NameCensus.

UK surname

Pairman

In the 1881 census there were 185 people recorded with the Pairman surname, ranking it #13,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 111, ranked #29,049, down from #13,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Blantyre, Lanark and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Old Town, Princes Street and Leith Street, Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside and IZ18.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pairman is 192 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 40.0%.

1881 census count

185

Ranked #13,506

Modern count

111

2016, ranked #29,049

Peak year

1891

192 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pairman had 185 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 111 in 2016, ranked #29,049.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 192 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Pairman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pairman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pairman 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 104 #16,746
1861 historical 134 #16,754
1881 historical 185 #13,506
1891 historical 192 #15,383
1901 historical 185 #15,892
1911 historical 37 #29,263
1997 modern 100 #26,901
1998 modern 96 #28,188
1999 modern 100 #27,757
2000 modern 112 #25,978
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 100 #27,944
2003 modern 98 #28,046
2004 modern 94 #28,896
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 93 #29,777
2008 modern 93 #30,123
2009 modern 97 #30,076
2010 modern 100 #30,225
2011 modern 105 #29,287
2012 modern 109 #28,689
2013 modern 108 #29,379
2014 modern 111 #29,113
2015 modern 112 #28,809
2016 modern 111 #29,049

Geography

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Where Pairmans are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Old Town, Princes Street and Leith Street, Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside, IZ18, IZ17 and Northumberland. 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 Blantyre Lanark
2 Lanark Lanark
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Old Town, Princes Street and Leith Street City of Edinburgh
2 Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside South Lanarkshire
3 IZ18 West Dunbartonshire
4 IZ17 West Dunbartonshire
5 Northumberland 033 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pairman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pairman

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pairman, 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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Pairman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Pairman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Pairman is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pairman 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

Pairman falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Pairman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pairman 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 101 Pairmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.30x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 101 18.30x
Midlothian 28 12.24x
Northumberland 17 6.69x
Peeblesshire 9 112.08x
Norfolk 7 2.67x
Somerset 6 2.18x
Angus 2 1.26x
Ayrshire 2 1.57x
Essex 1 0.30x
Renfrewshire 1 0.76x
Stirlingshire 1 1.59x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 35 Pairmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.05x.

Place Total Index
Barony 35 25.05x
Biggar 30 2400.00x
Lanark 14 315.32x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 59.33x
Peebles 8 337.55x
South Leith 8 31.09x
Duddingston 7 152.51x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 7.61x
Byker 6 47.81x
Govan 6 4.39x
Marham 6 1363.64x
Shettleston 6 121.46x
Stogursey 6 810.81x
Blantyre 4 69.57x
Edinburgh St Georges 4 84.21x
Douglas 3 188.68x
Montrose 2 20.88x
Newcastle On Tyne St 2 15.20x
West Kilbride 2 163.93x
Abbots Roothing 1 769.23x
Bothkennar 1 53.19x
Covington 1 384.62x
Culter 1 294.12x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 1 18.48x
Hamilton 1 6.49x
Inveresk 1 16.16x
Kilbucho 1 833.33x
Norwich St Paul 1 63.69x
Port Glasgow 1 15.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Elizabeth 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Jeanie 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
George 3
Robert 3
William 3
Alexander 1
John 1
Thomas 1

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 Pairman households.

FAQ

Pairman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pairman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 185 people were recorded with the Pairman surname. That placed it at #13,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pairman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 111 in 2016. That gives Pairman a modern rank of #29,049.

What does the Pairman map show?

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