NameCensus.

UK surname

Muirden

In the 1881 census there were 70 people recorded with the Muirden surname, ranking it #23,670 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 113, ranked #28,691, down from #23,670 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Deer, Govan Combination and Aberdeen and Old Machar. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Clashindarroch, Cowal South and Badenoch and Strathspey North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Muirden is 117 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.4%.

1881 census count

70

Ranked #23,670

Modern count

113

2016, ranked #28,691

Peak year

2014

117 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Muirden had 70 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,670 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 113 in 2016, ranked #28,691.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 105 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Muirden surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Muirden surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Muirden 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 43 #25,518
1861 historical 60 #26,313
1881 historical 70 #23,670
1891 historical 86 #25,951
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1911 historical 10 #32,609
1997 modern 90 #28,360
1998 modern 102 #27,314
1999 modern 100 #27,757
2000 modern 106 #26,848
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 99 #28,082
2003 modern 91 #29,121
2004 modern 98 #28,297
2005 modern 105 #27,203
2006 modern 107 #27,179
2007 modern 111 #26,954
2008 modern 113 #26,920
2009 modern 115 #27,207
2010 modern 111 #28,509
2011 modern 111 #28,294
2012 modern 115 #27,717
2013 modern 112 #28,675
2014 modern 117 #28,109
2015 modern 116 #28,151
2016 modern 113 #28,691

Geography

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Where Muirdens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Deer, Govan Combination, Aberdeen and Old Machar, Birsay and Harray and Pentrich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Clashindarroch, Cowal South, Badenoch and Strathspey North, Cromar and Kildrummy and Castle Point. 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 New Deer Aberdeen
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Aberdeen and Old Machar Aberdeen
4 Birsay and Harray Orkney
5 Pentrich Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Clashindarroch Aberdeenshire
2 Cowal South Argyll and Bute
3 Badenoch and Strathspey North Highland
4 Cromar and Kildrummy Aberdeenshire
5 Castle Point 005 Castle Point

Forenames

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First names often paired with Muirden

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Muirden

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Muirden is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Muirden 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

Muirden falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Muirden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Muirden 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 24 Muirdens recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.96x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 24 37.96x
Angus 11 17.39x
Orkney 10 133.16x
Lanarkshire 7 3.17x
Derbyshire 6 5.61x
Kincardineshire 4 48.13x
Sutherland 4 76.19x
Middlesex 2 0.29x
Fife 1 2.47x
Midlothian 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. Birsay Harray in Orkney leads with 9 Muirdens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1636.36x.

Place Total Index
Birsay Harray 9 1636.36x
Logie Pert 7 3043.48x
Govan 6 10.99x
Ripley 6 454.55x
Aberdeen Old Machar 4 30.30x
Bourtie 4 3636.36x
Dornoch 4 677.97x
Montrose 4 104.44x
Turriff 4 392.16x
Auchindoir Kearn 3 857.14x
Banchory Devenick 2 256.41x
Dunnottar 2 344.83x
Kinellar 2 1428.57x
New Deer 2 175.44x
New Machar 2 555.56x
Rhynie 2 769.23x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 55.56x
Glasgow 1 2.55x
Huntly 1 97.09x
Islington London 1 1.51x
Kensington London 1 2.63x
Leuchars 1 196.08x
Sandwick 1 357.14x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 1
Emma 1
Harriet 1
Henrietta 1
Maria 1
Sonia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2

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 Muirden households.

FAQ

Muirden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Muirden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 70 people were recorded with the Muirden surname. That placed it at #23,670 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Muirden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 113 in 2016. That gives Muirden a modern rank of #28,691.

What does the Muirden map show?

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