NameCensus.

UK surname

Greenlaw

An English habitational surname derived from the name of a location meaning "green hill".

In the 1881 census there were 203 people recorded with the Greenlaw surname, ranking it #12,717 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 160, ranked #22,694, down from #12,717 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dunbar, St Bees and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Eaglesham and Waterfoot, East Riding of Yorkshire and Kirkcaldy Templehall East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Greenlaw is 213 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 21.2%.

1881 census count

203

Ranked #12,717

Modern count

160

2016, ranked #22,694

Peak year

1901

213 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Greenlaw had 203 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,717 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016, ranked #22,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 213 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Greenlaw surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Greenlaw surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Greenlaw 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 155 #12,604
1861 historical 190 #12,520
1881 historical 203 #12,717
1891 historical 211 #14,366
1901 historical 213 #14,563
1911 historical 72 #25,642
1997 modern 177 #19,018
1998 modern 179 #19,372
1999 modern 180 #19,454
2000 modern 186 #19,055
2001 modern 178 #19,288
2002 modern 173 #20,043
2003 modern 166 #20,320
2004 modern 169 #20,206
2005 modern 174 #19,783
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 164 #20,973
2008 modern 171 #20,595
2009 modern 174 #20,782
2010 modern 179 #20,886
2011 modern 177 #20,874
2012 modern 167 #21,598
2013 modern 168 #21,914
2014 modern 166 #22,277
2015 modern 165 #22,241
2016 modern 160 #22,694

Geography

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Where Greenlaws are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Eaglesham and Waterfoot, East Riding of Yorkshire, Kirkcaldy Templehall East, Isles of Scilly and Aberchirder and Whitehills. 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 Dunbar Haddington
2 St Bees Cumberland
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Eaglesham and Waterfoot East Renfrewshire
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 044 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 Kirkcaldy Templehall East Fife
4 Isles of Scilly 001 Isles of Scilly
5 Aberchirder and Whitehills Aberdeenshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Greenlaw

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Greenlaw

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Greenlaw surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Greenlaw household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Greenlaw 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

Greenlaw 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

Greenlaw falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Greenlaw

The surname Greenlaw originated in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland in the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "hlaw" meaning hill or mound, referring to a green hill or elevated area of land. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the thirteenth century as "Grenlaw" in the records of Berwickshire.

In the late thirteenth century, a Richard de Grenlaw is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments recording the submission of Scottish nobles and gentry to Edward I of England. This suggests the Greenlaw surname was established in the Scottish Borders by this time.

The name is also associated with the small village of Greenlaw in Berwickshire, which likely took its name from the same Old English roots as the surname. This village is mentioned in a charter granted by King David I of Scotland in the twelfth century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Greenlaw surname was Sir Robert de Greenlaw, a Scottish knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early fourteenth century. He was a supporter of King Robert the Bruce and was present at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

In the fifteenth century, a William Greenlaw is recorded as a burgess (a respected citizen) of the town of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders in 1458. This suggests the Greenlaw family had gained status and prominence in the region by this time.

Another notable bearer of the Greenlaw surname was John Greenlaw, a Scottish clergyman who served as Bishop of Aberdeen from 1491 to 1512. He was a significant figure in the Scottish Renaissance and is known for his patronage of education and the arts.

In the seventeenth century, the Greenlaw family had established themselves in other parts of Scotland as well. One example is Alexander Greenlaw, who was born in Glasgow in 1629 and served as the minister of the parish of Monkton in Ayrshire.

Other individuals with the Greenlaw surname include Richard Greenlaw (1772-1855), a Scottish-born farmer and landowner who emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada, and James Greenlaw (1832-1908), a Scottish-born architect who worked in Melbourne, Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Greenlaw families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Greenlaw 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. Banffshire leads with 32 Greenlaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 78.68x.

County Total Index
Banffshire 32 78.68x
Aberdeenshire 29 15.97x
Lancashire 21 0.90x
Midlothian 19 7.23x
Lanarkshire 15 2.37x
Berwickshire 14 58.97x
Cumberland 11 6.52x
Yorkshire 10 0.51x
Renfrewshire 8 5.27x
Essex 7 1.81x
Fife 7 6.03x
Devon 6 1.47x
East Lothian 6 23.10x
Surrey 4 0.42x
Angus 2 1.10x
Hampshire 2 0.50x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.76x
Selkirkshire 2 11.27x
Gloucestershire 1 0.26x
Middlesex 1 0.05x
Roxburghshire 1 2.82x
Wiltshire 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Banff in Banffshire leads with 20 Greenlaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 566.57x.

Place Total Index
Banff 20 566.57x
Liverpool 11 7.79x
Glasgow 10 8.88x
Alvah 9 978.26x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 8 23.55x
West Greenock 8 29.34x
Aberdeen Old Machar 7 18.46x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 6.62x
Everton 7 9.44x
Plymouth Charles The 6 33.37x
Turriff 6 204.78x
Whitehaven 6 66.67x
Woodford 6 136.99x
Dunbar 5 137.36x
Langton 5 1470.59x
Meldrum 5 326.80x
Lambeth 4 2.34x
Nafferton 4 481.93x
South Leith 4 13.53x
St Andrews 4 75.76x
Cleator 3 42.67x
Edinburgh Canongate 3 44.91x
Govan 3 1.91x
North Burton 3 833.33x
Stow 3 222.22x
Swinton 3 461.54x
Atherton 2 23.61x
Auchterderran 2 68.49x
Gamrie 2 44.05x
Gedling 2 454.55x
New Monkland 2 10.67x
St Bees 2 256.41x
Abbey St Bathans 1 588.24x
Aldershot 1 7.43x
Ayton 1 72.46x
Bishop Burton 1 322.58x
Bridlington 1 22.47x
Chapel Of Garioch 1 77.52x
Chirnside 1 98.04x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 2.71x
Cockburnspath 1 131.58x
Coldingham 1 46.95x
Dundee 1 1.47x
Dunse 1 44.44x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 18.35x
Holdenhurst 1 9.49x
Kincardine O Neil 1 76.92x
King Edward 1 47.85x
Leuchars 1 68.03x
Liberton 1 24.69x
Mains 1 64.94x
Marnoch 1 45.87x
Melrose 1 22.42x
Melrose 1 32.57x
Prestonkirk 1 76.92x
Salisbury The Close 1 232.56x
Selkirk 1 20.00x
Stratton 1 212.77x
Teddington London 1 22.52x
Theydon Garnon 1 113.64x
Wetwang 1 238.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Mary 4
Alice 2
Ann 2
Eleanor 2
Isabella 2
Jane 2
Ada 1
Adelaide 1
Amelia 1
Annie 1
Barbara 1
Caroline 1
Dorothy 1
Emily 1
Eva 1
Floranc 1
Francis 1
Helen 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
William 4
Henry 3
Charles 2
Ellerton 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Thomas 2
Adam 1
Alexander 1
Fred 1
Harry 1
Isaiah 1
Jackson 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Terrell 1

FAQ

Greenlaw surname: questions and answers

How common was the Greenlaw surname in 1881?

In 1881, 203 people were recorded with the Greenlaw surname. That placed it at #12,717 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Greenlaw surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016. That gives Greenlaw a modern rank of #22,694.

What does the Greenlaw surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from the name of a location meaning "green hill".

What does the Greenlaw map show?

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