NameCensus.

UK surname

Mochrie

A variant of the surname Mochrie or Mochry, thought to be derived from a Scottish place name.

In the 1881 census there were 148 people recorded with the Mochrie surname, ranking it #15,611 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 212, ranked #18,843, down from #15,611 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Larbert, Denny and Lanark. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bonnybridge, Maldon and Dartford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mochrie is 228 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.2%.

1881 census count

148

Ranked #15,611

Modern count

212

2016, ranked #18,843

Peak year

1901

228 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mochrie had 148 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,611 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016, ranked #18,843.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 228 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mochrie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mochrie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mochrie 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 95 #17,707
1861 historical 114 #19,011
1881 historical 148 #15,611
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 228 #13,929
1911 historical 11 #32,463
1997 modern 211 #17,048
1998 modern 220 #17,074
1999 modern 218 #17,258
2000 modern 218 #17,246
2001 modern 210 #17,425
2002 modern 214 #17,545
2003 modern 210 #17,559
2004 modern 210 #17,644
2005 modern 202 #18,016
2006 modern 197 #18,465
2007 modern 211 #17,856
2008 modern 203 #18,470
2009 modern 207 #18,600
2010 modern 219 #18,319
2011 modern 215 #18,379
2012 modern 209 #18,659
2013 modern 202 #19,389
2014 modern 200 #19,713
2015 modern 209 #19,018
2016 modern 212 #18,843

Geography

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Where Mochries are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Larbert, Denny, Lanark, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bonnybridge, Maldon, Dartford, Greater Lochgilphead and Black Isle North. 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 Larbert Stirling
2 Denny Stirling
3 Lanark Lanark
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bonnybridge Falkirk
2 Maldon 007 Maldon
3 Dartford 003 Dartford
4 Greater Lochgilphead Argyll and Bute
5 Black Isle North Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mochrie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mochrie

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mochrie, 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 Mochrie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mochrie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mochrie 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

Mochrie 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mochrie

The surname MOCHRIE is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic words "moch" meaning early and "righ" meaning king or chieftain. It is believed to have first emerged in the region of Ayrshire in the 12th century.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England, including a Gillemor Mochry. This suggests the name was already well-established in Scotland by the late 13th century.

By the 16th century, the MOCHRIE name had spread to other parts of Scotland, including Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. Historical records from this period include references to individuals such as John Mochrie, who was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, in 1532, and Robert Mochrie, a prominent merchant from Glasgow, born in 1578.

One of the earliest known bearers of the MOCHRIE name was Sir William Mochrie, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. He is mentioned in several historical accounts of the battles against the English.

In the 17th century, a notable figure was James Mochrie, a Scottish Presbyterian minister who was born in Ayrshire in 1620. He was a vocal critic of the religious policies of King Charles II and was briefly imprisoned for his beliefs.

Another prominent individual with the MOCHRIE surname was Sir Robert Mochrie, a Scottish military officer who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Renfrewshire in 1776 and achieved the rank of Major-General before his death in 1842.

As the MOCHRIE name spread throughout Scotland and beyond, it also underwent various spelling variations, including Mochry, Mochery, and Mockrie. Some of these variations were influenced by the place names of areas where different branches of the family settled, such as Mochrum in Wigtownshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mochrie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mochrie 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 70 Mochries recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.10x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 70 15.10x
Midlothian 28 14.58x
Stirlingshire 25 47.28x
Renfrewshire 17 15.30x
Dunbartonshire 4 10.38x
West Lothian 3 13.90x

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 28 Mochries recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.41x.

Place Total Index
Govan 28 24.41x
Lanark 23 616.62x
Denny 14 498.22x
Larbert 11 348.10x
Abbey 9 53.10x
Eastwood 8 116.96x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 9.06x
Glasgow 7 8.50x
South Leith 5 23.14x
Carnwath 4 139.37x
Edinburgh Lady Yesters 4 300.75x
Kirkintilloch 4 76.48x
Lasswade 4 91.12x
Old Monkland 4 21.74x
Bathgate 3 63.97x
Edinburgh New 3 201.34x
Hamilton 2 15.47x
North Leith 2 22.50x
Bothwell 1 7.95x
Colinton 1 46.73x
Edinburgh Canongate 1 20.45x
Edinburgh Old Church 1 64.94x
New Monkland 1 7.29x

FAQ

Mochrie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mochrie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 148 people were recorded with the Mochrie surname. That placed it at #15,611 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mochrie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016. That gives Mochrie a modern rank of #18,843.

What does the Mochrie surname mean?

A variant of the surname Mochrie or Mochry, thought to be derived from a Scottish place name.

What does the Mochrie map show?

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