NameCensus.

UK surname

Pirnie

A Scottish surname derived from a place name.

In the 1881 census there were 95 people recorded with the Pirnie surname, ranking it #20,349 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 108, ranked #29,578, down from #20,349 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cargill, Newcastle All Saints and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pitlochry, Central Bedfordshire and Dalmarnock.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pirnie is 128 in 2001. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.7%.

1881 census count

95

Ranked #20,349

Modern count

108

2016, ranked #29,578

Peak year

2001

128 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pirnie had 95 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,349 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 108 in 2016, ranked #29,578.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 126 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Pirnie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pirnie surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pirnie 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 83 #19,181
1861 historical 105 #20,298
1881 historical 95 #20,349
1891 historical 113 #22,162
1901 historical 126 #19,970
1911 historical 48 #28,006
1997 modern 115 #24,834
1998 modern 116 #25,332
1999 modern 113 #25,913
2000 modern 126 #24,220
2001 modern 128 #23,665
2002 modern 127 #24,267
2003 modern 120 #24,909
2004 modern 119 #25,200
2005 modern 117 #25,433
2006 modern 113 #26,267
2007 modern 121 #25,469
2008 modern 121 #25,785
2009 modern 128 #25,427
2010 modern 123 #26,728
2011 modern 121 #26,789
2012 modern 112 #28,174
2013 modern 112 #28,675
2014 modern 114 #28,608
2015 modern 109 #29,327
2016 modern 108 #29,578

Geography

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Where Pirnies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cargill, Newcastle All Saints, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Couper Angus. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pitlochry, Central Bedfordshire, Dalmarnock, Stockton-on-Tees and Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 Cargill Perth
2 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Couper Angus Perth

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pitlochry Perth and Kinross
2 Central Bedfordshire 020 Central Bedfordshire
3 Dalmarnock Glasgow City
4 Stockton-on-Tees 012 Stockton-on-Tees
5 Newcastle upon Tyne 030 Newcastle upon Tyne

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pirnie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pirnie

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

Pirnie 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

Pirnie 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 Pirnie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Pirnie

The surname Pirnie originated in the Highlands of Scotland during the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "pìoradair," which means "pewterer" or a worker who crafted objects from pewter, a metal alloy. The name suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the pewter trade or metalworking.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in various Scottish records and documents. One of the earliest known references is from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1528, which mentions a person named John Pernye. The name also appears in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1600, where a certain William Pirnie is mentioned.

In the 17th century, the name Pirnie appears in various parish records and local documents across Scotland. One notable individual from this period was Robert Pirnie, who was born in Aberdeenshire in 1652 and served as a minister in the Church of Scotland.

During the 18th century, the Pirnie surname began to spread beyond Scotland as a result of migration and trade. In 1764, a man named James Pirnie was recorded as a merchant in London, indicating that the name had reached England by that time.

In the 19th century, several notable individuals bearing the Pirnie surname emerged. One of them was Alexander Pirnie, a Scottish engineer born in 1824, who worked on various railway projects in India and became the Chief Engineer of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway.

Another prominent figure was James Pirnie, born in 1844, who was a Scottish mathematician and astronomer. He served as the Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of St Andrews from 1888 until his death in 1908.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Pirnie name was in 1820, when a man named John Pirnie is listed in the census records of New York. Additionally, a Scottish immigrant named William Pirnie settled in Ontario, Canada, in the late 19th century and became a prominent businessman and community leader.

While the Pirnie surname may not be as widely known as some other Scottish names, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the medieval era in the Highlands of Scotland, where it originated from the occupation of pewter working.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pirnie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pirnie 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. Perthshire leads with 26 Pirnies recorded in 1881 and an index of 62.52x.

County Total Index
Perthshire 26 62.52x
Angus 25 29.12x
Lanarkshire 11 3.67x
Midlothian 10 8.06x
Fife 6 10.94x
Roxburghshire 6 35.76x
Yorkshire 5 0.54x
Lancashire 4 0.36x
Argyllshire 1 3.88x
Stirlingshire 1 2.93x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 11 Pirnies recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.32x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 11 34.32x
Perth East Church 10 255.10x
South Leith 7 50.11x
Barony 6 7.91x
Caputh 6 923.08x
Coupar Angus 6 740.74x
Kettins 6 2068.97x
Nether Hallam 5 40.26x
Redgorton 5 1086.96x
Abdie 3 967.74x
Burntisland 3 196.08x
Govan 3 4.05x
Hawick 3 79.79x
Walton On Hill 3 50.34x
Wilton 3 163.04x
Glasgow 2 3.76x
Inveresk 2 59.52x
Alyth 1 89.29x
Auchtergaven 1 142.86x
Barrow In Furness 1 6.68x
Bendochy 1 434.78x
Cargill 1 232.56x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 38.76x
Liff Benvie 1 7.67x
Methven 1 163.93x
Monifieth 1 33.00x
Saddell Skipness 1 270.27x
Stirling 1 23.20x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Chureste 1
Margt. 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
David 2
James 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 Pirnie households.

FAQ

Pirnie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pirnie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 95 people were recorded with the Pirnie surname. That placed it at #20,349 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pirnie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 108 in 2016. That gives Pirnie a modern rank of #29,578.

What does the Pirnie surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from a place name.

What does the Pirnie map show?

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