NameCensus.

UK surname

Lyall

A variant spelling of the surname Lyle, derived from the French place name L'isle, meaning "the island".

In the 1881 census there were 2,046 people recorded with the Lyall surname, ranking it #2,152 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,564, ranked #2,582, down from #2,152 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wick, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hawick Central, Westend and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lyall is 2,676 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.3%.

1881 census count

2,046

Ranked #2,152

Modern count

2,564

2016, ranked #2,582

Peak year

2010

2,676 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lyall had 2,046 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,152 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,564 in 2016, ranked #2,582.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,303 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Lyall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lyall surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Lyall 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 1,383 #2,069
1861 historical 1,527 #1,853
1881 historical 2,046 #2,152
1891 historical 2,137 #2,180
1901 historical 2,303 #2,362
1911 historical 946 #4,756
1997 modern 2,479 #2,528
1998 modern 2,591 #2,523
1999 modern 2,573 #2,555
2000 modern 2,579 #2,544
2001 modern 2,466 #2,594
2002 modern 2,529 #2,590
2003 modern 2,487 #2,579
2004 modern 2,492 #2,580
2005 modern 2,474 #2,560
2006 modern 2,465 #2,573
2007 modern 2,519 #2,549
2008 modern 2,534 #2,555
2009 modern 2,613 #2,547
2010 modern 2,676 #2,542
2011 modern 2,651 #2,536
2012 modern 2,566 #2,564
2013 modern 2,585 #2,587
2014 modern 2,590 #2,596
2015 modern 2,584 #2,574
2016 modern 2,564 #2,582

Geography

Back to top

Where Lyalls are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Hawick Central, Westend, Northumberland and Renfrew West. 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 Wick Caithness
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hawick Central Scottish Borders
2 Westend Dundee City
3 Northumberland 017 Northumberland
4 Renfrew West Renfrewshire
5 Northumberland 010 Northumberland

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Lyall

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Lyall

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

Lyall 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

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

Meaning and origin of Lyall

The surname Lyall originated in Scotland, and it is believed to have first appeared in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "líð," which means "a slope" or "a hillside." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived on or near a hillside.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a person named William de Lydale was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296. The Ragman Rolls were a series of documents that recorded the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Liddel," appeared in the records of the Abbey of Melrose in Scotland. This spelling may have been influenced by the River Liddel, which flows through the Scottish Borders.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Lyall was John Lyall, who was born in Edinburgh in the late 15th century. He served as a merchant and burgess (a member of the merchant class) in the city.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Charles Lyall, who lived from 1782 to 1857. He was a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland, the highest legal officer in the country, from 1834 to 1835.

In the 19th century, Alfred Comyn Lyall (1835-1911) was a British civil servant and literary figure who served as Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces of British India from 1882 to 1887. He was also a respected author and poet, known for his works on Indian culture and history.

Sir James Muir Lyall (1871-1949) was a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the St. Andrew's Halls.

Another prominent figure with the surname Lyall was Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Lyall (1857-1936), a British civil servant and administrator who served as Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh from 1901 to 1905.

While the surname Lyall has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including England, Ireland, and North America, due to migration and settlement patterns over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Lyall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lyall 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. Angus leads with 302 Lyalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.37x.

County Total Index
Angus 302 16.37x
Midlothian 251 9.41x
Northumberland 198 6.68x
Banffshire 138 33.40x
Lanarkshire 135 2.10x
Aberdeenshire 103 5.58x
Middlesex 100 0.50x
Durham 93 1.57x
Caithness 72 26.40x
Yorkshire 65 0.33x
Berwickshire 53 21.97x
East Lothian 47 17.81x
Fife 45 3.82x
Kincardineshire 44 18.14x
Lancashire 35 0.15x
Lincolnshire 35 1.10x
Renfrewshire 32 2.07x
Somerset 32 1.00x
Orkney 26 11.86x
Perthshire 26 2.91x
Cheshire 23 0.52x
Roxburghshire 19 5.27x
Cumberland 11 0.64x
Surrey 11 0.11x
Argyllshire 10 1.80x
Kent 10 0.15x
Stirlingshire 10 1.36x
Wigtownshire 10 3.78x
Gloucestershire 9 0.23x
Selkirkshire 9 4.99x
Ross-shire 8 1.46x
Warwickshire 8 0.16x
Dumfriesshire 6 1.36x
Isle of Man 6 1.62x
Channel Islands 5 0.85x
Hampshire 5 0.12x
Inverness-shire 5 0.84x
Norfolk 5 0.16x
Sussex 5 0.15x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.75x
Essex 4 0.10x
Morayshire 3 0.97x
Staffordshire 3 0.04x
Suffolk 3 0.12x
Ayrshire 2 0.13x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.17x
Devon 2 0.05x
Peeblesshire 2 2.13x
Anglesey 1 0.28x
Buteshire 1 0.83x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.08x
Denbighshire 1 0.13x
Derbyshire 1 0.03x
Dorset 1 0.08x
Herefordshire 1 0.12x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.35x
Leicestershire 1 0.05x
Sutherland 1 0.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gamrie in Banffshire leads with 130 Lyalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 281.81x.

Place Total Index
Gamrie 130 281.81x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 98 9.13x
Dundee 69 10.02x
Aberdeen Old Machar 60 15.58x
Govan 57 3.58x
Berwick Upon Tweed 49 78.03x
Barony 46 2.82x
Wick 43 48.81x
Montrose 38 33.98x
Liff Benvie 37 13.21x
Glasgow 30 2.62x
North Leith 29 23.48x
South Leith 26 8.66x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 24 6.95x
Thornaby 24 32.54x
Bedlington 23 23.24x
Bedminster 22 7.30x
Paisley High Church 22 17.90x
Kensington London 21 1.90x
Brechin 19 26.20x
Bromley London 19 4.34x
Lowick 19 184.11x
Paddington London 19 2.59x
Arbroath 18 29.43x
Coldingham 17 78.41x
Darlington 17 7.43x
Dunnet 17 155.11x
St Vigeans 16 16.06x
Cross Burness N 15 131.12x
Ewart 15 3191.49x
Gateshead 15 3.38x
St Cyrus 14 138.07x
Westoe 14 4.17x
Edinburgh Greenside 12 34.03x
Inveresk 12 16.61x
Ancroft 11 105.57x
Bishopwearmouth 11 2.16x
Colinton 11 36.96x
Kirriemuir 11 24.16x
Laurencekirk 11 78.29x
Maryton 11 415.09x
West Derby 11 1.59x
Amble 10 74.13x
Edinburgh Canongate 10 14.73x
Fettercairn 10 96.90x
Heworth 10 8.56x
Black Callerton 9 841.12x
Chirnside 9 87.04x
Ellon 9 35.48x
Melrose 9 19.84x
Panbride 9 93.65x
Stranraer 9 37.21x
Tranmere 9 5.57x
Arbirlot 8 142.35x
Beath 8 21.47x
Cheltenham 8 2.65x
Dirleton 8 77.22x
Duddingston 8 14.93x
Edinburgh New North 8 34.45x
Edzell 8 141.84x
Gladsmuir 8 68.03x
Greenlaw 8 93.68x
Logie Pert 8 117.47x
Longforgan 8 63.29x
Lyncombe Widcombe 8 9.53x
St Marylebone London 8 0.75x
Tain 8 38.61x
Auchterhouse 7 154.19x
Dinnington 7 448.72x
Elswick 7 2.96x
Leeds 7 0.63x
Lostock Gralam 7 132.08x
Muckhart 7 169.49x
Norham 7 106.38x
Oldhamstocks 7 180.88x
Prestonkirk 7 53.07x
St George Hanover Square 7 1.99x
Stirling 7 7.56x
Watten 7 72.99x
Aston 6 0.43x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 43
Elizabeth 37
Jane 25
Margaret 25
Isabella 19
Ann 13
Sarah 12
Alice 10
Annie 9
Ellen 7
Agnes 6
Catherine 6
Frances 6
Eleanor 5
Emily 5
Harriet 5
Susan 5
Anne 4
Ethel 4
Fanny 4
Louisa 4
Caroline 3
Esther 3
Hannah 3
Lucy 3
Maria 3
Ada 2
Agness 2
Charlotte 2
E. 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Francis 2
Janet 2
Lilian 2
Lizzie 2
Mable 2
Maud 2
Rose 2
Susanna 2
Winifred 2
B. 1
Barbara 1
Dorothy 1
Edith 1
Elenor 1
Elizth.C. 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
Hilda 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 45
John 38
James 37
Robert 29
George 28
Thomas 17
Charles 13
David 12
Joseph 12
Andrew 11
Henry 10
Alexander 8
Edward 5
Richard 4
Frederick 3
Ralph 3
Walter 3
Edwin 2
Harry 2
Hugh 2
Robt. 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Arnott 1
Arther 1
Arthur 1
Chas. 1
Donald 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Ferderick 1
Francis 1
G. 1
Geo. 1
Geo.Hy. 1
Gordon 1
Gregor 1
Harrold 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Isaac 1
Jas. 1
Julius 1
Matthew 1
Metcalfe 1
Philip 1
Roger 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1
Thos.D. 1

FAQ

Lyall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lyall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,046 people were recorded with the Lyall surname. That placed it at #2,152 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lyall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,564 in 2016. That gives Lyall a modern rank of #2,582.

What does the Lyall surname mean?

A variant spelling of the surname Lyle, derived from the French place name L'isle, meaning "the island".

What does the Lyall map show?

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