NameCensus.

UK surname

Ogilvy

A locational surname derived from Ogilvie, a Scottish parish.

In the 1881 census there were 678 people recorded with the Ogilvy surname, ranking it #5,310 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 350, ranked #13,152, down from #5,310 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lintrathen, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirriemuir, Gwynedd and Blairgowrie West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ogilvy is 730 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 48.4%.

1881 census count

678

Ranked #5,310

Modern count

350

2016, ranked #13,152

Peak year

1851

730 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ogilvy had 678 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,310 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 350 in 2016, ranked #13,152.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 730 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Ogilvy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ogilvy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ogilvy 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 730 #3,598
1861 historical 612 #4,346
1881 historical 678 #5,310
1891 historical 589 #6,485
1901 historical 618 #6,904
1911 historical 109 #21,611
1997 modern 338 #12,489
1998 modern 356 #12,399
1999 modern 352 #12,552
2000 modern 360 #12,309
2001 modern 333 #12,817
2002 modern 359 #12,383
2003 modern 349 #12,435
2004 modern 338 #12,781
2005 modern 325 #13,080
2006 modern 324 #13,183
2007 modern 326 #13,260
2008 modern 328 #13,319
2009 modern 339 #13,281
2010 modern 336 #13,613
2011 modern 332 #13,608
2012 modern 347 #13,048
2013 modern 349 #13,215
2014 modern 349 #13,293
2015 modern 348 #13,221
2016 modern 350 #13,152

Geography

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Where Ogilvys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Kirriemuir, Gwynedd, Blairgowrie West and Mid Devon. 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 Lintrathen Forfar
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Alyth Perth

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirriemuir Angus
2 Gwynedd 012 Gwynedd
3 Blairgowrie West Perth and Kinross
4 Mid Devon 002 Mid Devon
5 Mid Devon 005 Mid Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ogilvy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ogilvy

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Ogilvy is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ogilvy 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

Ogilvy falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ogilvy

The surname Ogilvy is of Scottish origin, derived from the lands of Ogilvy near Glamis in Angus. The name is believed to have derived from the Gaelic 'Ogilvie' meaning 'descendant of Oengus', a Pictish king who reigned in the 8th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 12th century, with mentions of Gillebride, Earl of Angus in 1163 and Sir Patrick Ogilvy in 1220. The Ogilvys were a prominent family in Scotland, holding lands and titles throughout the Middle Ages.

The name is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1291-1296, a record of Scottish nobles and landholders who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. Notable entries include John Ogilvy of Angus and Walter Ogilvy of Banff.

In the 14th century, Sir Walter Ogilvy (c.1300-1349) was an influential figure, serving as High Treasurer of Scotland and fighting in the Scottish Wars of Independence. His grandson, Sir Walter Ogilvy of Lintrathen (c.1360-1440), was also a prominent military leader and ambassador.

The Ogilvys rose to prominence during the 15th and 16th centuries, with several members holding titles such as Lord Ogilvy of Airlie and Earl of Airlie. One of the most notable figures was James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater (1664-1711), a Scottish nobleman and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Sir George Ogilvy, 1st Baron of Banff (1360-1419), a Scottish nobleman and military commander; James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater (1750-1811), a Scottish peer and landowner; and David Ogilvy (1911-1999), the acclaimed advertising executive and founder of the Ogilvy & Mather agency.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ogilvy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ogilvy 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 320 Ogilvys recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.54x.

County Total Index
Angus 320 52.54x
Midlothian 68 7.72x
Perthshire 54 18.30x
Middlesex 34 0.52x
Lanarkshire 22 1.03x
Lancashire 22 0.28x
Shetland 16 23.83x
Surrey 13 0.41x
Dumfriesshire 12 8.26x
Caithness 10 11.11x
Dunbartonshire 10 5.66x
Ayrshire 8 1.63x
Durham 8 0.41x
Renfrewshire 8 1.57x
Stirlingshire 8 3.30x
Sussex 8 0.72x
Kent 7 0.31x
Buckinghamshire 6 1.51x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.66x
Banffshire 4 2.93x
Fife 4 1.03x
Kincardineshire 4 5.00x
Worcestershire 4 0.47x
Yorkshire 3 0.05x
Hampshire 2 0.15x
Leicestershire 2 0.27x
Northumberland 2 0.20x
Oxfordshire 2 0.49x
Warwickshire 2 0.12x
Berkshire 1 0.20x
Cumberland 1 0.18x
Devon 1 0.07x
Essex 1 0.08x
Lincolnshire 1 0.10x
Royal Navy 1 1.28x
West Lothian 1 1.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirriemuir in Angus leads with 86 Ogilvys recorded in 1881 and an index of 572.19x.

Place Total Index
Kirriemuir 86 572.19x
Dundee 59 25.95x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 44 12.42x
Glamis 20 543.48x
Murroes 18 1065.09x
Liff Benvie 16 17.30x
Alyth 15 188.92x
Lintrathen 14 965.52x
Ewes 12 1578.95x
Montrose 12 32.51x
Cortachy 11 1447.37x
Forfar 11 33.35x
Lerwick Gulberwick 11 105.87x
Bendochy 10 621.12x
St Vigeans 10 30.41x
Thurso 10 71.23x
Barony 9 1.67x
Cortachy Clova 9 6428.57x
Kirkintilloch 9 37.50x
St George Hanover 9 10.49x
Blairgowrie 8 68.55x
Brechin 8 33.42x
Croydon 8 4.50x
Falkirk 8 14.09x
Offerton 8 2580.65x
Rufford 8 392.16x
Govan 7 1.33x
Clerkenwell London 6 3.87x
Eton 6 66.59x
Fearn 6 845.07x
Greenwich 6 5.73x
Mains 6 115.83x
Meigle 6 273.97x
North Leith 6 14.72x
Symington 6 379.75x
Auchterhouse 5 333.33x
Brighton 5 2.24x
Dunbarney 5 294.12x
Edinburgh St Johns 5 89.93x
Erskine 5 135.14x
Mid Calder 5 130.89x
St Pancras London 5 0.94x
Toxteth Park 5 1.89x
Cargill 4 130.29x
Chorlton On Medlock 4 3.23x
Inverkeillor 4 105.82x
Islington London 4 0.63x
Old Monkland 4 4.74x
Rothiemay 4 129.45x
Unst 4 81.47x
Aboyne 3 93.46x
Hanbury 3 129.31x
Hastings St Michael 3 379.75x
Kensington London 3 0.82x
Kingoldrum 3 340.91x
Kirkdale 3 2.29x
Tannadice 3 105.63x
Tealing 3 175.44x
Barry 2 27.36x
Bottesford 2 66.67x
Chelsea London 2 1.01x
Christchurch 2 6.84x
Dalziel 2 8.75x
East Greenock 2 4.16x
Edinburgh St Georges 2 10.94x
Fordoun 2 44.54x
Glenisla 2 112.36x
Jesmond 2 14.53x
Kettins 2 98.04x
Liverpool 2 0.42x
Longforgan 2 47.96x
Monifieth 2 9.30x
Newton On Ayr 2 13.57x
Oxford St Giles 2 10.33x
Richmond 2 4.46x
Scoonie 2 23.72x
Stracathro 2 181.82x
Westminster St 2 8.25x
Edinburgh New 1 14.62x
Leamington Priors 1 2.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Mary 5
Alice 4
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Margaret 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Ellen 2
Agnes 1
Alexia 1
Christine 1
Di. 1
Edith 1
Emily 1
Evelina 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Georgiana 1
Griselda 1
Harriett 1
Ina 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Kythe 1
Lizette 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Muriel 1
Olivia 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Ogilvy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ogilvy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 678 people were recorded with the Ogilvy surname. That placed it at #5,310 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ogilvy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 350 in 2016. That gives Ogilvy a modern rank of #13,152.

What does the Ogilvy surname mean?

A locational surname derived from Ogilvie, a Scottish parish.

What does the Ogilvy map show?

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