NameCensus.

UK surname

Kyles

Derived from a place name meaning "strait" or "channel" in Old Norse, likely referring to a narrow waterway.

In the 1881 census there were 191 people recorded with the Kyles surname, ranking it #13,224 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 204, ranked #19,320, down from #13,224 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Bees, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Copeland, Craigmillar and Whitfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kyles is 206 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.8%.

1881 census count

191

Ranked #13,224

Modern count

204

2016, ranked #19,320

Peak year

2010

206 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kyles had 191 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,224 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016, ranked #19,320.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 199 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Kyles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kyles surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kyles 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 89 #18,446
1861 historical 136 #16,556
1881 historical 191 #13,224
1891 historical 199 #14,977
1901 historical 191 #15,579
1911 historical 64 #26,435
1997 modern 158 #20,422
1998 modern 175 #19,658
1999 modern 173 #19,935
2000 modern 175 #19,764
2001 modern 163 #20,372
2002 modern 178 #19,671
2003 modern 177 #19,549
2004 modern 176 #19,731
2005 modern 187 #18,924
2006 modern 186 #19,140
2007 modern 190 #19,088
2008 modern 187 #19,465
2009 modern 201 #18,965
2010 modern 206 #19,066
2011 modern 189 #19,997
2012 modern 196 #19,463
2013 modern 197 #19,725
2014 modern 199 #19,775
2015 modern 202 #19,433
2016 modern 204 #19,320

Geography

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Where Kyles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Bees, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Copeland, Craigmillar, Whitfield, The Shore and Constitution Street and Rotherham. 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 St Bees Cumberland
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Copeland 004 Copeland
2 Craigmillar City of Edinburgh
3 Whitfield Dundee City
4 The Shore and Constitution Street City of Edinburgh
5 Rotherham 001 Rotherham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kyles

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kyles

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kyles, 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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Kyles surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Kyles household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Kyles is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Kyles 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

Kyles falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kyles is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Kyles

The surname Kyles is of Scottish origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Gaelic word "coille," which translates to "wood" or "forest." This suggests that the name may have been derived from a topographical feature, possibly referring to someone who lived near a wooded area or a forest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kyles surname can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century, where it appears as "de Kyle." This spelling variation indicates that the name may have been associated with the region of Kyle, located in the southwestern part of Scotland, which encompasses areas like Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.

The name Kyles is also linked to the Isle of Bute, an island off the west coast of Scotland, where a narrow strait separating the island from the mainland is known as the Kyles of Bute. This geographic feature likely influenced the surname, with some families adopting the name to reflect their association with the area.

In the 16th century, the Kyles surname gained prominence with the birth of James Kyles (1515-1588), a Scottish clergyman and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. Another notable figure bearing this name was John Kyles (1630-1698), a Scottish minister and scholar who served as the principal of the University of Edinburgh.

During the 17th century, the Kyles surname appeared in various historical records, including the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, where individuals with this surname were mentioned in connection with legal proceedings and land disputes.

Other notable individuals with the Kyles surname include William Kyles (1765-1842), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Kincardineshire, and Thomas Kyles (1825-1891), a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the town of Johnstone in Renfrewshire.

Throughout history, the Kyles surname has been linked to various place names and spellings, such as Kyle, Kylle, and Kyll, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences that shaped the name over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kyles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kyles 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 53 Kyles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.84x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 53 8.84x
Midlothian 44 17.72x
Fife 20 18.23x
Northumberland 13 4.71x
Ayrshire 11 7.93x
Middlesex 9 0.49x
Cumberland 8 5.01x
Stirlingshire 7 10.24x
Kent 6 0.95x
Yorkshire 4 0.22x
Durham 3 0.54x
Perthshire 3 3.61x
Angus 2 1.16x
Sussex 2 0.64x
West Lothian 2 7.17x
Huntingdonshire 1 2.72x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.40x
Surrey 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 20 Kyles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.49x.

Place Total Index
Govan 20 13.49x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 15 15.02x
Glasgow 13 12.21x
Cramond 12 638.30x
Wemyss 12 258.62x
Newton On Ayr 11 265.06x
Barony 9 5.93x
Hensingham 8 615.38x
Edinburgh Tron Church 7 603.45x
Chirton 6 96.15x
Denny 6 164.84x
Frindsbury 6 252.10x
New Monkland 5 28.22x
Tynemouth 5 33.85x
Dysart 4 54.13x
Pannal 4 227.27x
St Andrews 4 80.16x
St Bride London 4 370.37x
Corstorphine 3 218.98x
Gorbals 3 84.27x
Tibbermore 3 252.10x
West Calder 3 61.35x
Westoe 3 9.60x
Alnwick 2 42.19x
Colinton 2 72.20x
Dalmeny 2 186.92x
Dalserf 2 33.44x
St Pancras London 2 1.34x
Twickenham 2 25.16x
Bingham 1 94.34x
Brighton 1 1.59x
Camberwell 1 0.84x
Carnwath 1 26.95x
Duddingston 1 20.08x
Dunipace 1 83.33x
Godmanchester 1 71.94x
Hove 1 7.29x
Liberton 1 26.11x
Liff Benvie 1 3.84x
Lochee 1 65.36x
Ratcliffe London 1 9.78x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 5
John 4
David 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Donald 1
Frederick 1
Henderson 1
Henry 1
James 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Kyles households.

FAQ

Kyles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kyles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 191 people were recorded with the Kyles surname. That placed it at #13,224 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kyles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016. That gives Kyles a modern rank of #19,320.

What does the Kyles surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "strait" or "channel" in Old Norse, likely referring to a narrow waterway.

What does the Kyles map show?

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