NameCensus.

UK surname

Greenlees

A locational surname referring to one from a green meadow or lea.

In the 1881 census there were 583 people recorded with the Greenlees surname, ranking it #5,986 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 691, ranked #7,785, down from #5,986 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Killean and Kilchenzie, Halifax and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stevenston Ardeer, Lochgelly East and Tain.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Greenlees is 693 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.5%.

1881 census count

583

Ranked #5,986

Modern count

691

2016, ranked #7,785

Peak year

2015

693 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Greenlees had 583 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,986 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 691 in 2016, ranked #7,785.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 623 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Greenlees surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Greenlees surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Greenlees 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 478 #5,213
1861 historical 458 #5,668
1881 historical 583 #5,986
1891 historical 616 #6,254
1901 historical 623 #6,862
1911 historical 318 #10,988
1997 modern 621 #7,952
1998 modern 638 #8,020
1999 modern 628 #8,179
2000 modern 626 #8,179
2001 modern 612 #8,164
2002 modern 642 #8,032
2003 modern 620 #8,124
2004 modern 634 #7,986
2005 modern 633 #7,947
2006 modern 629 #8,005
2007 modern 624 #8,106
2008 modern 629 #8,112
2009 modern 632 #8,252
2010 modern 636 #8,388
2011 modern 653 #8,128
2012 modern 656 #8,011
2013 modern 687 #7,855
2014 modern 691 #7,860
2015 modern 693 #7,783
2016 modern 691 #7,785

Geography

Back to top

Where Greenlees' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Killean and Kilchenzie, Halifax, Govan Combination, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stevenston Ardeer, Lochgelly East, Tain, Lochore and Crosshill and Eden. 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 Killean and Kilchenzie Argyll
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stevenston Ardeer North Ayrshire
2 Lochgelly East Fife
3 Tain Highland
4 Lochore and Crosshill Fife
5 Eden 007 Eden

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Greenlees

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Greenlees

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Greenlees is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Greenlees 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

Greenlees falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Greenlees

The surname Greenlees originated in Scotland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to derive from the Old English words "grene" and "leah," which translate to "green" and "meadow" or "clearing," respectively. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or owned a green meadow or clearing.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which mention a person named William de Greneleys. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

During the 14th century, the Greenlees surname appeared in various records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the Greenlees family held a certain level of prominence or land ownership during that period.

The name Greenlees is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Greenless, a village in Dumfries and Galloway, and Greenlees, a small settlement in the Scottish Borders. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Greenlees include:

1. Sir John Greenlees (c. 1640-1708), a Scottish merchant and financier who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1700 to 1702. 2. James Greenlees (1765-1846), a Scottish architect and civil engineer best known for his work on the Crinan Canal in Argyll and Bute. 3. William Greenlees (1818-1898), a Scottish missionary and translator who worked in South Africa and was instrumental in translating the Bible into the Xhosa language. 4. William Greenlees (1913-1994), a Scottish footballer who played as a winger for clubs like Hibernian and East Fife in the 1930s and 1940s. 5. Roderick Greenlees (born 1942), a Scottish mathematician known for his contributions to algebraic topology and stable homotopy theory.

While the Greenlees surname is primarily associated with Scotland, it has also been found in other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, likely due to migration and the spread of Scottish families over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Greenlees families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Greenlees 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 171 Greenlees' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.30x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 171 9.30x
Renfrewshire 127 28.82x
Lancashire 92 1.36x
Argyllshire 65 41.06x
Yorkshire 35 0.62x
Ayrshire 22 5.17x
Middlesex 18 0.32x
Midlothian 18 2.36x
Dunbartonshire 7 4.58x
Westmorland 7 5.60x
Durham 5 0.30x
East Lothian 4 5.31x
Perthshire 4 1.57x
Buteshire 2 5.80x
Derbyshire 1 0.11x
Essex 1 0.09x
Kent 1 0.05x
Northumberland 1 0.12x
Staffordshire 1 0.05x
Warwickshire 1 0.07x

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 56 Greenlees' recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.03x.

Place Total Index
Barony 56 12.03x
Campbeltown 56 293.19x
Govan 53 11.65x
Glasgow 47 14.39x
Lochwinnoch 36 547.95x
Paisley High Church 18 51.30x
Abbey 16 23.79x
Langfield 14 141.99x
Wigan 13 13.79x
Kilbarchan 10 74.68x
Little Bolton 10 11.52x
Renfrew 10 68.73x
Stevenston 10 90.17x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 2.94x
Ruswarp 9 143.54x
Salford 9 4.53x
Stansfield 9 43.39x
Manchester 8 2.64x
Mile End Old Town London 8 6.61x
Chorlton On Medlock 7 6.53x
High Barton 7 972.22x
Killean Kilchenzie 7 260.22x
Newton 7 13.46x
Paisley Low Church 7 50.18x
East Greenock 6 14.42x
Inveresk 6 29.08x
New Monkland 6 11.04x
Paisley Middle Church 6 23.38x
Ardwick 5 8.21x
Bury 5 6.49x
Cathcart 5 20.96x
Everton 5 2.32x
Kilmarnock 5 9.87x
Oldham 5 2.30x
Port Glasgow 5 23.46x
West Greenock 5 6.32x
Berwick North 4 75.76x
Castleton 4 5.94x
Dunblane 4 65.47x
Islington London 4 0.73x
Rutherglen 4 14.83x
Ballantrae 3 106.76x
Dumbarton 3 14.10x
Fulwell 3 291.26x
Newton On Ayr 3 23.53x
North Meols 3 4.54x
Old Monkland 3 4.11x
Row 3 15.17x
Todmorden Walsden 3 16.59x
Chadderton 2 6.06x
Darlington 2 3.06x
Erringden 2 54.95x
Erskine 2 62.50x
Gigha Cara 2 266.67x
North Leith 2 5.67x
Pendleton In Salford 2 2.49x
Spotland 2 2.67x
St Luke London 2 2.19x
Bradford 1 0.73x
Burton Upon Trent 1 2.23x
Chelsea London 1 0.58x
Cromford 1 47.85x
Cumbrae 1 27.62x
Dalserf 1 5.45x
Greenwich 1 1.10x
Hackney London 1 0.31x
Inverkip 1 9.62x
Irvine 1 8.46x
Kilmory 1 19.92x
Kirkintilloch 1 4.82x
Liverpool 1 0.24x
Maryhill 1 2.78x
Milverton 1 23.81x
Newbiggin In Morpeth 1 36.90x
Poplar London 1 0.93x
South Leith 1 1.17x
St Pancras London 1 0.22x
West Ham 1 0.40x
Wuerdle Wardle 1 4.88x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 13
John 11
William 11
Thomas 10
Samuel 5
Charles 4
Alexander 3
George 3
Joseph 3
Matthew 3
Robert 3
Saml. 3
Anthony 2
Edward 2
Abram 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Chas. 1
Cornelius 1
Duncan 1
Edwin 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Hargreaves 1
Henry 1
Joel 1
Richard 1
Sam 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Greenlees surname: questions and answers

How common was the Greenlees surname in 1881?

In 1881, 583 people were recorded with the Greenlees surname. That placed it at #5,986 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Greenlees surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 691 in 2016. That gives Greenlees a modern rank of #7,785.

What does the Greenlees surname mean?

A locational surname referring to one from a green meadow or lea.

What does the Greenlees map show?

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