NameCensus.

UK surname

Huntly

A locational surname referring to someone from Huntly, Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 333 people recorded with the Huntly surname, ranking it #9,038 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 198, ranked #19,713, down from #9,038 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dunbar, London parishes and Ticehurst. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ21, IZ22 and Bridge of Allan and University.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Huntly is 413 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 40.5%.

1881 census count

333

Ranked #9,038

Modern count

198

2016, ranked #19,713

Peak year

1851

413 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Huntly had 333 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,038 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 198 in 2016, ranked #19,713.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 413 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Huntly surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Huntly surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Huntly 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 413 #5,872
1861 historical 319 #7,987
1881 historical 333 #9,038
1891 historical 321 #10,520
1901 historical 320 #11,142
1911 historical 192 #15,342
1997 modern 209 #17,157
1998 modern 216 #17,257
1999 modern 217 #17,307
2000 modern 218 #17,246
2001 modern 212 #17,324
2002 modern 217 #17,388
2003 modern 208 #17,685
2004 modern 202 #18,110
2005 modern 180 #19,395
2006 modern 182 #19,402
2007 modern 190 #19,088
2008 modern 184 #19,666
2009 modern 190 #19,656
2010 modern 187 #20,309
2011 modern 177 #20,874
2012 modern 193 #19,665
2013 modern 200 #19,524
2014 modern 201 #19,641
2015 modern 198 #19,714
2016 modern 198 #19,713

Geography

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Where Huntlys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dunbar, London parishes, Ticehurst, Isfield and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ21, IZ22, Bridge of Allan and University, Lewes and Northumberland. 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 London parishes London 1
3 Ticehurst Sussex
4 Isfield Sussex
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ21 East Lothian
2 IZ22 East Lothian
3 Bridge of Allan and University Stirling
4 Lewes 011 Lewes
5 Northumberland 002 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Huntly

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Huntly

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Huntly, 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 Huntly surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Huntly 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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Huntly is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Huntly 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

Huntly falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Huntly

The surname Huntly originated in Scotland. It is a locational name derived from the town of Huntly, located in Aberdeenshire. The name Huntly is believed to have come from the Old English words "hunta" meaning hunter and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow, suggesting that the name referred to a hunter's clearing or meadow.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1264, where it appears as "de Huntlie". This reference suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the 13th century.

The Huntly surname is closely associated with the powerful Gordon family, who were granted the lands and title of Earls of Huntly in the 15th century. The first Earl of Huntly was Sir Alexander Seton, who was granted the title in 1449 by King James II of Scotland.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Huntly was George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly (1562-1636). He was a prominent Scottish nobleman and a leader of the Catholic faction during the Scottish Reformation.

Another notable individual was Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly (1516-1553), who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and was a staunch supporter of the Catholic Church.

The Huntly surname has also been associated with several places in Scotland, including Huntly Castle in Aberdeenshire, which was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Huntly.

Other notable individuals with the surname Huntly include Sir James Huntly (1579-1652), a Scottish soldier and nobleman, and Sir Patrick Huntly (1520-1597), a Scottish landowner and courtier.

Throughout history, the Huntly surname has been spelled in various ways, including Huntlie, Huntley, and Huntlie, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Huntly families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Huntly 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. Durham leads with 43 Huntlys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.45x.

County Total Index
Durham 43 4.45x
Middlesex 41 1.26x
Kent 38 3.43x
East Lothian 34 79.03x
Wiltshire 27 9.40x
Northumberland 24 4.97x
Hampshire 23 3.45x
Surrey 20 1.26x
Sussex 19 3.47x
Lanarkshire 17 1.62x
Lancashire 8 0.21x
Glamorgan 7 1.24x
Somerset 7 1.34x
Monmouthshire 6 2.56x
Gloucestershire 4 0.63x
Lincolnshire 3 0.58x
Midlothian 3 0.69x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.46x
Angus 1 0.33x
Cheshire 1 0.14x
Dunbartonshire 1 1.15x
Essex 1 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 1 1.55x
Roxburghshire 1 1.70x
Yorkshire 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. Dunbar in East Lothian leads with 34 Huntlys recorded in 1881 and an index of 563.85x.

Place Total Index
Dunbar 34 563.85x
St Marylebone London 17 9.80x
Lambeth 13 4.59x
Barony 12 4.51x
Plashetts Tynehead 8 1632.65x
Bishopwearmouth 7 8.44x
Bradford On Avon 7 76.09x
Brenchley 7 176.32x
Charlton 7 95.11x
Isfield 7 1400.00x
Monkwearmouth Shore 7 37.12x
Newington 7 5.83x
North Bradley 7 333.33x
Amport 6 800.00x
Ancroft 6 352.94x
Bedwellty 6 14.47x
Folkestone 6 27.91x
Hutton 6 1395.35x
Westoe 6 10.95x
Chester Le Street 5 67.39x
Kimpton 5 1612.90x
Tweedmouth 5 82.92x
Brandon Byshottles 4 33.03x
Chelsea London 4 4.09x
Deptford St Nicholas 4 45.45x
Elswick 4 10.37x
Hastings All Sts 4 77.52x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 4 9.56x
Lyncombe Widcombe 4 29.22x
Welsh St Donats 4 1666.67x
Bristol St Augustine 3 29.18x
Burghclere 3 352.94x
Enfield 3 14.08x
Govan 3 1.15x
Hartfield 3 173.41x
Hartlepool 3 21.85x
Manningford Abbotts 3 2727.27x
Manningford Bruce 3 1071.43x
Middlestone 3 154.64x
Middleton In Teesdale 3 117.65x
Penarth 3 54.25x
Portsea 3 2.30x
St Giles Cripplegate 3 69.61x
St Mary Magdalen Lincoln 3 434.78x
Waltham 3 535.71x
Winkfield With Rowley 3 750.00x
Bedminster 2 4.07x
Bromley London 2 2.80x
Deal 2 21.16x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 1.14x
Fulham London 2 4.25x
Glasgow 2 1.07x
Greenwich 2 3.87x
Havant 2 59.35x
Horton Kirby 2 116.96x
Kensington London 2 1.11x
Preshute 2 112.99x
Radford 2 8.99x
St Andrew Holborn London 2 14.22x
Aldershot 1 4.48x
Andover 1 15.90x
Boldon 1 29.07x
Broughton Gifford 1 147.06x
Charterhouse Hinton 1 163.93x
Dumbarton 1 8.23x
East Cliffe 1 333.33x
Framfield 1 58.82x
Hanwell 1 17.36x
Hastings St Mary 1 7.34x
Islington London 1 0.32x
Liverpool 1 0.43x
Orton Longville 1 344.83x
Otford 1 64.52x
Paddington London 1 0.84x
Portsmouth 1 6.52x
St George In East London 1 3.27x
St Giles In Fields London 1 6.27x
Tynemouth 1 3.86x
Uckfield 1 41.84x
Yetholm 1 86.21x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 22
Elizabeth 13
Jane 8
Alice 7
Sarah 7
Ann 5
Emily 5
Margaret 5
Edith 4
Amelia 3
Catherine 3
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Isabella 3
Susan 3
Amy 2
Annie 2
Clara 2
Dorothy 2
Eliza 2
Kate 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Carloine 1
Eleanor 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
H.M. 1
Hannah 1
Henriette 1
Hilda 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Josephine 1
Katerine 1
Laura 1
Lilian 1
Lillie 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Lyzette 1
Minnie 1
Myra 1
Phoebe 1
Priscilla 1
Rebeca 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 22
John 14
Charles 10
James 10
Henry 9
George 6
Robert 5
Thomas 5
Herbert 4
Albert 3
Richard 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Samuel 2
Stephen 2
Abriam 1
Avon 1
Benjamin 1
Christopher 1
David 1
Douglas 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Harvey 1
Haryham 1
Infant 1
Isaac 1
Jas. 1
Jeremiah 1
Joseph 1
Lee 1
Leonard 1
Mathew 1
Meynell 1
Oswald 1
Philip 1
W.J. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Huntly surname: questions and answers

How common was the Huntly surname in 1881?

In 1881, 333 people were recorded with the Huntly surname. That placed it at #9,038 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Huntly surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 198 in 2016. That gives Huntly a modern rank of #19,713.

What does the Huntly surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Huntly, Scotland.

What does the Huntly map show?

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