NameCensus.

UK surname

Jamieson

Son of James, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name James.

In the 1881 census there were 8,343 people recorded with the Jamieson surname, ranking it #506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 12,616, ranked #512, down from #506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Walls and Sandness and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North and East Isles, Central Shetland and Lerwick North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jamieson is 12,616 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 51.2%.

1881 census count

8,343

Ranked #506

Modern count

12,616

2016, ranked #512

Peak year

2016

12,616 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jamieson had 8,343 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 12,616 in 2016, ranked #512.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 10,168 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Jamieson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jamieson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jamieson 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 5,146 #537
1861 historical 5,831 #466
1881 historical 8,343 #506
1891 historical 9,001 #491
1901 historical 10,168 #514
1911 historical 2,414 #2,122
1997 modern 11,553 #527
1998 modern 12,001 #530
1999 modern 12,073 #530
2000 modern 12,141 #524
2001 modern 11,772 #529
2002 modern 12,044 #530
2003 modern 11,791 #531
2004 modern 11,831 #532
2005 modern 11,796 #527
2006 modern 11,837 #526
2007 modern 11,939 #528
2008 modern 12,010 #528
2009 modern 12,169 #532
2010 modern 12,485 #532
2011 modern 12,293 #532
2012 modern 12,145 #531
2013 modern 12,345 #534
2014 modern 12,531 #527
2015 modern 12,559 #518
2016 modern 12,616 #512

Geography

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Where Jamiesons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Walls and Sandness, Edinburgh, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North and East Isles, Central Shetland, Lerwick North, East and West Mainland and Shetland South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Walls and Sandness Shetland
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North and East Isles Shetland Islands
2 Central Shetland Shetland Islands
3 Lerwick North Shetland Islands
4 East and West Mainland Shetland Islands
5 Shetland South Shetland Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jamieson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jamieson

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

Jamieson 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

Jamieson falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Jamieson

The surname Jamieson originated in Scotland and is a patronymic name derived from the personal name James. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, with the earliest known spelling being "Jamesson" or "Jameson."

In the early medieval period, the name was prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. It is thought to have derived from the Gaelic form "Seumas," which was anglicized to "James."

The name Jamieson is found in several historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list persons who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. One such entry mentions "William Jamesone del counte de Lanark."

The Domesday Book, a great survey of England and Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the surname Jamieson, as it predates the widespread use of hereditary surnames in Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Robert Jamesone (c. 1570–1644), a prominent Scottish portrait painter who was nicknamed the "Scottish Vandyck." He was born in Aberdeen and is renowned for his portraits of Scottish noblemen and clergymen.

Another notable figure is George Jamesone (1589–1644), a Scottish scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of St Andrews. He was a prolific writer and published several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, John Jamieson (1759–1838) was a Scottish lexicographer and philologist who compiled the "Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language," a pioneering work on the Scots language and its origins.

Robert Jamieson (1802–1880) was a Scottish minister and biblical scholar who co-authored the "Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary," a widely used reference work on the Bible.

In the literary world, John Jamieson (1828–1905) was a Scottish poet and author who wrote under the pen name "Hugh Haliburton." He is best known for his collection of poems titled "Lays of the Lowlands."

The surname Jamieson has also been associated with various places in Scotland, such as Jamiesonton in East Ayrshire and Jameston in Renfrewshire, which may have derived their names from early settlers with the Jamieson surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jamieson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jamieson 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 1,560 Jamiesons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.93x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 1,560 5.93x
Shetland 872 104.95x
Ayrshire 695 11.41x
Aberdeenshire 647 8.59x
Midlothian 599 5.50x
Renfrewshire 520 8.25x
Angus 358 4.75x
Lancashire 330 0.34x
Middlesex 205 0.25x
Northumberland 198 1.64x
Stirlingshire 198 6.60x
Fife 169 3.51x
Durham 145 0.60x
Perthshire 109 2.99x
Banffshire 107 6.34x
Dunbartonshire 105 4.80x
West Lothian 91 7.43x
Kincardineshire 89 8.98x
Roxburghshire 86 5.84x
Argyllshire 83 3.66x
Kirkcudbrightshire 79 6.71x
Cumberland 78 1.11x
Dumfriesshire 76 4.23x
Morayshire 76 6.01x
Berwickshire 71 7.21x
Kent 70 0.25x
Wigtownshire 70 6.48x
Yorkshire 67 0.08x
Buteshire 56 11.36x
Nairnshire 56 22.55x
Selkirkshire 51 6.93x
Inverness-shire 46 1.89x
Surrey 43 0.11x
Clackmannanshire 37 5.51x
Hampshire 36 0.22x
East Lothian 34 3.16x
Cheshire 28 0.16x
Norfolk 23 0.18x
Devon 22 0.13x
Caithness 16 1.44x
Kinross-shire 13 6.32x
Warwickshire 10 0.05x
Sussex 8 0.06x
Essex 7 0.04x
Isle of Man 7 0.46x
Lincolnshire 7 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 7 0.27x
Staffordshire 7 0.03x
Suffolk 7 0.07x
Channel Islands 6 0.25x
Gloucestershire 6 0.04x
Oxfordshire 6 0.12x
Royal Navy 6 0.62x
Derbyshire 5 0.04x
Shropshire 5 0.07x
Berkshire 4 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.08x
Orkney 4 0.45x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.03x
Worcestershire 3 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.06x
Denbighshire 2 0.07x
Peeblesshire 2 0.52x
Ross-shire 2 0.09x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Dorset 1 0.02x
Glamorgan 1 0.01x
Somerset 1 0.01x
Sutherland 1 0.16x
Westmorland 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 425 Jamiesons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.38x.

Place Total Index
Barony 425 6.38x
Govan 361 5.55x
Glasgow 305 6.53x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 238 5.43x
Aberdeen Old Machar 153 9.73x
Walls 131 325.06x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 130 9.22x
West Greenock 109 9.63x
Dundee 107 3.80x
Sandsting Aitsting 107 142.10x
Dunrossness 103 94.16x
Unst 100 164.55x
Lerwick Gulberwick 93 72.32x
Falkirk 91 12.96x
Walls Sandness 78 486.28x
South Leith 70 5.71x
Beith 69 37.98x
Kilmarnock 64 8.83x
Lochwinnoch 61 64.92x
Abbey 60 6.24x
Liff Benvie 58 5.07x
St Vigeans 52 12.78x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 50 6.92x
Old Monkland 49 4.69x
Tingwall 49 118.02x
Fetlar North Yell 48 399.00x
Nairn 48 31.85x
Auckinleck 46 24.41x
Paisley High Church 45 8.96x
East Greenock 44 7.39x
Kilbirnie 42 28.73x
New Monkland 40 5.14x
Wilton 40 24.74x
Bressay Burra Quarff 39 107.65x
Loudoun 39 26.63x
Arbroath 38 15.21x
Fetteresso 38 24.48x
Rutherglen 38 9.84x
Inverness 37 6.05x
Bonhill 36 10.26x
Toxteth Park 36 1.10x
North Leith 35 6.94x
Berwick Upon Tweed 33 12.87x
Cambuslang 33 12.44x
Cambusnethan 33 5.65x
Hamilton 33 4.50x
Whiteness Weisdale 33 131.53x
Paisley Middle Church 32 8.72x
Port Glasgow 32 10.50x
Westoe 32 2.33x
Barrow In Furness 31 2.36x
Northmavine 31 49.00x
Dalry 30 10.47x
Inveresk 30 10.17x
St Pancras London 30 0.46x
Liberton 29 17.24x
Salford 28 0.99x
Alloa 27 8.29x
Boness 27 15.99x
Kirkoswald 27 54.32x
Rothesay 26 10.89x
Bothwell 25 3.50x
Delting 25 53.50x
Fraserburgh 25 11.79x
Dalkeith 24 11.16x
Huntly 24 19.58x
Row 24 8.49x
Kirkcudbright 23 23.60x
Dunlop 22 57.91x
Kirkmaiden 22 32.18x
Liverpool 22 0.38x
Stirling 22 5.82x
Dysart 21 6.48x
Islington London 21 0.27x
Kensington London 21 0.46x
Kirkdale 21 1.29x
Peterhead 21 5.27x
St Cuthbert W O 21 6.15x
Blantyre 20 7.30x
Gateshead 20 1.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 99
Elizabeth 69
Margaret 44
Jane 35
Sarah 34
Ann 24
Agnes 23
Isabella 22
Annie 19
Ellen 17
Hannah 15
Alice 13
Catherine 11
Martha 11
Eliza 10
Fanny 10
Louisa 10
Emily 8
Janet 8
Emma 7
Jessie 7
Ada 6
Edith 6
Frances 6
Grace 6
Harriet 6
Anne 4
Beatrice 4
Caroline 4
Florence 4
Maud 4
Susan 4
Christina 3
Clara 3
Elizth. 3
Gertrude 3
Kate 3
Margt. 3
Marion 3
Minnie 3
Rebecca 3
Ruth 3
Amelia 2
Betty 2
Edna 2
Eleanor 2
Esther 2
Laura 2
Lilley 2
Maria 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 103
William 82
James 71
George 46
Robert 43
Thomas 31
Alexander 24
David 21
Henry 21
Joseph 19
Andrew 15
Samuel 12
Edward 11
Charles 9
Wm. 8
Arthur 7
Frederick 7
Peter 7
Richard 6
Albert 5
Robt. 5
Archibald 4
Christopher 4
Herbert 4
Thos. 4
Angus 3
Caleb 3
Daniel 3
Ernest 3
Francis 3
Matthew 3
Walter 3
Alfred 2
Benjamin 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Gilbert 2
Hugh 2
Isaac 2
Jas. 2
Jno. 2
Lawrence 2
Neil 2
W. 2
Allen 1
Benjimon 1
Ella 1
Eneas 1
Everard 1

FAQ

Jamieson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jamieson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8,343 people were recorded with the Jamieson surname. That placed it at #506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jamieson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 12,616 in 2016. That gives Jamieson a modern rank of #512.

What does the Jamieson surname mean?

Son of James, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name James.

What does the Jamieson map show?

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