NameCensus.

UK surname

Scallan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name Ó Scealláin meaning "descendant of Scealláin".

In the 1881 census there were 38 people recorded with the Scallan surname, ranking it #28,285 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 262, ranked #16,256, up from #28,285 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Salford and Kettering.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Scallan is 271 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 589.5%.

1881 census count

38

Ranked #28,285

Modern count

262

2016, ranked #16,256

Peak year

2010

271 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Scallan had 38 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,285 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 262 in 2016, ranked #16,256.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 45 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Scallan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Scallan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Scallan 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 13 #30,970
1861 historical 29 #30,287
1881 historical 38 #28,285
1891 historical 27 #32,115
1901 historical 45 #29,156
1911 historical 29 #30,190
1997 modern 241 #15,638
1998 modern 246 #15,864
1999 modern 236 #16,404
2000 modern 240 #16,186
2001 modern 242 #15,832
2002 modern 253 #15,677
2003 modern 246 #15,769
2004 modern 245 #15,894
2005 modern 237 #16,244
2006 modern 254 #15,560
2007 modern 255 #15,687
2008 modern 256 #15,817
2009 modern 266 #15,711
2010 modern 271 #15,856
2011 modern 268 #15,843
2012 modern 261 #16,041
2013 modern 268 #16,005
2014 modern 266 #16,213
2015 modern 265 #16,139
2016 modern 262 #16,256

Geography

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Where Scallans 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 Cheshire East, Salford, Kettering, Neath Port Talbot and Plymouth. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 041 Cheshire East
2 Salford 029 Salford
3 Kettering 011 Kettering
4 Neath Port Talbot 014 Neath Port Talbot
5 Plymouth 021 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Scallan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Scallan

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Scallan is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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 residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Scallan is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Scallan falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Scallan 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Scallan

The surname Scallan originated from Ireland and is believed to have roots dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name "O'Scannlain" or "O'Scannlaidh," meaning "descendant of the hoarder" or "descendant of the greedy person."

The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Louth and Monaghan, where the Scallan sept (a branch of a clan) held lands and influence. The earliest recorded mention of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a person named Donnchadh O'Scannlaidh is mentioned in the year 1141.

In the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Anglicized spelling "Scallan" became more prevalent as the Irish chieftains were forced to adopt English surnames. This was part of the broader policy of cultural assimilation and the suppression of traditional Irish identities.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Rory Scallan, a 16th-century Irish soldier and landowner from County Monaghan. He fought alongside Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, during the Nine Years' War against English forces in Ireland.

Another historical figure with this surname was Patrick Scallan (1587-1661), an Irish Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Bishop of Raphoe from 1633 until his death. He was a notable figure during the Confederation of Kilkenny, a period of Catholic political and military resistance against English rule.

In the 18th century, the name can be found in the records of the Great Parchment Book of the Honourable the Irish Society, which documented land grants and leases in Ulster. One such entry mentions a John Scallan, a tenant farmer from County Monaghan, in the year 1732.

The Scallan name also appears in the writings of the Irish poet and dramatist William Butler Yeats, who mentions a "Seumas Scallan" in his play "The Countess Cathleen." This character is likely a reference to a historical figure or a traditional Irish folktale.

Other notable individuals with the Scallan surname include John Scallan (1790-1865), an Irish-born businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Legislative Assembly for the County of Grenville, and Francis Scallan (1806-1875), an Irish-born Catholic missionary priest who served in British Columbia, Canada.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Scallan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Scallan 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 14 Scallans recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.00x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 14 12.00x
Lancashire 10 2.34x
Renfrewshire 6 21.46x
Midlothian 4 8.28x
Hertfordshire 1 4.02x
Middlesex 1 0.28x
Northumberland 1 1.86x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bothwell in Lanarkshire leads with 11 Scallans recorded in 1881 and an index of 348.10x.

Place Total Index
Bothwell 11 348.10x
Eastwood 6 348.84x
Edinburgh Tron Church 4 1739.13x
Liverpool 4 15.38x
Barony 2 6.77x
Alnwick 1 108.70x
Bushey 1 169.49x
Cambuslang 1 84.75x
Chorlton Cum Hardy 1 357.14x
Everton 1 7.33x
Kirkdale 1 13.89x
Manchester 1 5.19x
Pendleton In Salford 1 19.61x
Skelmersdale 1 140.85x
St Pancras London 1 3.44x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Eliza 1
Fanny 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 2
David 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
James 1
John 1
Robert 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 Scallan households.

FAQ

Scallan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Scallan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 38 people were recorded with the Scallan surname. That placed it at #28,285 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Scallan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 262 in 2016. That gives Scallan a modern rank of #16,256.

What does the Scallan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name Ó Scealláin meaning "descendant of Scealláin".

What does the Scallan map show?

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