NameCensus.

UK surname

Selbie

In the 1881 census there were 137 people recorded with the Selbie surname, ranking it #16,358 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 258, ranked #16,449, down from #16,358 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kinellar, Chapel of Garioch and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lerwick North, Blackburn and Tullibody South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Selbie is 270 in 2004. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 88.3%.

1881 census count

137

Ranked #16,358

Modern count

258

2016, ranked #16,449

Peak year

2004

270 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Selbie had 137 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,358 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 258 in 2016, ranked #16,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 180 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Selbie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Selbie surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Selbie 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 80 #19,558
1861 historical 102 #20,797
1881 historical 137 #16,358
1891 historical 150 #18,328
1901 historical 180 #16,171
1911 historical 27 #30,437
1997 modern 266 #14,658
1998 modern 258 #15,354
1999 modern 252 #15,707
2000 modern 250 #15,741
2001 modern 262 #15,034
2002 modern 263 #15,277
2003 modern 256 #15,377
2004 modern 270 #14,913
2005 modern 268 #14,905
2006 modern 262 #15,255
2007 modern 258 #15,554
2008 modern 253 #15,941
2009 modern 264 #15,798
2010 modern 266 #16,067
2011 modern 260 #16,188
2012 modern 260 #16,090
2013 modern 261 #16,309
2014 modern 259 #16,509
2015 modern 254 #16,608
2016 modern 258 #16,449

Geography

Back to top

Where Selbies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kinellar, Chapel of Garioch, Govan Combination, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Fyvie. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lerwick North, Blackburn, Tullibody South, Methil East and Leven East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kinellar Aberdeen
2 Chapel of Garioch Aberdeen
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Fyvie Aberdeen

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lerwick North Shetland Islands
2 Blackburn Aberdeenshire
3 Tullibody South Clackmannanshire
4 Methil East Fife
5 Leven East Fife

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Selbie

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Selbie

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

Selbie 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

Selbie 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 Selbie 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 Selbie, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Selbie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Selbie 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 81 Selbies recorded in 1881 and an index of 64.97x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 81 64.97x
Kincardineshire 20 122.03x
Angus 11 8.82x
Lanarkshire 9 2.07x
Banffshire 5 17.91x
Perthshire 5 8.28x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.23x
Durham 1 0.25x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Middlesex 1 0.07x
Midlothian 1 0.55x
Morayshire 1 4.78x
Royal Navy 1 6.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdeen St Nicholas in Aberdeenshire leads with 22 Selbies recorded in 1881 and an index of 94.30x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen St Nicholas 22 94.30x
Aberdeen Old Machar 13 49.94x
Fetteresso 11 428.02x
Kinellar 11 4074.07x
Chapel Of Garioch 7 786.52x
Fyvie 7 344.83x
Maryculter 7 1428.57x
Old Deer 7 296.61x
Liff Benvie 6 31.70x
Dalziel 5 106.84x
Fordyce 5 248.76x
Monquhitter 5 387.60x
Barony 4 3.63x
Perth West Church 3 104.53x
Crieff 2 88.89x
Dundee 2 4.30x
Inverurie 2 141.84x
Longside 2 134.23x
St Vigeans 2 29.72x
Banchory Ternan 1 70.42x
Dyce 1 185.19x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.38x
Elgin 1 24.57x
Great Horwood 1 303.03x
Islington London 1 0.77x
Laurencekirk 1 105.26x
Midmar 1 208.33x
New Deer 1 44.25x
Newtyle 1 238.10x
Peterhead 1 15.17x
Radcliffe 1 12.99x
South Shields 1 28.01x
Tarves 1 84.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Janet 1
Mary 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Selbie 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

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 Selbie households.

FAQ

Selbie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Selbie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 137 people were recorded with the Selbie surname. That placed it at #16,358 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Selbie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 258 in 2016. That gives Selbie a modern rank of #16,449.

What does the Selbie map show?

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