NameCensus.

UK surname

Munro

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "mount" or "bare hill" in Gaelic.

In the 1881 census there were 13,414 people recorded with the Munro surname, ranking it #304 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 15,696, ranked #402, down from #304 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Aberdeen and Old Machar. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sutherland South, Seaboard and Ross and Cromarty East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Munro is 15,696 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.0%.

1881 census count

13,414

Ranked #304

Modern count

15,696

2016, ranked #402

Peak year

2016

15,696 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Munro had 13,414 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #304 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 15,696 in 2016, ranked #402.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 15,052 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Munro surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Munro surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Munro 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 10,978 #225
1861 historical 10,644 #236
1881 historical 13,414 #304
1891 historical 13,722 #312
1901 historical 15,052 #350
1911 historical 3,095 #1,686
1997 modern 14,202 #426
1998 modern 14,811 #423
1999 modern 14,982 #421
2000 modern 15,112 #417
2001 modern 14,705 #418
2002 modern 15,012 #419
2003 modern 14,618 #419
2004 modern 14,623 #419
2005 modern 14,686 #415
2006 modern 14,719 #416
2007 modern 14,812 #416
2008 modern 14,888 #418
2009 modern 15,201 #415
2010 modern 15,499 #418
2011 modern 15,216 #421
2012 modern 15,093 #412
2013 modern 15,381 #415
2014 modern 15,618 #410
2015 modern 15,590 #408
2016 modern 15,696 #402

Geography

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Where Munros are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Old Machar, Glasgow and Kiltearn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sutherland South, Seaboard, Ross and Cromarty East, Alness and Sutherland North and West. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Aberdeen and Old Machar Aberdeen
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Kiltearn Ross And Cromarty

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sutherland South Highland
2 Seaboard Highland
3 Ross and Cromarty East Highland
4 Alness Highland
5 Sutherland North and West Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Munro

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Munro

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Munro 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

Munro 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

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

Meaning and origin of Munro

The surname Munro has its origins in Scotland, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "muine" meaning "hill" or "mount", and "rath" meaning "castle" or "fort", suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a fortified hill or castle.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to Edward I of England. The name appears as "Monro" and is thought to refer to the Chief of the Clan Munro, who held lands in the Scottish Highlands.

The Munros were a powerful clan in the northern Highlands, particularly in the counties of Ross and Cromarty. Their ancestral home was the Barony of Foulis, near the town of Dingwall. The clan played a significant role in Scottish history, participating in various conflicts, including the Wars of Scottish Independence and the Jacobite Risings.

In the 14th century, a branch of the Munro clan migrated to the Isle of Skye, where they became known as the Munros of Skye. This branch of the family later settled in the Outer Hebrides and maintained their distinct identity as a cadet branch of the main Munro clan.

One notable figure associated with the Munro surname is Sir Robert Munro, 18th Baron of Foulis (1642-1688), a Scottish military commander who fought for the Covenanters during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Carbisdale in 1650, where he defeated a Royalist force led by the Marquis of Montrose.

Another prominent Munro was Sir Hector Munro (1726-1805), a Scottish military officer who served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He commanded British forces at the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775, one of the first engagements of the American Revolution.

In the literary world, Neil Munro (1863-1930) was a Scottish writer and journalist, best known for his humorous short stories and novels set in the Highlands, including the popular "Para Handy" series.

Other notable figures with the Munro surname include Hector Hugh Munro (1870-1916), better known by his pen name "Saki", a British writer and satirist renowned for his witty and often macabre short stories, and Alice Munro (1931-present), a Canadian short story writer and Nobel laureate.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Munro families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Munro 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. Ross-shire leads with 2,474 Munros recorded in 1881 and an index of 69.08x.

County Total Index
Ross-shire 2,474 69.08x
Lanarkshire 1,730 4.10x
Midlothian 1,206 6.90x
Inverness-shire 910 23.36x
Sutherland 857 85.45x
Aberdeenshire 618 5.12x
Morayshire 505 24.92x
Caithness 498 27.89x
Middlesex 437 0.34x
Angus 395 3.27x
Argyllshire 394 10.85x
Banffshire 371 13.71x
Perthshire 348 5.94x
Renfrewshire 299 2.96x
Lancashire 294 0.19x
Dunbartonshire 194 5.54x
Fife 156 2.02x
Durham 138 0.36x
Ayrshire 136 1.39x
Stirlingshire 130 2.70x
Yorkshire 114 0.09x
Surrey 113 0.18x
Nairnshire 84 21.10x
Northumberland 83 0.43x
Kent 63 0.14x
Gloucestershire 58 0.23x
Kincardineshire 52 3.27x
Cheshire 50 0.17x
East Lothian 44 2.55x
Hampshire 44 0.16x
Clackmannanshire 41 3.81x
Sussex 39 0.18x
Berwickshire 35 2.22x
West Lothian 35 1.78x
Roxburghshire 31 1.31x
Warwickshire 29 0.09x
Orkney 28 1.95x
Buteshire 27 3.42x
Suffolk 23 0.14x
Devon 22 0.08x
Hertfordshire 22 0.24x
Cumberland 21 0.19x
Essex 20 0.08x
Kinross-shire 18 5.46x
Kirkcudbrightshire 18 0.95x
Staffordshire 18 0.04x
Royal Navy 16 1.03x
Berkshire 12 0.12x
Selkirkshire 12 1.02x
Worcestershire 12 0.07x
Derbyshire 10 0.05x
Glamorgan 10 0.04x
Leicestershire 10 0.07x
Lincolnshire 10 0.05x
Norfolk 10 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 7 0.17x
Peeblesshire 6 0.98x
Wigtownshire 5 0.29x
Denbighshire 4 0.08x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.05x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.10x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.02x
Channel Islands 2 0.05x
Northamptonshire 2 0.02x
Somerset 2 0.01x
Westmorland 2 0.07x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.01x
Cardiganshire 1 0.03x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Herefordshire 1 0.02x
Isle of Man 1 0.04x
Monmouthshire 1 0.01x
Shropshire 1 0.01x
Wiltshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 649 Munros recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.23x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 649 9.23x
Barony 565 5.29x
Govan 516 4.95x
Rosskeen 453 268.72x
Inverness 446 45.53x
Glasgow 336 4.49x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 256 11.33x
Tain 197 145.21x
Aberdeen Old Machar 181 7.18x
Alness 173 373.65x
Kiltearn 162 306.99x
Tarbat 161 190.19x
Creich 155 155.14x
Stornoway 148 31.70x
Dornoch 138 122.12x
Farr 131 151.48x
South Leith 131 6.66x
Thurso 124 44.52x
Latheron 116 38.83x
Dingwall 113 112.15x
Fearn 113 118.44x
Tongue 112 129.26x
Dundee 111 2.46x
Elgin 105 26.64x
Perth East Church 96 17.39x
Kilmuir Easter 95 185.37x
West Greenock 95 5.24x
Wick 93 16.12x
Liff Benvie 91 4.96x
Resolis 87 136.09x
Forres 82 38.50x
Keith 82 28.43x
Lochbroom 80 42.79x
Nigg 79 176.06x
Stoer Assynt 72 115.37x
Kincardine 69 104.70x
Glenaray 62 212.04x
Urray 62 55.75x
Cromarty 60 62.60x
North Leith 56 6.93x
St Pancras London 56 0.53x
Inveraray 55 117.22x
Edderton 53 150.10x
Falkirk 51 4.53x
Strath 51 43.07x
Halkirk 49 40.56x
Durness 48 108.94x
Glassary 45 23.01x
Golspie 45 64.74x
Petty 45 65.84x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 44 10.65x
Kirkhill 44 66.55x
Knockbain 43 51.31x
Logie Easter 43 114.67x
Old Monkland 43 2.57x
Banff 42 17.88x
Bonhill 42 7.47x
Dyke 41 73.89x
Nairn 41 16.97x
New Monkland 40 3.21x
Rathven 39 7.67x
Cardross 38 9.03x
Kilmore Kilbride 38 16.49x
Kinloss 38 79.18x
Snizort 38 39.11x
Urquhart 38 78.01x
Contin 37 56.88x
Dull 37 31.54x
Fodderty 37 40.85x
Bernera 36 177.25x
Drainie 34 18.94x
Fordyce 34 17.47x
Forfar 34 5.20x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 34 2.02x
Maryhill 33 4.00x
Assynt 32 52.24x
Campbeltown 32 7.31x
Rosemarkie 32 81.74x
Urquhart Glenmoriston 32 29.05x
Arbroath 31 7.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 114
William 81
James 77
George 59
Alexander 40
Robert 33
David 30
Donald 29
Hugh 26
Charles 24
Thomas 22
Hector 15
Henry 14
Arthur 11
Duncan 11
Frederick 11
Joseph 11
Edward 10
Archibald 9
Walter 9
Andrew 7
Alfred 6
Daniel 6
Harry 6
Finlay 5
Francis 5
Fredk. 5
Herbert 5
Samuel 5
Geo. 4
Kenneth 4
Richard 4
Ronald 4
Wm. 4
Albert 3
Alexandra 3
Alexr. 3
Angus 3
Douglas 3
Ebenezer 3
Ernest 3
H. 3
Peter 3
Alf 2
Edwin 2
Hy. 2
Malcolm 2
Patrick 2
Percy 2
Phillip 2

FAQ

Munro surname: questions and answers

How common was the Munro surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13,414 people were recorded with the Munro surname. That placed it at #304 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Munro surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 15,696 in 2016. That gives Munro a modern rank of #402.

What does the Munro surname mean?

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "mount" or "bare hill" in Gaelic.

What does the Munro map show?

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