NameCensus.

UK surname

Halliday

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Hallie's pasture land" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 6,183 people recorded with the Halliday surname, ranking it #703 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,739, ranked #752, down from #703 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, Otley and Halifax. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Thornhill, Mid Nithsdale and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Halliday is 8,938 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.3%.

1881 census count

6,183

Ranked #703

Modern count

8,739

2016, ranked #752

Peak year

1999

8,938 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Halliday had 6,183 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #703 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,739 in 2016, ranked #752.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,582 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Halliday surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Halliday surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Halliday 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 3,360 #855
1861 historical 3,605 #777
1881 historical 6,183 #703
1891 historical 6,768 #676
1901 historical 7,582 #711
1911 historical 5,217 #1,003
1997 modern 8,494 #743
1998 modern 8,847 #743
1999 modern 8,938 #742
2000 modern 8,823 #749
2001 modern 8,649 #745
2002 modern 8,819 #745
2003 modern 8,575 #749
2004 modern 8,490 #755
2005 modern 8,482 #749
2006 modern 8,447 #752
2007 modern 8,517 #753
2008 modern 8,636 #747
2009 modern 8,751 #756
2010 modern 8,879 #764
2011 modern 8,732 #762
2012 modern 8,609 #757
2013 modern 8,708 #763
2014 modern 8,779 #765
2015 modern 8,696 #764
2016 modern 8,739 #752

Geography

Back to top

Where Hallidays are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, Otley, Halifax, London parishes and Gateshead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Thornhill, Mid Nithsdale, Northumberland and Bradford. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Otley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
4 London parishes London 3
5 Gateshead Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Thornhill Dumfries and Galloway
2 Mid Nithsdale Dumfries and Galloway
3 Northumberland 017 Northumberland
4 Bradford 016 Bradford
5 Bradford 018 Bradford

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Halliday

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Halliday

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

Halliday 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

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

Meaning and origin of Halliday

The surname Halliday originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Scottish Gaelic phrase "halidh", meaning "holy day", and refers to an area where religious fairs or markets were held on holy days. The name is also associated with the place name Halliday in Angus, Scotland.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Halliday can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This includes entries for Adam de Haliday and John de Halydaye. The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, with mentions of individuals such as William de Halyday and John de Halyday.

In the 16th century, the name was often spelled as "Halyday" or "Halidaye". A notable bearer of the name from this period was Sir Andrew Halliday (c. 1495-1568), a Scottish lawyer and clergyman who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

During the 17th century, the spelling "Halliday" became more standardized. One prominent individual with this surname was Sir Leonard Halliday (1617-1677), a Scottish merchant and Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

In the 18th century, the name continued to be associated with Scotland, with individuals such as John Halliday (1678-1756), a Scottish minister and author, and Thomas Halliday (1788-1877), a Scottish landscape painter.

The 19th century saw the name spread more widely across the British Isles and beyond. Notable bearers included Sir Andrew Halliday (1830-1919), a British colonial administrator in India, and Sir Frederick Halliday (1806-1901), a British naval officer and explorer.

Other notable individuals with the surname Halliday include Samuel Halliday (1685-1739), an Irish philosopher and writer, and David Halliday (1916-2010), an American physicist and author of influential textbooks on physics.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Halliday families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Halliday 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,262 Hallidays recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.11x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,262 2.11x
Lancashire 821 1.15x
Durham 452 2.52x
Lanarkshire 437 2.24x
Dumfriesshire 402 30.15x
Middlesex 328 0.54x
Kirkcudbrightshire 255 29.18x
Midlothian 225 2.78x
Northumberland 215 2.39x
Gloucestershire 143 1.21x
Roxburghshire 113 10.33x
Surrey 113 0.38x
Kent 95 0.46x
Ayrshire 80 1.77x
Cheshire 78 0.59x
Hampshire 71 0.57x
Somerset 67 0.69x
Berwickshire 60 8.21x
Essex 60 0.50x
Renfrewshire 60 1.28x
Leicestershire 48 0.72x
Lincolnshire 48 0.50x
Berkshire 45 0.99x
Warwickshire 45 0.30x
Rutland 42 9.48x
Wiltshire 40 0.75x
Wigtownshire 36 4.49x
East Lothian 35 4.38x
Aberdeenshire 34 0.61x
Glamorgan 31 0.29x
Cumberland 29 0.56x
Derbyshire 29 0.31x
Fife 27 0.76x
Selkirkshire 25 4.58x
Norfolk 23 0.25x
West Lothian 21 2.31x
Nottinghamshire 20 0.25x
Staffordshire 20 0.10x
Buteshire 19 5.19x
Dunbartonshire 17 1.05x
Oxfordshire 17 0.46x
Stirlingshire 15 0.67x
Sussex 15 0.15x
Angus 14 0.25x
Suffolk 14 0.19x
Argyllshire 13 0.77x
Devon 11 0.09x
Inverness-shire 10 0.55x
Worcestershire 10 0.13x
Channel Islands 8 0.45x
Dorset 8 0.20x
Monmouthshire 8 0.18x
Denbighshire 7 0.31x
Huntingdonshire 7 0.58x
Perthshire 7 0.26x
Royal Navy 6 0.83x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.14x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.20x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.10x
Cornwall 4 0.06x
Herefordshire 4 0.16x
Banffshire 3 0.24x
Hertfordshire 3 0.07x
Isle of Man 3 0.27x
Ross-shire 3 0.18x
Westmorland 3 0.23x
Kincardineshire 2 0.27x
Northamptonshire 2 0.04x
Shropshire 2 0.04x
Kinross-shire 1 0.66x
Morayshire 1 0.11x
Nairnshire 1 0.54x
Peeblesshire 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Baildon in Yorkshire leads with 114 Hallidays recorded in 1881 and an index of 101.22x.

Place Total Index
Baildon 114 101.22x
Worsley 97 21.97x
Govan 93 1.93x
Pudsey 93 29.09x
Barony 91 1.84x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 90 2.77x
Idle 77 27.76x
Northowram 69 16.45x
Glasgow 62 1.79x
Bishopwearmouth 60 3.89x
Leeds 57 1.69x
Halifax 54 6.15x
Manchester 53 1.65x
Johnstone 50 240.73x
Bramley In Bramley 49 21.40x
Moffat 48 78.88x
Blackburn 47 2.47x
Kearsley 47 31.19x
Troqueer 43 37.51x
Westoe 43 4.22x
West Derby 42 2.00x
Dryfesdale 38 61.84x
Annan 37 32.31x
Buittle 36 175.44x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 36 4.63x
Kensington London 36 1.07x
Wortley In Bramley 36 7.60x
Bowling 35 5.91x
Mile End Old Town London 35 2.72x
Bradford 33 2.28x
Hawick 33 13.49x
Old Monkland 33 4.26x
Westgate 33 5.93x
Ince In Makerfield 32 9.60x
St Pancras London 31 0.64x
Everton 30 1.31x
Hamilton 30 5.51x
Shipley 29 9.34x
Lochmaben 28 47.92x
Urr 27 23.75x
Chester Le Street 26 18.85x
Drighlington 26 29.84x
Dumfries 26 19.77x
Gateshead 26 1.93x
Preston 26 1.36x
Camberwell 25 0.65x
Leicester St Margaret 25 1.53x
Cambusnethan 24 5.54x
Exton 24 177.91x
Holbeck 24 6.06x
Hutton 24 142.69x
Whippingham 24 25.62x
Bingley 23 6.04x
Horsforth 23 17.54x
Islington London 23 0.39x
Kirkcudbright 23 31.80x
Lambeth 23 0.44x
Minchinhampton 23 24.38x
Pendleton In Salford 23 2.70x
Wigan 23 2.30x
Farnworth 22 5.13x
Painswick 22 26.27x
Meldrum 21 44.60x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 21 10.18x
Hoddam 20 62.25x
Beeston 19 31.41x
Eccleshill 19 13.05x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 19 9.93x
Keighley 19 2.98x
Limehouse London 19 2.87x
Plawsworth 19 97.64x
Portsea 19 0.78x
Atherton 18 6.90x
Bisley 18 16.78x
Colvend 18 67.90x
East Greenock 18 4.07x
Pendlebury 18 11.90x
Toxteth Park 18 0.74x
Aston 17 0.41x
Melrose 17 17.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 320
Sarah 169
Elizabeth 151
Jane 116
Ann 75
Ellen 72
Margaret 70
Martha 69
Annie 68
Hannah 67
Emma 48
Alice 45
Emily 44
Eliza 43
Catherine 29
Maria 29
Ada 28
Isabella 25
Louisa 23
Clara 22
Fanny 22
Agnes 21
Harriet 21
Edith 19
Florence 18
Lucy 16
Amelia 15
Elizth. 15
Kate 15
Caroline 14
Anne 13
Charlotte 13
Eleanor 13
Frances 13
Ruth 12
Susan 11
Janet 10
Julia 10
Nancy 10
Sophia 10
Susannah 10
Ethel 9
Grace 9
Matilda 9
Rachel 9
Dorothy 8
Jessie 8
Rebecca 8
Amy 7
Esther 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 288
William 245
James 152
George 145
Thomas 138
Joseph 100
Robert 69
Charles 63
Henry 56
Richard 47
David 37
Arthur 36
Edward 34
Frederick 29
Samuel 27
Alfred 24
Frank 20
Albert 19
Benjamin 17
Harry 16
Alexander 15
Ernest 15
Francis 15
Herbert 15
Walter 14
Edwin 12
Peter 11
Andrew 10
Fred 10
Thos. 10
Jas. 9
Tom 9
Robt. 8
Wm. 8
Edmund 7
Isaac 7
Jesse 7
Abraham 6
Geo. 6
Joshua 6
Anthony 5
Chas. 5
Ralph 5
Roger 5
Sam 5
Fredrick 4
Jonathan 4
Michael 4
Nathan 4
Stephen 4

FAQ

Halliday surname: questions and answers

How common was the Halliday surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,183 people were recorded with the Halliday surname. That placed it at #703 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Halliday surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,739 in 2016. That gives Halliday a modern rank of #752.

What does the Halliday surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Hallie's pasture land" in Old English.

What does the Halliday map show?

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