questions and answers

How common was the Douglass surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,911 people were recorded with the Douglass surname. That placed it at #2,282 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Douglass surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,870 in 2016. That gives Douglass a modern rank of #3,405.

What does the Douglass surname mean?

From the Scottish place name meaning "dark river," derived from the Gaelic elements "dubh" (dark) and "glais" (river).

What does the Douglass map show?

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