NameCensus.

UK surname

Inglis

An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "English" or "of the English."

In the 1881 census there were 5,084 people recorded with the Inglis surname, ranking it #876 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,289, ranked #1,072, down from #876 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Selkirk and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ10, Carse of Stirling and Braes Villages.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Inglis is 6,476 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.7%.

1881 census count

5,084

Ranked #876

Modern count

6,289

2016, ranked #1,072

Peak year

1901

6,476 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Inglis had 5,084 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #876 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,289 in 2016, ranked #1,072.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,476 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Inglis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Inglis surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Inglis 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 3,241 #889
1861 historical 3,508 #806
1881 historical 5,084 #876
1891 historical 5,696 #827
1901 historical 6,476 #859
1911 historical 1,425 #3,390
1997 modern 6,077 #1,079
1998 modern 6,273 #1,087
1999 modern 6,316 #1,085
2000 modern 6,278 #1,084
2001 modern 6,095 #1,092
2002 modern 6,239 #1,095
2003 modern 5,996 #1,106
2004 modern 6,057 #1,097
2005 modern 6,062 #1,082
2006 modern 6,006 #1,088
2007 modern 6,095 #1,080
2008 modern 6,099 #1,085
2009 modern 6,217 #1,095
2010 modern 6,350 #1,097
2011 modern 6,199 #1,103
2012 modern 6,113 #1,097
2013 modern 6,194 #1,104
2014 modern 6,281 #1,093
2015 modern 6,256 #1,085
2016 modern 6,289 #1,072

Geography

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Where Inglis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Selkirk, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ10, Carse of Stirling, Braes Villages, Northumberland and Aberdour and Auchtertool. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Selkirk Selkirk
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ10 East Lothian
2 Carse of Stirling Stirling
3 Braes Villages Falkirk
4 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
5 Aberdour and Auchtertool Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Inglis

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Inglis

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

Inglis 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

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

Meaning and origin of Inglis

The surname INGLIS originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "Englisc," meaning "English." The name likely referred to someone of English descent living in Scotland or someone who had close ties to England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname INGLIS appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage letters sent to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The spelling variations found in these rolls include Inglis, Inglis, and Inglys.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the INGLIS surname was concentrated in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. This proximity to England may have contributed to the surname's association with English heritage.

In the 15th century, the INGLIS family gained prominence with the rise of Sir John Inglis (c. 1420-1494), a Scottish knight and courtier who served as Lord of the Bedchamber to King James III. His descendants continued to hold influential positions in Scottish society.

Another notable figure bearing the INGLIS surname was Sir John Inglis (1558-1594), a Scottish landowner and member of the Privy Council of Scotland during the reign of King James VI.

The INGLIS name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Inglisfield and Inglistown, which may have influenced the surname's development.

Other notable individuals with the INGLIS surname include:

1. John Inglis, 1st Viscount of Inglis (1647-1718), a Scottish soldier and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Scotland. 2. John Inglis (1789-1851), a Scottish minister and writer known for his work on ecclesiastical history. 3. Sir John Inglis (1776-1857), a Scottish-born British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Sikh Wars. 4. Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis (1814-1862), a Scottish-born British Army officer who played a crucial role in the defence of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. 5. John Inglis (1842-1919), a Scottish engineer and industrialist who founded the Inglis shipbuilding company in Toronto, Canada.

The surname INGLIS has a rich history deeply rooted in Scotland's past, with connections to both English and Scottish heritage, as well as notable figures who have left their mark in various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Inglis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Inglis 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 981 Inglis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.22x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 981 6.22x
Midlothian 854 13.06x
Fife 344 11.91x
Renfrewshire 227 6.00x
Middlesex 209 0.43x
Stirlingshire 188 10.45x
Roxburghshire 175 19.80x
Selkirkshire 171 38.74x
Angus 158 3.50x
Ayrshire 136 3.72x
Lancashire 121 0.21x
Aberdeenshire 119 2.63x
Dumfriesshire 109 10.11x
Northumberland 94 1.29x
West Lothian 82 11.16x
Banffshire 78 7.71x
Peeblesshire 75 32.68x
East Lothian 69 10.68x
Berwickshire 61 10.32x
Dunbartonshire 56 4.27x
Kent 52 0.31x
Surrey 52 0.22x
Durham 48 0.33x
Yorkshire 45 0.09x
Morayshire 43 5.67x
Cumberland 39 0.93x
Somerset 38 0.48x
Perthshire 34 1.55x
Argyllshire 32 2.36x
Hampshire 27 0.27x
Cheshire 25 0.23x
Inverness-shire 25 1.72x
Essex 24 0.25x
Kinross-shire 21 17.02x
Clackmannanshire 15 3.72x
Wigtownshire 12 1.85x
Glamorgan 11 0.13x
Gloucestershire 10 0.10x
Shetland 10 2.01x
Suffolk 10 0.17x
Berkshire 9 0.25x
Norfolk 9 0.12x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 1.13x
Ross-shire 8 0.60x
Warwickshire 8 0.07x
Kincardineshire 7 1.18x
Northamptonshire 7 0.15x
Sussex 7 0.09x
Shropshire 6 0.14x
Anglesey 5 0.58x
Buteshire 5 1.69x
Staffordshire 5 0.03x
Devon 4 0.04x
Isle of Man 4 0.44x
Royal Navy 4 0.69x
Wiltshire 4 0.09x
Channel Islands 3 0.21x
Derbyshire 3 0.04x
Lincolnshire 3 0.04x
Sutherland 3 0.80x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.07x
Caithness 2 0.30x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.05x
Hertfordshire 1 0.03x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.10x
Oxfordshire 1 0.03x
Westmorland 1 0.09x
Worcestershire 1 0.02x

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 343 Inglis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.04x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 343 13.04x
Govan 238 6.10x
Barony 193 4.83x
Glasgow 186 6.64x
Selkirk 98 78.80x
Dunfermline 87 19.59x
South Leith 67 9.11x
Dundee 65 3.85x
Hawick 56 28.31x
Inveresk 47 26.56x
North Leith 47 15.54x
Larbert 46 42.76x
West Greenock 45 6.63x
Hamilton 43 9.77x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 42 4.97x
Kettle 41 118.26x
Cambusnethan 39 11.13x
Kilbarchan 37 32.21x
Abbey 36 6.24x
Bathgate 33 20.69x
Dalziel 33 19.44x
Falkirk 32 7.60x
Kensington London 32 1.18x
Montrose 32 11.68x
Old Monkland 32 5.11x
Peebles 32 47.18x
Galashiels 29 17.77x
Edinburgh Canongate 27 16.23x
Lanark 27 21.26x
Langholm 27 34.85x
Bothwell 26 6.08x
Lasswade 26 17.40x
Duddingston 25 19.05x
Linlithgow 25 26.53x
Maryhill 25 8.09x
Melrose 25 22.50x
Liverpool 24 0.68x
Polmont 23 34.62x
West Calder 23 17.85x
Campsie 22 22.28x
Camberwell 21 0.67x
Dalgety 21 95.19x
Edinburgh High Church 21 51.19x
Edinburgh St Stephens 21 16.32x
Prestonpans 21 48.45x
Carluke 20 13.96x
Keith 20 18.54x
Kilsyth 20 17.43x
Aberdeen Old Machar 19 2.01x
Dysart 19 9.77x
Kilmarnock 19 4.37x
Riccarton Hurlford 19 29.66x
St Andrews 19 14.46x
St Vigeans 19 7.79x
Biggar 18 50.45x
Caldewgate 18 7.82x
Edinburgh St Georges 18 13.27x
Everton 18 0.98x
Liff Benvie 18 2.62x
Marnoch 18 33.12x
Turriff 18 24.68x
West Ham 18 0.85x
Inverness 17 4.64x
Kelso 17 19.30x
Bellie 16 46.70x
Dalkeith 16 12.41x
Edinburgh St Marys 16 12.59x
Kirkcaldy 16 11.17x
Paisley Low Church 16 13.37x
Paisley Middle Church 16 7.27x
Renfrew 16 12.81x
St Pancras London 16 0.41x
Castleton 15 39.52x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 15 9.70x
Edinburgh Lady Yesters 15 33.13x
Houston Killallan 15 40.99x
Cramond 14 28.26x
East Greenock 14 3.92x
Leuchars 14 38.32x
Makerston 14 220.13x

FAQ

Inglis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Inglis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,084 people were recorded with the Inglis surname. That placed it at #876 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Inglis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,289 in 2016. That gives Inglis a modern rank of #1,072.

What does the Inglis surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "English" or "of the English."

What does the Inglis map show?

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