NameCensus.

UK surname

Haldane

Scottish surname derived from a place name, meaning "half valley" or "flat space between hills".

In the 1881 census there were 766 people recorded with the Haldane surname, ranking it #4,826 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,198, ranked #4,968, down from #4,826 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hawick and Wilton, Govan Combination and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Keppochhill, Melrose and Tweedbank Area and Cowlairs and Port Dundas.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Haldane is 1,231 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.4%.

1881 census count

766

Ranked #4,826

Modern count

1,198

2016, ranked #4,968

Peak year

2010

1,231 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Haldane had 766 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,826 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,198 in 2016, ranked #4,968.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,012 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Haldane surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Haldane surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Haldane 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 468 #5,304
1861 historical 436 #5,907
1881 historical 766 #4,826
1891 historical 863 #4,754
1901 historical 1,012 #4,713
1911 historical 272 #12,205
1997 modern 1,157 #4,868
1998 modern 1,168 #4,997
1999 modern 1,197 #4,938
2000 modern 1,189 #4,945
2001 modern 1,171 #4,920
2002 modern 1,182 #4,960
2003 modern 1,150 #4,991
2004 modern 1,155 #4,982
2005 modern 1,134 #5,003
2006 modern 1,148 #4,941
2007 modern 1,183 #4,867
2008 modern 1,165 #4,954
2009 modern 1,209 #4,907
2010 modern 1,231 #4,938
2011 modern 1,194 #5,004
2012 modern 1,160 #5,050
2013 modern 1,183 #5,056
2014 modern 1,188 #5,070
2015 modern 1,185 #5,026
2016 modern 1,198 #4,968

Geography

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Where Haldanes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hawick and Wilton, Govan Combination, Gateshead, 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 Keppochhill, Melrose and Tweedbank Area, Cowlairs and Port Dundas, Muthill, Greenloaning and Gleneagles and Lochore and Crosshill. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hawick and Wilton Roxburgh
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Keppochhill Glasgow City
2 Melrose and Tweedbank Area Scottish Borders
3 Cowlairs and Port Dundas Glasgow City
4 Muthill, Greenloaning and Gleneagles Perth and Kinross
5 Lochore and Crosshill Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Haldane

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Haldane

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

Haldane 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

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

Meaning and origin of Haldane

The surname HALDANE originates from Scotland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "halede" meaning "hollow" and "dene" meaning "valley", referring to the location where the family likely resided initially.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Haldane of Gleneagles" in this document.

In the 14th century, the Haldanes were a prominent family in Perthshire, Scotland, holding lands around the village of Gleneagles. The name is associated with the nearby Haldane Hill and Haldane Burn (stream).

One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Sir Bernard Haldane, who lived in the late 13th/early 14th century. He was a supporter of Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

During the 16th century, the Haldanes were involved in the Scottish Reformation, with several members of the family embracing Protestantism. John Haldane (1490-1565) was a prominent Protestant reformer and served as the minister of the parish of Gleneagles.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Haldane family migrated to Ireland, and the name can be found in records from counties such as Antrim and Down. One notable individual was Robert Haldane (1764-1842), a Scottish evangelical preacher and philanthropist, who was instrumental in the revival of evangelical Christianity in Scotland and beyond.

Other notable individuals with the surname include John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (1892-1964), a British scientist and philosopher, and his son J.B.S. Haldane (1892-1964), a renowned geneticist and evolutionary biologist.

Elizabeth Haldane (1862-1937) was a Scottish suffragette and social reformer, known for her work in promoting women's rights and education.

Richard Burdon Haldane (1856-1928) was a British statesman and philosopher who served as the Secretary of State for War and Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Haldane families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Haldane 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 132 Haldanes recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.53x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 132 5.53x
Midlothian 127 12.84x
Renfrewshire 54 9.44x
Fife 49 11.21x
Perthshire 46 13.88x
Yorkshire 40 0.55x
Clackmannanshire 28 45.91x
Selkirkshire 28 41.91x
Ayrshire 27 4.89x
East Lothian 27 27.60x
Middlesex 27 0.37x
Lancashire 25 0.29x
Roxburghshire 25 18.69x
Stirlingshire 22 8.08x
West Lothian 21 18.88x
Dunbartonshire 13 6.55x
Aberdeenshire 9 1.32x
Devon 8 0.52x
Peeblesshire 6 17.28x
Banffshire 5 3.26x
Inverness-shire 5 2.27x
Kent 5 0.20x
Leicestershire 5 0.61x
Hampshire 4 0.26x
Berwickshire 3 3.36x
Northumberland 3 0.27x
Angus 2 0.29x
Cheshire 2 0.12x
Derbyshire 2 0.17x
Caithness 1 0.99x
Cumberland 1 0.16x
Durham 1 0.05x
Gloucestershire 1 0.07x
Kincardineshire 1 1.11x
Somerset 1 0.08x
Surrey 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 45 Haldanes recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.31x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 45 11.31x
Barony 40 6.62x
Govan 39 6.60x
Glasgow 31 7.31x
Galashiels 27 109.31x
South Leith 27 24.25x
Edinburgh St Georges 18 87.68x
Haddington 18 124.65x
Dunfermline 14 20.83x
Muthill 14 324.07x
Paisley Middle Church 14 42.02x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 14 41.18x
Falkirk 13 20.39x
Holy Trinity 13 7.39x
Neilston 13 45.25x
Bathgate 12 49.71x
Carnock 12 449.44x
North Leith 12 26.21x
Hawick 10 33.40x
Maybole 10 59.42x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 9 7.03x
Inveresk 9 33.61x
Liverpool 9 1.69x
Old Kilpatrick 9 38.38x
Tulliallan 9 160.14x
Alloa 8 27.05x
Ashkirk 8 634.92x
Clackmannan 8 69.38x
Tillicoultry 8 58.95x
Torryburn 8 423.28x
Dalmeny 7 164.71x
Eastwood 7 19.86x
Logie 7 58.87x
Aberdour 6 136.36x
Accrington 6 7.53x
Bothwell 6 9.27x
Cathcart 6 19.38x
Everton 6 2.15x
Innerleithen 6 65.08x
Inverkip 6 44.48x
Islington London 6 0.84x
Newbattle 6 70.92x
Abbey 5 5.73x
Biggar 5 92.59x
Crieff 5 40.55x
Crigglestone 5 70.92x
Dalmellington 5 30.77x
Hamilton 5 7.51x
Inverness 5 9.01x
Melton Mowbray 5 33.97x
Plymouth St Andrew 5 4.22x
Prestonkirk 5 102.25x
St Marylebone London 5 1.27x
Stirling 5 14.56x
Wilton 5 34.06x
Dollar 4 63.29x
Girvan 4 28.84x
Keith 4 24.49x
Newburgh 4 72.07x
Old Monkland 4 4.22x
Auchterarder 3 32.43x
Earlston 3 66.96x
East Greenock 3 5.55x
Kensington London 3 0.73x
Kirkcaldy 3 13.84x
New Kilpatrick 3 15.89x
Plashetts Tynehead 3 270.27x
Plympton Maurice 3 103.45x
Portsea 3 1.01x
St Pancras London 3 0.50x
West Derby 3 1.17x
Whitekirk Tynninghame 3 112.36x
Wortley In Bramley 3 5.18x
Ballantrae 2 54.64x
Bothkennar 2 24.60x
Chapel Allerton 2 18.26x
Greenwich 2 1.70x
Hyde 2 4.16x
Maryhill 2 4.28x
Port Of Monteith 2 67.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 9
James 7
Thomas 5
John 4
William 4
Adam 2
Charles 2
David 2
Ernest 2
Henry 2
Mark 2
Samuel 2
Alexr. 1
Alexr.S. 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
Edward 1
Hy. 1
J. 1
Jas. 1
Maldwyn 1
Percy 1
Radcliffe 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Haldane surname: questions and answers

How common was the Haldane surname in 1881?

In 1881, 766 people were recorded with the Haldane surname. That placed it at #4,826 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Haldane surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,198 in 2016. That gives Haldane a modern rank of #4,968.

What does the Haldane surname mean?

Scottish surname derived from a place name, meaning "half valley" or "flat space between hills".

What does the Haldane map show?

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