NameCensus.

UK surname

Rorrison

In the 1881 census there were 93 people recorded with the Rorrison surname, ranking it #20,593 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 144, ranked #24,390, down from #20,593 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Cumnock, Hawick and Wilton and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central, Port Glasgow Mid, East and Central and Docks and Wellgate.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rorrison is 162 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.8%.

1881 census count

93

Ranked #20,593

Modern count

144

2016, ranked #24,390

Peak year

2000

162 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rorrison had 93 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,593 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016, ranked #24,390.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 150 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Rorrison surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rorrison surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rorrison 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 36 #26,838
1861 historical 39 #29,099
1881 historical 93 #20,593
1891 historical 124 #20,818
1901 historical 150 #18,075
1911 historical 13 #32,172
1997 modern 143 #21,761
1998 modern 152 #21,481
1999 modern 157 #21,201
2000 modern 162 #20,735
2001 modern 143 #22,133
2002 modern 152 #21,723
2003 modern 153 #21,406
2004 modern 147 #22,094
2005 modern 153 #21,490
2006 modern 140 #22,948
2007 modern 141 #23,137
2008 modern 142 #23,270
2009 modern 146 #23,352
2010 modern 153 #23,175
2011 modern 149 #23,408
2012 modern 144 #23,902
2013 modern 139 #24,912
2014 modern 143 #24,621
2015 modern 145 #24,246
2016 modern 144 #24,390

Geography

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Where Rorrisons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Cumnock, Hawick and Wilton, Edinburgh, Dumfries and Sanquhar. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central, Port Glasgow Mid, East and Central, Docks and Wellgate, Port Glasgow Upper East and Girvan Ailsa. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 New Cumnock Ayr
2 Hawick and Wilton Roxburgh
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dumfries Dumfries
5 Sanquhar Dumfries

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Port Glasgow Upper, West and Central Inverclyde
2 Port Glasgow Mid, East and Central Inverclyde
3 Docks and Wellgate Dundee City
4 Port Glasgow Upper East Inverclyde
5 Girvan Ailsa South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rorrison

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rorrison

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Rorrison is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Rorrison 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

Rorrison falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Rorrison families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rorrison 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. Dumfriesshire leads with 33 Rorrisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 164.67x.

County Total Index
Dumfriesshire 33 164.67x
Ayrshire 30 44.19x
Midlothian 14 11.52x
Yorkshire 8 0.89x
Lanarkshire 2 0.68x
Hampshire 1 0.54x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 7.62x
Lancashire 1 0.09x
Oxfordshire 1 1.79x
Renfrewshire 1 1.42x
Roxburghshire 1 6.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dumfries in Dumfriesshire leads with 17 Rorrisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 858.59x.

Place Total Index
Dumfries 17 858.59x
Kilmaurs 17 1465.52x
Sanquhar 11 1571.43x
New Cumnock 10 847.46x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 18.41x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 5 174.22x
Langholm 5 347.22x
Hook 4 202.02x
Leeds 4 7.88x
Stewarton 3 223.88x
Dalserf 2 68.26x
Aldershot 1 16.05x
East Greenock 1 15.06x
Oxford St Giles 1 37.45x
Thornton In Fylde 1 42.55x
Urr 1 58.48x
Wilton 1 55.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Ann 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Janet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alexander 1
George 1
James 1
John 1
Norman 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 Rorrison households.

FAQ

Rorrison surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rorrison surname in 1881?

In 1881, 93 people were recorded with the Rorrison surname. That placed it at #20,593 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rorrison surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016. That gives Rorrison a modern rank of #24,390.

What does the Rorrison map show?

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