NameCensus.

UK surname

Ryrie

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Ryrie surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 225, ranked #18,105, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wick, Govan Combination and Watten. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness, Caithness North East and West Kirkwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ryrie is 229 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.6%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

225

2016, ranked #18,105

Peak year

2015

229 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ryrie had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 225 in 2016, ranked #18,105.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 213 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Ryrie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ryrie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ryrie 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 165 #12,053
1861 historical 162 #14,310
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 182 #15,983
1901 historical 213 #14,563
1911 historical 16 #31,804
1997 modern 203 #17,457
1998 modern 212 #17,479
1999 modern 221 #17,126
2000 modern 206 #17,880
2001 modern 207 #17,573
2002 modern 210 #17,753
2003 modern 213 #17,395
2004 modern 209 #17,706
2005 modern 204 #17,893
2006 modern 200 #18,294
2007 modern 202 #18,359
2008 modern 207 #18,243
2009 modern 220 #17,911
2010 modern 223 #18,096
2011 modern 226 #17,792
2012 modern 223 #17,852
2013 modern 218 #18,441
2014 modern 225 #18,142
2015 modern 229 #17,846
2016 modern 225 #18,105

Geography

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Where Ryries are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wick, Govan Combination, Watten, Edinburgh and Thurso. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness, Caithness North East, West Kirkwall, West Mainland and Northfield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Wick Caithness
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Watten Caithness
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Thurso Caithness

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness Orkney Islands
2 Caithness North East Highland
3 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
4 West Mainland Orkney Islands
5 Northfield Aberdeen City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ryrie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ryrie

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Ryrie is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Ryrie 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

Ryrie 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 Ryrie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Ryrie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ryrie 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. Caithness leads with 83 Ryries recorded in 1881 and an index of 357.14x.

County Total Index
Caithness 83 357.14x
Midlothian 27 11.87x
Lanarkshire 17 3.10x
Aberdeenshire 13 8.27x
Angus 10 6.36x
Orkney 10 53.56x
Lancashire 3 0.15x
Renfrewshire 3 2.28x
Northumberland 2 0.79x
Cheshire 1 0.27x
Fife 1 1.00x
Inverness-shire 1 1.97x
Kincardineshire 1 4.84x
Middlesex 1 0.06x
Surrey 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thurso in Caithness leads with 21 Ryries recorded in 1881 and an index of 580.11x.

Place Total Index
Thurso 21 580.11x
Wick 20 266.31x
Govan 15 11.05x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 14 15.30x
Olrig 14 1206.90x
Watten 11 1341.46x
Montrose 10 104.93x
South Ronaldshay 9 466.32x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 7 23.80x
Edinburgh St Georges 6 127.12x
Latheron 6 154.24x
Peterhead 6 72.20x
Dunnet 5 537.63x
Halkirk 5 318.47x
Cathcart 3 42.13x
South Leith 3 11.72x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 2 151.52x
Toxteth Park 2 2.93x
Wallsend 2 24.97x
Ardersier 1 81.97x
Barony 1 0.72x
Bower 1 106.38x
Claughton With Grange 1 58.48x
Edinburgh Greenside S 1 121.95x
Edinburgh Old 1 72.46x
Glasgow 1 1.03x
Hulme 1 2.38x
Kennoway 1 109.89x
Laurencekirk 1 83.33x
Paddington London 1 1.60x
Shapinshay 1 175.44x
Wandsworth 1 6.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ethel 1
Ida 1
Margaret 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 1
John 1
Niel 1
William 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 Ryrie households.

FAQ

Ryrie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ryrie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Ryrie surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ryrie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 225 in 2016. That gives Ryrie a modern rank of #18,105.

What does the Ryrie map show?

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