NameCensus.

UK surname

Ramsay

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "wild garlic island" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 7,783 people recorded with the Ramsay surname, ranking it #544 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 10,949, ranked #586, down from #544 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Govan Combination and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carnoustie West, Arbroath Kirkton and Stobswell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ramsay is 10,949 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.7%.

1881 census count

7,783

Ranked #544

Modern count

10,949

2016, ranked #586

Peak year

2016

10,949 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ramsay had 7,783 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #544 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 10,949 in 2016, ranked #586.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,983 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Ramsay surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ramsay surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ramsay 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 6,025 #461
1861 historical 6,342 #440
1881 historical 7,783 #544
1891 historical 8,758 #503
1901 historical 9,983 #523
1911 historical 2,770 #1,877
1997 modern 10,067 #612
1998 modern 10,515 #607
1999 modern 10,578 #611
2000 modern 10,578 #608
2001 modern 10,311 #609
2002 modern 10,556 #609
2003 modern 10,309 #606
2004 modern 10,322 #608
2005 modern 10,259 #610
2006 modern 10,308 #605
2007 modern 10,375 #608
2008 modern 10,531 #599
2009 modern 10,692 #606
2010 modern 10,888 #611
2011 modern 10,715 #612
2012 modern 10,531 #609
2013 modern 10,751 #606
2014 modern 10,870 #602
2015 modern 10,876 #596
2016 modern 10,949 #586

Geography

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Where Ramsays are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Carnoustie West, Arbroath Kirkton, Stobswell, Pathhead and Rural East Midlothian and Letham and Glamis. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carnoustie West Angus
2 Arbroath Kirkton Angus
3 Stobswell Dundee City
4 Pathhead and Rural East Midlothian Midlothian
5 Letham and Glamis Angus

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ramsay

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ramsay

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Ramsay surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Ramsay household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Ramsay 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

Ramsay 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

Ramsay falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ramsay

The surname Ramsay is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English word "raumr" meaning a wild garlic or ramson plant. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a place where these plants grew abundantly.

The earliest recorded use of the name Ramsay dates back to the 12th century in the Scottish county of Midlothian. It is found in various medieval records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list several individuals bearing the name, such as William de Ramesye and Thomas de Ramesye.

The name Ramsay has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest and most prominent was Sir Alexander Ramsay (c. 1285-1342), a Scottish knight and military commander who played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Robert the Bruce.

Another influential bearer of the Ramsay surname was Allan Ramsay (1686-1758), a renowned Scottish poet and playwright who was a leading figure in the 18th-century literary revival in Scotland. He was also the first to establish a circulating library in Edinburgh.

In more recent times, the name has been carried by notable individuals such as David Ramsay (1749-1815), an American historian and patriot during the American Revolutionary War, and Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916), a Scottish chemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 for his discovery of noble gases.

The name Ramsay has also been associated with various place names, such as Ramsay in the Scottish Borders, Ramsay in Huntingdonshire, England, and the village of Ramsey in Cambridgeshire, England, which was formerly known as Ramesye or Rameseye.

While the surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish migration and settlement. Today, the name Ramsay can be found in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ramsay families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ramsay 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 1,317 Ramsays recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.89x.

County Total Index
Angus 1,317 18.89x
Lanarkshire 1,173 4.82x
Midlothian 742 7.36x
Fife 664 14.91x
Ayrshire 419 7.44x
Durham 386 1.72x
Northumberland 291 2.60x
Perthshire 234 6.93x
Middlesex 224 0.30x
Renfrewshire 199 3.41x
Lancashire 181 0.20x
Aberdeenshire 165 2.37x
Stirlingshire 116 4.18x
West Lothian 105 9.27x
Surrey 102 0.28x
Kent 101 0.39x
Clackmannanshire 97 15.61x
Dunbartonshire 91 4.50x
Yorkshire 78 0.10x
Cumberland 74 1.14x
Shetland 71 9.24x
Inverness-shire 61 2.71x
Hampshire 55 0.36x
Kincardineshire 50 5.46x
Berwickshire 49 5.38x
Roxburghshire 43 3.16x
Banffshire 39 2.50x
Argyllshire 37 1.77x
Devon 37 0.24x
Essex 35 0.24x
Peeblesshire 34 9.61x
East Lothian 28 2.81x
Gloucestershire 27 0.18x
Wigtownshire 27 2.70x
Selkirkshire 26 3.82x
Warwickshire 23 0.12x
Morayshire 22 1.88x
Dumfriesshire 21 1.26x
Ross-shire 21 1.02x
Kirkcudbrightshire 20 1.84x
Kinross-shire 19 9.99x
Bedfordshire 18 0.46x
Glamorgan 17 0.13x
Staffordshire 15 0.06x
Buteshire 14 3.07x
Northamptonshire 14 0.20x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.14x
Somerset 14 0.12x
Sussex 12 0.09x
Suffolk 10 0.11x
Cheshire 9 0.05x
Hertfordshire 9 0.17x
Norfolk 9 0.08x
Berkshire 8 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.13x
Orkney 5 0.60x
Royal Navy 5 0.56x
Worcestershire 5 0.05x
Lincolnshire 4 0.03x
Cornwall 3 0.04x
Herefordshire 3 0.10x
Monmouthshire 3 0.06x
Wiltshire 3 0.05x
Dorset 2 0.04x
Sutherland 2 0.35x
Channel Islands 1 0.04x
Merionethshire 1 0.07x
Oxfordshire 1 0.02x
Shropshire 1 0.02x
Westmorland 1 0.06x

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 424 Ramsays recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.29x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 424 16.29x
Govan 312 5.18x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 299 7.37x
Barony 233 3.78x
Liff Benvie 184 17.39x
Glasgow 172 3.98x
North Leith 117 25.08x
Forfar 113 29.94x
St Vigeans 73 19.40x
Cupar 69 35.62x
South Leith 65 5.73x
Dunfermline 64 9.34x
Kilmarnock 64 9.55x
Old Monkland 64 6.63x
Dysart 59 19.67x
Abbey 52 5.84x
Barry 51 60.97x
Dalry 51 19.25x
Hamilton 51 7.51x
Arbroath 49 21.21x
New Monkland 48 6.67x
Bathgate 47 19.11x
Whitburn 45 27.49x
Shettleston 44 20.20x
Monifieth 43 17.46x
Aberdeen Old Machar 41 2.82x
Cambusnethan 40 7.40x
Clackmannan 38 32.36x
Perth East Church 38 11.94x
Panbride 37 101.90x
Kirkcaldy 34 15.39x
Rescobie 34 192.20x
St Andrews 34 16.78x
Kensington London 33 0.79x
Gateshead 32 1.91x
Kirriemuir 32 18.61x
Old Kilpatrick 32 13.39x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 31 2.38x
East Greenock 31 5.63x
Mortlach 31 40.68x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 31 4.64x
West Greenock 31 2.96x
Camberwell 29 0.60x
Tynemouth 29 4.84x
Abbotshall 28 16.82x
Bishopwearmouth 28 1.46x
Islington London 28 0.38x
Montrose 28 6.63x
Westoe 28 2.21x
Ayr 27 10.16x
Burntisland 27 21.68x
Maryhill 27 5.67x
Pelton 26 24.41x
Alloa 25 8.30x
Everton 25 0.88x
Maybole 25 14.58x
Ryton 25 31.78x
Inveresk 24 8.79x
Inverness 24 4.25x
St Quivox 24 12.61x
Leslie 23 20.39x
Monikie 23 62.93x
Beath 22 15.63x
Dollar 22 34.17x
Lerwick Gulberwick 22 18.50x
Peebles 22 21.03x
Stockley 22 77.57x
Biggar 21 38.17x
Falkirk 21 3.23x
Leuchars 21 37.28x
Milton In Gravesend 21 5.46x
Scoonie 21 21.77x
Glamis 20 47.55x
Kilconquhar 20 37.74x
Liverpool 20 0.37x
Newbattle 20 23.22x
Paddington London 20 0.72x
Stirling 20 5.72x
Elswick 19 2.13x
New Kilpatrick 19 9.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 146
Elizabeth 81
Jane 50
Margaret 48
Sarah 40
Ann 34
Isabella 28
Annie 27
Alice 25
Emma 18
Martha 18
Hannah 17
Ellen 16
Catherine 15
Eliza 13
Agnes 12
Emily 12
Frances 12
Jessie 12
Florence 11
Louisa 9
Dorothy 8
Edith 8
Eleanor 8
Harriet 8
Susan 8
Fanny 7
Helen 7
Kate 7
Anne 6
Esther 6
Gertrude 6
Janet 6
Marion 6
Ada 5
Barbara 5
Caroline 5
Margt. 5
Maria 5
Charlotte 4
Dora 4
Elizth. 4
Ethel 4
Sophia 4
Dinah 3
Isabel 3
Joanna 3
Julia 3
Lydia 3
Margret 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 125
William 105
James 75
Thomas 65
George 63
Robert 59
Charles 24
Alexander 22
Henry 19
David 18
Joseph 18
Edward 16
Andrew 14
Allan 9
Herbert 9
Walter 9
Richard 8
Alfred 7
Arthur 7
Frederick 7
Samuel 7
Peter 6
Wm. 6
Isaac 5
Ernest 4
Frank 4
Hugh 4
Norman 4
Thos. 4
Albert 3
Alex 3
Alex. 3
Allen 3
Francis 3
Ralph 3
Alex.R. 2
Alexr. 2
Cheeseman 2
Daniel 2
Donald 2
Douglas 2
Duncan 2
Harry 2
J. 2
Jonathan 2
Matthew 2
Robt. 2
Stewart 2
Stuart 2
D.S. 1

FAQ

Ramsay surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ramsay surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,783 people were recorded with the Ramsay surname. That placed it at #544 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ramsay surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 10,949 in 2016. That gives Ramsay a modern rank of #586.

What does the Ramsay surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "wild garlic island" in Old English.

What does the Ramsay map show?

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