NameCensus.

UK surname

Goldie

A Scottish surname derived from the Middle English "gold," likely referring to someone with golden-colored hair or complexion.

In the 1881 census there were 1,856 people recorded with the Goldie surname, ranking it #2,351 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,944, ranked #2,289, up from #2,351 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Altonhill North and Onthank, Yoker South and Crosshouse, Gatehead and Kilmaurs Rural.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goldie is 2,965 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.6%.

1881 census count

1,856

Ranked #2,351

Modern count

2,944

2016, ranked #2,289

Peak year

2010

2,965 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goldie had 1,856 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,351 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,944 in 2016, ranked #2,289.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,367 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Goldie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goldie surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Goldie 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 1,057 #2,649
1861 historical 1,256 #2,269
1881 historical 1,856 #2,351
1891 historical 1,969 #2,344
1901 historical 2,367 #2,293
1911 historical 676 #6,248
1997 modern 2,754 #2,327
1998 modern 2,829 #2,360
1999 modern 2,888 #2,339
2000 modern 2,887 #2,334
2001 modern 2,804 #2,346
2002 modern 2,862 #2,346
2003 modern 2,801 #2,345
2004 modern 2,813 #2,342
2005 modern 2,827 #2,299
2006 modern 2,807 #2,320
2007 modern 2,800 #2,333
2008 modern 2,881 #2,293
2009 modern 2,955 #2,295
2010 modern 2,965 #2,325
2011 modern 2,926 #2,331
2012 modern 2,866 #2,329
2013 modern 2,885 #2,356
2014 modern 2,946 #2,320
2015 modern 2,947 #2,298
2016 modern 2,944 #2,289

Geography

Back to top

Where Goldies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh, Riccarton and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Altonhill North and Onthank, Yoker South, Crosshouse, Gatehead and Kilmaurs Rural, Glenmavis and Greengairs and Mauchline Rural. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Riccarton Ayr
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Altonhill North and Onthank East Ayrshire
2 Yoker South Glasgow City
3 Crosshouse, Gatehead and Kilmaurs Rural East Ayrshire
4 Glenmavis and Greengairs North Lanarkshire
5 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Goldie

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Goldie

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

Goldie 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

Goldie 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 Goldie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Goldie, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Goldie

The surname Goldie is a habitational name that originated in Scotland. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "gille," meaning a servant or attendant, and the Scots word "gowdye," meaning a goldsmith or jeweler. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a goldsmith or jeweler, or perhaps a servant of a goldsmith.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Goldie can be traced back to the late 16th century in the Renfrewshire area of Scotland. One of the earliest documented references to the name is in the Paisley Parish Registers from 1598, which mention a William Goldie.

In the 17th century, the surname Goldie appeared in various Scottish records, including the Old Parochial Registers of Lochwinnoch in 1642, where a John Goldie was recorded. The name also appeared in the Canongate Parish Registers in Edinburgh in 1688, with the entry of a Janet Goldie.

During the 18th century, the surname Goldie became more widespread in Scotland, with notable individuals including John Goldie (1717-1809), a Scottish minister and author from Pembrokeshire, and Andrew Goldie (1793-1841), a Scottish botanist and explorer who traveled to North America.

In the 19th century, several prominent individuals bore the surname Goldie. George Troup Goldie (1804-1869) was a Scottish merchant and explorer who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in Nigeria. Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie (1846-1925), also known as Goldie Taubman, was a British colonial administrator and the founder of the Royal Niger Company.

Another notable figure from this period was Samuel Goldie (1822-1888), a Scottish civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. His son, Sir John Richard Goldie (1858-1926), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent civil engineer as well, known for his work on the Mersey Railway Tunnel.

As the surname Goldie spread beyond Scotland, it was sometimes anglicized to different spellings, such as Gouldie or Gowdie, particularly in England and Ireland. However, the original Scottish spelling of Goldie remained the most common form throughout history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Goldie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goldie 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 554 Goldies recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.42x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 554 9.42x
Ayrshire 340 24.99x
Midlothian 136 5.58x
Renfrewshire 94 6.67x
Dumfriesshire 60 14.94x
Middlesex 51 0.28x
Lancashire 46 0.21x
Yorkshire 46 0.26x
Dunbartonshire 44 9.00x
Angus 41 2.43x
Kirkcudbrightshire 41 15.58x
Kent 34 0.55x
Stirlingshire 32 4.77x
Cumberland 29 1.85x
Somerset 20 0.68x
Dorset 19 1.59x
Fife 18 1.67x
Sussex 18 0.59x
Worcestershire 18 0.76x
Aberdeenshire 17 1.01x
Hampshire 15 0.40x
Surrey 15 0.17x
Staffordshire 14 0.23x
Buteshire 12 10.89x
Perthshire 12 1.47x
Argyllshire 11 2.17x
Durham 11 0.20x
Northumberland 10 0.37x
Herefordshire 9 1.21x
Huntingdonshire 9 2.49x
Isle of Man 8 2.37x
Derbyshire 7 0.25x
East Lothian 7 2.91x
Glamorgan 7 0.22x
West Lothian 7 2.56x
Norfolk 6 0.21x
Inverness-shire 5 0.92x
Roxburghshire 5 1.52x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.54x
Cheshire 4 0.10x
Lincolnshire 4 0.14x
Morayshire 4 1.42x
Wigtownshire 3 1.24x
Wiltshire 3 0.19x
Channel Islands 2 0.37x
Gloucestershire 2 0.06x
Warwickshire 2 0.04x
Anglesey 1 0.31x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.67x
Hertfordshire 1 0.08x
Kinross-shire 1 2.18x
Merionethshire 1 0.30x
Nairnshire 1 1.80x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.04x
Peeblesshire 1 1.17x

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 160 Goldies recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.00x.

Place Total Index
Govan 160 11.00x
Barony 135 9.07x
Kilmarnock 70 43.22x
Glasgow 54 5.17x
Riccarton Hurlford 49 205.28x
Bothwell 42 26.34x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 38 3.88x
Kilmaurs 36 155.51x
Paisley High Church 23 20.50x
Shotts 23 32.68x
Galston 22 59.12x
Liff Benvie 21 8.21x
Shettleston 19 36.09x
Lasswade 18 32.32x
Cambuslang 17 28.68x
Cambusnethan 17 13.02x
Dudley 17 5.89x
Sorn 17 63.60x
St Ninians 17 25.58x
New Monkland 16 9.20x
Subdeanery 16 68.79x
Kilwinning 15 34.14x
South Leith 15 5.47x
Old Monkland 13 5.57x
Paisley Middle Church 13 15.85x
West Bromwich 13 3.70x
Auckinleck 12 28.49x
Cockpen 12 42.15x
Dalry 12 195.12x
Dumbarton 12 17.64x
Loudoun 12 36.66x
Abbey 11 5.12x
Arlecdon 11 26.42x
Campsie 11 29.89x
Lanark 11 23.25x
Old Cumnock 11 36.30x
Pendleton In Salford 11 4.28x
Bridgewater 10 12.58x
Cumbrae 10 86.28x
Dalry 10 15.62x
Edinburgh New North 10 47.17x
Kensington London 10 0.99x
Neilston 10 14.14x
Strathmartine 10 133.87x
Urr 10 29.21x
Alverstoke 9 6.67x
Bonhill 9 11.47x
Carluke 9 16.85x
Dumfries 9 22.72x
East Greenock 9 6.76x
Hereford All Sts 9 26.35x
Lewisham 9 2.72x
Monkton Prestwick 9 67.98x
Muirkirk 9 28.17x
New Cumnock 9 38.14x
Old Kilpatrick 9 15.59x
Pontefract 9 23.19x
St Ives 9 48.08x
Wadsworth 9 30.69x
Walcot 9 5.77x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 8 2.54x
Beith 8 19.70x
Closeburn 8 85.38x
Crathorne 8 503.14x
Cummertrees 8 117.47x
Dalmellington 8 20.00x
Dundee 8 1.27x
Dundonald 8 15.94x
Gorbals 8 22.92x
Largs 8 24.95x
Plumstead 8 3.87x
Rutherglen 8 9.27x
Bow London 7 3.02x
Chelsea London 7 1.28x
Dalserf 7 11.93x
Dearham 7 33.90x
Mile End Old Town London 7 1.81x
Tonbridge 7 3.13x
West Derby 7 1.11x
West Greenock 7 2.77x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Jane 15
Sarah 12
Elizabeth 11
Margaret 9
Agnes 6
Ann 5
Annie 5
Catherine 5
Grace 5
Isabella 5
Alice 4
Emma 4
Ethel 4
Kate 4
Amy 3
Edith 3
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Jessie 3
Margret 3
Maria 3
Amelia 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Louisa 2
Marion 2
Martha 2
Priscilla 2
Sophia 2
Teresa 2
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Christiana 1
Christina 1
E.Julia 1
E.S.G. 1
Edna 1
Elisabeth 1
Elise 1
Ellin 1
Emily 1
Helen 1
Helena 1
Henrietta 1
Jate 1
Jesse 1
Lizzie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 30
William 23
James 20
Thomas 16
George 10
Robert 10
Alexander 9
Charles 9
Henry 7
Edward 6
Joseph 5
David 4
Francis 3
Hugh 3
Matthew 3
Alfred 2
Archibald 2
Arthur 2
Bruce 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Mark 2
Alonzo 1
Andrew 1
Anthony 1
Barre 1
Benjamen 1
C.D.Bavmi 1
C.E. 1
Claude 1
Cyril 1
D.Charles 1
Digby 1
Earnest 1
Edmond 1
Ellis 1
Geo.F. 1
Gerald 1
Hayward 1
Herbert 1
Inglis 1
J.H. 1
Joshua 1
Lancelot 1
Lewis 1
Lional 1
Llewellyn 1
Michael 1
Oswald 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Goldie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goldie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,856 people were recorded with the Goldie surname. That placed it at #2,351 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goldie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,944 in 2016. That gives Goldie a modern rank of #2,289.

What does the Goldie surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Middle English "gold," likely referring to someone with golden-colored hair or complexion.

What does the Goldie map show?

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