NameCensus.

UK surname

Phee

A derived form of the Scottish surname Fife, referring to someone from the region of Fife.

In the 1881 census there were 37 people recorded with the Phee surname, ranking it #28,418 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 232, ranked #17,694, up from #28,418 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirkshaws, Dundyvan and Shawhead and Whifflet.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Phee is 232 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 527.0%.

1881 census count

37

Ranked #28,418

Modern count

232

2016, ranked #17,694

Peak year

2016

232 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Phee had 37 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,418 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016, ranked #17,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 86 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Phee surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Phee surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Phee 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 14 #30,790
1861 historical 30 #30,188
1881 historical 37 #28,418
1891 historical 86 #25,951
1901 historical 79 #25,363
1911 historical 1 #34,332
1997 modern 187 #18,398
1998 modern 205 #17,850
1999 modern 205 #17,960
2000 modern 221 #17,089
2001 modern 206 #17,624
2002 modern 203 #18,115
2003 modern 204 #17,909
2004 modern 204 #17,992
2005 modern 211 #17,520
2006 modern 214 #17,507
2007 modern 222 #17,288
2008 modern 229 #17,092
2009 modern 228 #17,486
2010 modern 227 #17,895
2011 modern 216 #18,321
2012 modern 225 #17,733
2013 modern 228 #17,864
2014 modern 225 #18,142
2015 modern 225 #18,050
2016 modern 232 #17,694

Geography

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Where Phees are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kirkshaws, Dundyvan, Shawhead and Whifflet, Carfin and Cleekhimin and Townhead. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirkshaws North Lanarkshire
2 Dundyvan North Lanarkshire
3 Shawhead and Whifflet North Lanarkshire
4 Carfin and Cleekhimin North Lanarkshire
5 Townhead North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Phee

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Phee

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Phee, 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 Phee surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Phee 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Phee 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

Phee is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Phee falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Phee 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 - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Phee, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Phee

The surname PHEE has its origins in the Gaelic language and can be traced back to the highlands of Scotland in the 12th century. The name is derived from the old Gaelic word "piudha" which means "pious" or "devout". It is believed that the name was originally given as a nickname to individuals who were particularly religious or dedicated to their faith.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name PHEE can be found in the Scottish Clan records of the 13th and 14th centuries. The name is also mentioned in several medieval manuscripts, including the Scottish Exchequer Rolls from the late 1300s. In these documents, the name is often spelled as "Phee" or "Phay".

One of the earliest known bearers of the PHEE surname was Donald Phee, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the late 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King James IV and served as the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland from 1494 to 1513.

Another notable individual with the PHEE surname was John Phee, a Scottish philosopher and theologian who lived in the 16th century. He was a professor at the University of Aberdeen and wrote several influential works on theology and moral philosophy.

In the 17th century, the PHEE surname can be found in various parish records and census documents across Scotland. One such individual was Robert Phee, a merchant and landowner who lived in the Scottish Borders region in the mid-1600s.

The PHEE name was also found in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Inverness and Ross-shire. One example is Alexander Phee, a prominent clan chief who lived in the late 17th century and was known for his military exploits during the Jacobite Risings.

In the 18th century, the PHEE surname spread beyond Scotland as some individuals emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and North America. One notable figure from this period was William Phee, a Scottish-born writer and poet who settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, in the late 1700s.

Throughout its history, the PHEE surname has been associated with various place names and locations in Scotland, such as the village of Phee in Aberdeenshire and the Phee Estate in Inverness-shire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the PHEE surname who settled in or owned land in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Phee families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Phee 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 11 Phees recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.43x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 11 9.43x
Stirlingshire 10 75.13x
Ayrshire 8 29.63x
Dunbartonshire 3 30.93x
Lancashire 2 0.47x
Durham 1 0.93x
Inverness-shire 1 9.29x
Midlothian 1 2.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Campsie in Stirlingshire leads with 10 Phees recorded in 1881 and an index of 1369.86x.

Place Total Index
Campsie 10 1369.86x
Dailly 6 2142.86x
Glasgow 5 24.13x
Bothwell 3 94.94x
Row 3 240.00x
Barr 2 2857.14x
Liverpool 2 7.69x
Shotts 2 142.86x
Blantyre 1 82.64x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 5.14x
Portree 1 250.00x
Trimdon 1 263.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Patrick 1
Robert 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 Phee households.

Occupation Count
Army Pensioner 1
Gen Lab 1

FAQ

Phee surname: questions and answers

How common was the Phee surname in 1881?

In 1881, 37 people were recorded with the Phee surname. That placed it at #28,418 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Phee surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016. That gives Phee a modern rank of #17,694.

What does the Phee surname mean?

A derived form of the Scottish surname Fife, referring to someone from the region of Fife.

What does the Phee map show?

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