NameCensus.

UK surname

Hillan

A surname of obscure Gaelic origin, possibly derived from a place name.

In the 1881 census there were 76 people recorded with the Hillan surname, ranking it #22,745 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 343, ranked #13,368, up from #22,745 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hamilton, Govan Combination and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Drumry West, IZ08 and Springside and Rural.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hillan is 349 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 351.3%.

1881 census count

76

Ranked #22,745

Modern count

343

2016, ranked #13,368

Peak year

2015

349 bearers

Map years

5

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hillan had 76 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,745 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 343 in 2016, ranked #13,368.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 149 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Hillan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hillan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hillan 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 149 #15,373
1881 historical 76 #22,745
1891 historical 97 #24,447
1901 historical 138 #18,955
1911 historical 69 #25,965
1997 modern 294 #13,707
1998 modern 309 #13,612
1999 modern 303 #13,873
2000 modern 294 #14,105
2001 modern 285 #14,191
2002 modern 286 #14,442
2003 modern 289 #14,158
2004 modern 295 #14,025
2005 modern 306 #13,657
2006 modern 303 #13,834
2007 modern 309 #13,760
2008 modern 304 #14,000
2009 modern 314 #13,985
2010 modern 327 #13,889
2011 modern 331 #13,641
2012 modern 327 #13,654
2013 modern 341 #13,425
2014 modern 343 #13,463
2015 modern 349 #13,189
2016 modern 343 #13,368

Geography

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Where Hillans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hamilton, Govan Combination, Manchester, Inch and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Drumry West, IZ08, Springside and Rural, Newmains and Lesmahagow. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hamilton Lanark
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Inch Wigtown
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Drumry West Glasgow City
2 IZ08 West Dunbartonshire
3 Springside and Rural North Ayrshire
4 Newmains North Lanarkshire
5 Lesmahagow South Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hillan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hillan

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

Hillan 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

Hillan 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 Hillan 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 - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Hillan

The surname Hillan is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "choill" (meaning wood or forest) and "an" (meaning the or of the). This suggests the name may have been a descriptive term referring to someone who lived near or in a wooded area.

Hillan is an anglicized spelling of the original Gaelic form of the name, which would have been something like "O'Coillean" or "MacCoillean". The prefix "O'" or "Mac" indicated a patronymic surname, passed down from father to son.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the 16th century in parish records and charters from the Scottish Highlands. For example, a John McColian is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1528, and a Donald McCoilzeane appears in a charter from Inverness in 1539.

In the 17th century, there are records of Hillans/McCollians living in the parish of Ardchattan in Argyllshire. A notable bearer of the name from this time was Ewen Hillan, who was a witness to a sasine (land transfer document) in 1679.

Moving into the 18th century, we find references to the Hillan surname in areas like Perthshire and Inverness-shire. A John Hillan was born in Inverness around 1720 and worked as a merchant there. Another early bearer was Alexander Hillan, a farmer from Perthshire born around 1740.

A few other notable Hillans from history include William Hillan (1793-1864), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who emigrated to Canada, and Robert Hillan (1849-1930), a businessman and member of the Ontario legislature. Sir John Hillan (1878-1938) was a British civil engineer who worked on projects like the Mersey Tunnel.

Those are some of the key highlights from the early origins and historical record of the surname Hillan, primarily tracing its Scottish roots and early bearers from the 16th century onwards in areas like Argyll, Inverness, and Perth.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hillan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hillan 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. Lancashire leads with 25 Hillans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.77x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 25 2.77x
Cumberland 18 27.48x
Lanarkshire 18 7.32x
Ayrshire 5 8.78x
Hampshire 2 1.28x
Isle of Man 2 14.15x
Renfrewshire 2 3.39x
Wigtownshire 2 19.80x
Derbyshire 1 0.84x
Fife 1 2.22x
Middlesex 1 0.13x
Montgomeryshire 1 5.74x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cleator in Cumberland leads with 17 Hillans recorded in 1881 and an index of 622.71x.

Place Total Index
Cleator 17 622.71x
Hamilton 11 160.35x
Bootle Cum Linacre 9 125.52x
Barrow In Furness 7 57.00x
Govan 7 11.50x
Beith 5 294.12x
Preston 5 20.70x
Manchester 2 4.93x
Neilston 2 67.57x
Auchterderran 1 88.50x
Braddan 1 129.87x
Caldewgate 1 27.86x
Chelsea London 1 4.36x
Glossop Dale 1 17.92x
Holdenhurst 1 24.45x
Inch 1 102.04x
Kirkdale 1 6.58x
Onchan 1 24.57x
Rishton 1 94.34x
Ryde 1 29.85x
Stranraer 1 108.70x
Uppington 1 5000.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Sarah 3
Catherine 2
Margaret 2
Rose 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Bessie 1
Betty 1
Dora 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Hannah 1
Magr. 1
Rhoda 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
John 4
Arthur 2
Michael 2
Patrick 2
Bernard 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Hugh 1
Joseph 1
Peter 1
William 1

FAQ

Hillan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hillan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 76 people were recorded with the Hillan surname. That placed it at #22,745 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hillan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 343 in 2016. That gives Hillan a modern rank of #13,368.

What does the Hillan surname mean?

A surname of obscure Gaelic origin, possibly derived from a place name.

What does the Hillan map show?

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