NameCensus.

UK surname

Lunny

A surname of Irish origin meaning "bold, warrior-like".

In the 1881 census there were 46 people recorded with the Lunny surname, ranking it #27,188 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 141, ranked #24,753, up from #27,188 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Glenwood South, Cheshire West and Chester and Dairsie Ceres and Dunino.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lunny is 146 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 206.5%.

1881 census count

46

Ranked #27,188

Modern count

141

2016, ranked #24,753

Peak year

1998

146 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lunny had 46 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,188 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 141 in 2016, ranked #24,753.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 56 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Lunny surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lunny surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Lunny 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 18 #30,094
1861 historical 27 #30,543
1881 historical 46 #27,188
1891 historical 48 #30,447
1901 historical 56 #27,952
1911 historical 34 #29,600
1997 modern 137 #22,301
1998 modern 146 #22,031
1999 modern 141 #22,702
2000 modern 141 #22,648
2001 modern 137 #22,740
2002 modern 142 #22,687
2003 modern 137 #22,939
2004 modern 127 #24,224
2005 modern 119 #25,193
2006 modern 125 #24,611
2007 modern 123 #25,208
2008 modern 122 #25,638
2009 modern 126 #25,686
2010 modern 137 #24,907
2011 modern 135 #24,922
2012 modern 138 #24,614
2013 modern 141 #24,670
2014 modern 138 #25,218
2015 modern 139 #24,956
2016 modern 141 #24,753

Geography

Back to top

Where Lunnys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Glenwood South, Cheshire West and Chester, Dairsie Ceres and Dunino, Glenwood North and Netherton and Kirkhill. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Glenwood South Glasgow City
2 Cheshire West and Chester 022 Cheshire West and Chester
3 Dairsie Ceres and Dunino Fife
4 Glenwood North Glasgow City
5 Netherton and Kirkhill North Lanarkshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Lunny

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Lunny

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Lunny is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Lunny is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lunny 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 Lunny 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Lunny

The surname Lunny is of Irish and Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "lunnach" which means "clumsy" or "awkward". The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the regions of Ulster and Galloway.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval chronicle written in the late 15th century, which mentions a "Domhnall mac Uilliam Lunny" in the year 1472. This suggests that the surname was already well-established in the region at that time.

In Scotland, the name is associated with the Clan Hannay, a prominent Scottish clan from Galloway. The Hannays are said to have adopted the surname Lunny as a variant, possibly due to the similarity in pronunciation between the Gaelic "lunnach" and the Scots word "lunny" meaning "slow-witted".

One notable bearer of the Lunny surname was John Lunny (c. 1582-1653), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1642. He played a significant role in the negotiations between the Scottish Covenanters and King Charles I during the English Civil War.

Another important figure was Sir Robert Lunny (1668-1719), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1708 to 1710. He was instrumental in the negotiations leading to the Acts of Union in 1707, which united the kingdoms of Scotland and England into the Kingdom of Great Britain.

In Ireland, the Lunny surname is particularly prevalent in the counties of Antrim and Down. One notable bearer was William Lunny (1795-1864), an Irish Presbyterian minister and author who wrote extensively on religious and historical topics, including a book titled "The Life and Times of the Rev. John Livingstone" (1848).

Another notable figure was James Lunny (1832-1903), an Irish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales from 1880 to 1894. He was a prominent advocate for land reform and the rights of small-scale farmers.

The Lunny surname also has a presence in other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, likely due to immigration from Ireland and Scotland in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Lunny families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lunny 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 20 Lunnys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.76x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 20 3.76x
Yorkshire 9 2.02x
Surrey 6 2.74x
Ayrshire 5 14.89x
Middlesex 2 0.45x
Northumberland 2 3.00x
Cheshire 1 1.01x
Hampshire 1 1.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nether Hallam in Yorkshire leads with 9 Lunnys recorded in 1881 and an index of 149.50x.

Place Total Index
Nether Hallam 9 149.50x
Preston 9 63.16x
Southwark St John 6 437.96x
Toxteth Park 6 33.28x
Dalmellington 5 505.05x
Liverpool 4 12.37x
Longbenton 2 70.67x
St George In East London 2 47.39x
Macclesfield 1 22.73x
Portsea 1 5.55x
Windle 1 33.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Catherine 2
Ellen 2
Margaret 2
Aurice 1
Bridget 1
Eliza 1
Hannah 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Maria 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 5
John 5
Edward 4
Patrick 2
Thomas 2
Alexr. 1
Barclay 1
Bernard 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
Joseph 1
Mary 1
Robert 1
William 1

FAQ

Lunny surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lunny surname in 1881?

In 1881, 46 people were recorded with the Lunny surname. That placed it at #27,188 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lunny surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 141 in 2016. That gives Lunny a modern rank of #24,753.

What does the Lunny surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin meaning "bold, warrior-like".

What does the Lunny map show?

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