NameCensus.

UK surname

Dysart

A habitational name for someone from a place called Dysart in Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 102 people recorded with the Dysart surname, ranking it #19,518 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 192, ranked #20,118, down from #19,518 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Alloa South and East, St. Helens and Sauchie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dysart is 197 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 88.2%.

1881 census count

102

Ranked #19,518

Modern count

192

2016, ranked #20,118

Peak year

2010

197 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dysart had 102 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,518 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 192 in 2016, ranked #20,118.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 164 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dysart surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dysart surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Dysart 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 46 #24,985
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 102 #19,518
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 164 #17,144
1911 historical 85 #24,322
1997 modern 177 #19,018
1998 modern 185 #18,973
1999 modern 188 #18,931
2000 modern 183 #19,239
2001 modern 181 #19,106
2002 modern 194 #18,651
2003 modern 179 #19,416
2004 modern 181 #19,363
2005 modern 189 #18,807
2006 modern 186 #19,140
2007 modern 185 #19,402
2008 modern 191 #19,195
2009 modern 196 #19,274
2010 modern 197 #19,640
2011 modern 195 #19,610
2012 modern 191 #19,802
2013 modern 195 #19,857
2014 modern 194 #20,097
2015 modern 190 #20,272
2016 modern 192 #20,118

Geography

Back to top

Where Dysarts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Gateshead, 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 Alloa South and East, St. Helens, Sauchie and North 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire
2 St. Helens 020 St. Helens
3 St. Helens 017 St. Helens
4 Sauchie Clackmannanshire
5 North Tyneside 007 North Tyneside

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Dysart

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Dysart

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Dysart is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dysart is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Dysart

The surname Dysart originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dys," meaning a hill or mound, and the Gaelic word "ard," meaning a height or promontory. The name refers to a particular geographic location in Fife, Scotland, where the town of Dysart was situated on a prominent hill overlooking the Firth of Forth.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Dysart can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which mention a person named William de Dysart in 1265. The name also appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Dysart was Sir Michael Dysart, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the First War of Scottish Independence. Sir Michael was granted lands in Fife for his service, and the family's connection to the town of Dysart became more firmly established.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dysart family played a significant role in Scottish politics and society. One prominent member was Wiliam Dysart, 1st Earl of Dysart (1592-1670), a Scottish nobleman who served as Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and was a close advisor to King Charles I.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname Dysart was James Dysart (1643-1728), a Scottish merchant and landowner who acquired significant wealth through trade and invested in plantation agriculture in the West Indies. He was also a prominent member of the Convention of Estates, a Scottish Parliament that played a crucial role in the Acts of Union of 1707, which united the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England into the Kingdom of Great Britain.

In the 18th century, the name Dysart was also associated with the literary world. William Dysart (1718-1789) was a Scottish poet and philosopher who published several works on moral philosophy and aesthetics. He was also a close friend of the philosopher David Hume and was known for his contributions to the Scottish Enlightenment.

While the name Dysart has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including England, Ireland, and North America, where descendants of Scottish immigrants have carried on the surname. Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the name Dysart continues to hold a place in history as a testament to Scotland's rich cultural heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Dysart families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dysart 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 23 Dysarts recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.22x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 23 7.22x
Angus 19 20.82x
Durham 8 2.73x
Essex 7 3.60x
Yorkshire 7 0.72x
Lancashire 6 0.51x
Perthshire 6 13.57x
Midlothian 5 3.79x
Ayrshire 4 5.43x
Cheshire 4 1.84x
Devon 4 1.95x
Kent 3 0.89x
Middlesex 2 0.20x
Aberdeenshire 1 1.10x
Berkshire 1 1.35x
Hampshire 1 0.50x

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 16 Dysarts recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.84x.

Place Total Index
Barony 16 19.84x
Liff Benvie 16 115.52x
Westoe 8 48.16x
Govan 7 8.88x
Sculcoates 7 45.22x
West Ham 7 16.31x
Ince In Makerfield 6 110.29x
Moulin 5 714.29x
Birkenhead 4 23.08x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 7.53x
Kilmarnock 4 45.61x
Sidmouth 4 341.88x
Dundee 3 8.81x
Northfleet 2 67.57x
Alyth 1 84.03x
Bromley London 1 4.61x
Edinburgh Canongate 1 29.76x
Glengairn 1 2000.00x
Lee 1 20.49x
Portsea 1 2.53x
St George Hanover Square 1 5.76x
Winkfield 1 81.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 3
Mary 3
Ann 1
Annie 1
Celia 1
Edith 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Helen 1
Janie 1
Margery 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
John 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Charles 1
Frank 1
George 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Joseph 1
Lachlan 1
Thos. 1
Victor 1
Willm. 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 Dysart households.

FAQ

Dysart surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dysart surname in 1881?

In 1881, 102 people were recorded with the Dysart surname. That placed it at #19,518 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dysart surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 192 in 2016. That gives Dysart a modern rank of #20,118.

What does the Dysart surname mean?

A habitational name for someone from a place called Dysart in Scotland.

What does the Dysart map show?

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