NameCensus.

UK surname

Dunlop

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place meaning "muddy hill" in Gaelic.

In the 1881 census there were 4,816 people recorded with the Dunlop surname, ranking it #923 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,372, ranked #1,059, down from #923 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Greenock. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields, Carrick South and Lochside, Braehead and Whitletts.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dunlop is 6,400 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.3%.

1881 census count

4,816

Ranked #923

Modern count

6,372

2016, ranked #1,059

Peak year

2014

6,400 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dunlop had 4,816 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #923 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,372 in 2016, ranked #1,059.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,035 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dunlop surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dunlop surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dunlop 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 3,524 #805
1861 historical 3,838 #731
1881 historical 4,816 #923
1891 historical 5,373 #872
1901 historical 6,035 #921
1911 historical 1,441 #3,353
1997 modern 5,912 #1,110
1998 modern 6,159 #1,100
1999 modern 6,189 #1,108
2000 modern 6,166 #1,105
2001 modern 6,020 #1,104
2002 modern 6,195 #1,098
2003 modern 6,054 #1,097
2004 modern 6,039 #1,099
2005 modern 5,996 #1,093
2006 modern 5,985 #1,090
2007 modern 6,038 #1,090
2008 modern 6,060 #1,094
2009 modern 6,223 #1,091
2010 modern 6,375 #1,093
2011 modern 6,238 #1,099
2012 modern 6,230 #1,075
2013 modern 6,315 #1,080
2014 modern 6,400 #1,071
2015 modern 6,367 #1,063
2016 modern 6,372 #1,059

Geography

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Where Dunlops are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Greenock, Glasgow 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 Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields, Carrick South, Lochside, Braehead and Whitletts, Castlehill and Kincaidston and Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Greenock Renfrew
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields South Ayrshire
2 Carrick South South Ayrshire
3 Lochside, Braehead and Whitletts South Ayrshire
4 Castlehill and Kincaidston South Ayrshire
5 Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dunlop

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dunlop

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Dunlop 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

Dunlop 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

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

Meaning and origin of Dunlop

The surname Dunlop has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words 'dun' meaning hill or fort, and 'lopt' meaning a lodge or hut. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a hut or dwelling near a fortified hill.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the reign of Alexander III of Scotland (1241-1286), where it appears in the form 'de Dunlop' in charters and records from Ayrshire. This suggests the Dunlops were initially a territorial clan or family from that region.

In the 14th century, the Dunlop name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording the Scottish barons and landowners who swore fealty to Edward I of England. This includes entries for Constantyn de Dunlop and Alan de Dunlop, indicating their status as landowners at the time.

The Dunlops were a prominent family in Ayrshire, and their ancestral home was the lands of Dunlop in the parish of the same name. The earliest recorded chief of the clan was Constantyn de Dunlop, who lived in the late 13th century.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Dunlop (c. 1437-1505), a Scottish nobleman who served as Lord Treasurer of Scotland under King James IV. He was also appointed as one of the Commissioners for negotiating the marriage between James IV and Margaret Tudor.

Another significant figure was James Dunlop (1793-1848), a Scottish inventor and veterinary surgeon who is credited with developing the first practical pneumatic tire in 1888. His invention revolutionized the transportation industry and paved the way for modern tire technology.

In the literary realm, John Dunlop (1755-1820) was a Scottish author and critic who wrote extensively on the history and literature of the Middle Ages. His notable works include "The History of Fiction" and "The History of Roman Literature."

William Dunlop (1766-1839) was a Scottish writer and controversialist who was known for his satirical and provocative works, including "The Autobiography of a Mendacious Gentleman" and "Memoirs of Spain during the Reigns of Philip IV and Charles II."

Finally, John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921) was a Scottish-born Australian politician and pastoralist who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland and was a prominent figure in the development of the Darling Downs region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dunlop families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dunlop 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 1,373 Dunlops recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.02x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 1,373 9.02x
Ayrshire 1,215 34.49x
Renfrewshire 436 11.95x
Midlothian 227 3.60x
Lancashire 141 0.25x
Middlesex 136 0.29x
Northumberland 110 1.57x
Stirlingshire 102 5.87x
West Lothian 88 12.41x
Dunbartonshire 74 5.85x
Yorkshire 61 0.13x
Argyllshire 59 4.50x
Dumfriesshire 58 5.58x
Surrey 58 0.25x
Durham 55 0.39x
Hampshire 54 0.56x
Kent 45 0.28x
Cumberland 42 1.04x
East Lothian 38 6.09x
Wigtownshire 35 5.60x
Buteshire 28 9.82x
Cheshire 26 0.25x
Clackmannanshire 26 6.69x
Angus 25 0.57x
Perthshire 23 1.09x
Roxburghshire 23 2.70x
Essex 21 0.23x
Sussex 17 0.21x
Glamorgan 16 0.20x
Inverness-shire 16 1.14x
Berkshire 15 0.42x
Worcestershire 15 0.24x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.22x
Aberdeenshire 13 0.30x
Somerset 11 0.15x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 1.47x
Selkirkshire 10 2.35x
Berwickshire 9 1.58x
Channel Islands 9 0.65x
Gloucestershire 9 0.10x
Fife 8 0.29x
Morayshire 8 1.09x
Staffordshire 8 0.05x
Royal Navy 6 1.07x
Derbyshire 5 0.07x
Devon 4 0.04x
Isle of Man 4 0.46x
Warwickshire 4 0.03x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.10x
Cornwall 3 0.06x
Nairnshire 3 2.09x
Peeblesshire 3 1.35x
Sutherland 3 0.83x
Westmorland 3 0.29x
Wiltshire 3 0.07x
Caithness 2 0.31x
Kincardineshire 2 0.35x
Northamptonshire 2 0.05x
Bedfordshire 1 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Herefordshire 1 0.05x
Leicestershire 1 0.02x
Lincolnshire 1 0.01x
Merionethshire 1 0.12x
Norfolk 1 0.01x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.07x
Suffolk 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 447 Dunlops recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.87x.

Place Total Index
Govan 447 11.87x
Barony 296 7.68x
Glasgow 211 7.80x
Stewarton 171 245.30x
Kilmarnock 124 29.57x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 97 3.82x
Abbey 89 15.99x
Tarbolton 89 153.50x
Lanark 73 59.59x
Maybole 64 59.66x
Irvine 60 61.31x
Fenwick 56 300.43x
Old Monkland 55 9.10x
Eastwood 54 24.03x
West Greenock 51 7.79x
Ayr 47 28.26x
Dreghorn 45 70.56x
Neilston 42 22.93x
Bothwell 41 9.93x
Galston 39 40.48x
Riccarton Hurlford 36 58.25x
East Greenock 35 10.16x
Hamilton 35 8.24x
Dundonald 34 26.17x
Kilsyth 34 30.71x
Beith 33 31.39x
New Monkland 32 7.11x
Paisley High Church 32 11.02x
Ardrossan 31 25.42x
Whitburn 30 29.29x
Falkirk 29 7.14x
Kirkmichael 29 90.29x
Liverpool 29 0.85x
Maryhill 29 9.73x
Kilbirnie 28 33.10x
Newton On Ayr 27 25.59x
Kilwinning 26 22.85x
Monkton Prestwick 26 75.82x
Dalry 24 14.48x
Cathcart 22 11.15x
Lesmahagow 22 13.66x
St Quivox 21 17.63x
Tweedmouth 21 24.05x
Duddingston 20 15.80x
Port Glasgow 20 11.34x
Dalmellington 19 18.34x
Paisley Low Church 19 16.45x
Edinburgh St Georges 18 13.75x
Houston Killallan 18 50.98x
Blantyre 17 10.73x
Bootle Cum Linacre 17 3.83x
Dunlop 17 77.34x
Toxteth Park 17 0.90x
Workington 17 7.33x
Girvan 16 18.09x
Bathgate 15 9.75x
Camberwell 15 0.50x
Cumbrae 15 49.98x
Dalziel 15 9.16x
Dundee 15 0.92x
Hackney London 15 0.57x
Islington London 15 0.33x
Lasswade 15 10.40x
Row 15 9.17x
Sorn 15 21.67x
South Leith 15 2.11x
Berwick Upon Tweed 14 9.43x
Cambusnethan 14 4.14x
Rutherglen 14 6.27x
Aldershot 13 4.02x
Bowmore 13 43.09x
Colmonell 13 36.70x
Inverness 13 3.68x
Kensington London 13 0.50x
West Kilbride 13 38.73x
Dunoon 12 44.51x
Dunoon Kilmun 12 11.74x
Kirkintilloch 12 6.98x
St Marylebone London 12 0.48x
Worsley 12 3.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 47
Elizabeth 39
Margaret 24
Sarah 24
Annie 15
Jane 14
Agnes 13
Isabella 11
Janet 11
Catherine 10
Emma 10
Alice 9
Ann 8
Eliza 8
Ellen 8
Martha 8
Florence 7
Marion 7
Emily 6
Helen 6
Jessie 6
Ada 5
Caroline 5
Edith 5
Maggie 5
Maria 5
Eleanor 4
Hannah 4
Lucy 4
Clara 3
Esther 3
Fanny 3
Marian 3
Rebecca 3
Susan 3
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Augusta 2
Bridget 2
Frances 2
Jean 2
Lilian 2
Lydia 2
Margery 2
Margret 2
Maud 2
Nellie 2
Phillis 2
Rose 2
Sabina 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 58
James 54
William 47
Robert 37
George 27
Thomas 24
Charles 16
Alexander 14
Henry 14
Hugh 12
Joseph 9
Walter 9
Andrew 7
David 7
Arthur 6
Herbert 6
Alfred 5
Alex 3
Archibald 3
Colin 3
Francis 3
Frederick 3
Hamilton 3
Harry 3
Michael 3
Richard 3
Rob. 3
Wm. 3
Chas. 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Franklin 2
Louis 2
Patrick 2
Thos. 2
Aley 1
Allen 1
Andw.S. 1
Christopher 1
Cornelious 1
Dugdale 1
Durham 1
Durs 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Ellen 1
H. 1
H.E. 1
Harold 1
Wm.Thos.Bradshaw 1

FAQ

Dunlop surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dunlop surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,816 people were recorded with the Dunlop surname. That placed it at #923 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dunlop surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,372 in 2016. That gives Dunlop a modern rank of #1,059.

What does the Dunlop surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place meaning "muddy hill" in Gaelic.

What does the Dunlop map show?

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