NameCensus.

UK surname

Selkirk

A surname derived from the town of Selkirk in Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 561 people recorded with the Selkirk surname, ranking it #6,174 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 650, ranked #8,181, down from #6,174 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Inveresk and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Oxfordshire, Kirkcaldy Templehall East and Bonnyrigg South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Selkirk is 688 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.9%.

1881 census count

561

Ranked #6,174

Modern count

650

2016, ranked #8,181

Peak year

2010

688 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Selkirk had 561 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,174 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 650 in 2016, ranked #8,181.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 650 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Selkirk surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Selkirk surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Selkirk 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 402 #6,020
1861 historical 474 #5,489
1881 historical 561 #6,174
1891 historical 608 #6,315
1901 historical 650 #6,642
1911 historical 345 #10,358
1997 modern 619 #7,977
1998 modern 641 #7,986
1999 modern 635 #8,109
2000 modern 630 #8,134
2001 modern 612 #8,164
2002 modern 624 #8,218
2003 modern 609 #8,234
2004 modern 620 #8,141
2005 modern 617 #8,093
2006 modern 602 #8,269
2007 modern 622 #8,126
2008 modern 644 #7,967
2009 modern 678 #7,836
2010 modern 688 #7,881
2011 modern 669 #7,975
2012 modern 656 #8,011
2013 modern 664 #8,074
2014 modern 668 #8,082
2015 modern 657 #8,121
2016 modern 650 #8,181

Geography

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Where Selkirks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Inveresk, Govan Combination, Gateshead and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Oxfordshire, Kirkcaldy Templehall East, Bonnyrigg South, Gateshead and Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Inveresk Edinburgh
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Oxfordshire 013 South Oxfordshire
2 Kirkcaldy Templehall East Fife
3 Bonnyrigg South Midlothian
4 Gateshead 026 Gateshead
5 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Selkirk

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Selkirk

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Selkirk, 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 Selkirk surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Selkirk 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, Selkirk 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

Selkirk 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

Selkirk falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Selkirk

The surname Selkirk originates from the Scottish Borders region, specifically taking its name from the town of Selkirk in the county of Selkirkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "seolcor" meaning a seal and "wic" meaning a dwelling or habitation, alluding to a place where seals were found or hunted.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 12th century, appearing in the Ragman Rolls of 1296 as "Selkyrk". This document was a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was William Selkirk, a Scottish clergyman and theologian who lived in the late 16th century and served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1592.

In the 17th century, the name is found in the records of the Scottish Parliament, with John Selkirk being elected as a Commissioner for Selkirkshire in 1643.

The Selkirk name gained literary fame with the publication of Daniel Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe" in 1719, which was inspired by the real-life story of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who was marooned on an uninhabited island in the Juan Fernández archipelago for over four years in the early 1700s.

Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Douglas Selkirk, Earl of Selkirk, a Scottish philanthropist and colonizer who founded the Red River Colony in present-day Manitoba, Canada, in 1811. He was instrumental in promoting Scottish emigration to British North America.

In the 19th century, the Selkirk name was carried by Andrew Selkirk, a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Toronto from 1854 to 1855 and played a significant role in the city's development.

Throughout history, the Selkirk surname has been associated with various place names, such as Selkirk in Scotland, Selkirk County in Manitoba, Canada, and the town of Selkirk in New York, United States, all of which trace their origins back to the Scottish town and county.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Selkirk families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Selkirk 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 104 Selkirks recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.89x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 104 5.89x
Midlothian 91 12.44x
Durham 62 3.81x
Yorkshire 57 1.05x
Lancashire 52 0.80x
Cumberland 32 6.80x
East Lothian 19 26.26x
Dumfriesshire 16 13.26x
Gloucestershire 13 1.21x
Surrey 12 0.45x
Fife 11 3.40x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 12.65x
Middlesex 10 0.18x
Northumberland 9 1.11x
Ayrshire 8 1.96x
Monmouthshire 7 1.77x
Angus 6 1.19x
Argyllshire 6 3.95x
Warwickshire 6 0.44x
Cheshire 5 0.41x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.79x
Kent 4 0.21x
Sussex 3 0.33x
Derbyshire 2 0.23x
Dunbartonshire 2 1.36x
Glamorgan 2 0.21x
Roxburghshire 2 2.02x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.29x
Channel Islands 1 0.62x
Essex 1 0.09x
Perthshire 1 0.41x
West Lothian 1 1.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 40 Selkirks recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.95x.

Place Total Index
Barony 40 8.95x
Cockpen 24 280.70x
Inveresk 22 111.06x
Govan 20 4.58x
Pelton 14 181.11x
Hamilton 13 26.39x
Heworth 13 40.60x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 12 4.08x
Lasswade 12 71.73x
Dumfries 10 84.03x
Westbury On Trym 10 27.55x
Westoe 10 10.85x
Workington 10 37.13x
Manchester 9 3.09x
Manningham 9 13.50x
Lund 8 930.23x
Urpeth 8 252.37x
Avondale 7 67.76x
Gladsmuir 7 216.72x
Glasgow 7 2.23x
Great Bolton 7 8.15x
Holy Trinity 7 5.38x
Irvine 7 61.62x
Islington London 7 1.32x
Liverpool 7 1.78x
Nether Hallam 7 9.56x
St Woollos 7 15.88x
Whitehaven 7 27.92x
Battersea 6 2.98x
Boldon 6 103.63x
Dundee 6 3.18x
Edgbaston 6 14.05x
Great Little Hatfield 6 1714.29x
Haddington 6 56.18x
Largo 6 142.86x
Lochgoilhead 6 594.06x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 6 56.13x
North Leith 6 17.71x
Salford 6 3.15x
Troqueer 6 57.86x
Beckermet St Bridget 5 403.23x
Birkenhead 5 5.20x
Cheetham 5 10.34x
Holywood 5 247.52x
Lanark 5 35.19x
Wigan 5 5.52x
Aberdeen Old Machar 4 3.79x
Colinton 4 49.02x
Ecclesall Bierlow 4 3.63x
Holme On Wolds 4 1290.32x
Kirkdale 4 3.67x
Moorsley 4 229.89x
Old Monkland 4 5.71x
South Leith 4 4.86x
Tranent 4 40.90x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 8.40x
Camberwell 3 0.86x
Cambusnethan 3 7.65x
Carluke 3 18.70x
Eastbourne 3 7.08x
Gosforth 3 131.00x
Greenwich 3 3.45x
Kinglassie 3 121.95x
Kirkcudbright 3 45.87x
Liberton 3 26.55x
Stanwix 3 78.74x
Toxteth Park 3 1.37x
West Rainton 3 59.64x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 1.94x
Dalkeith 2 13.85x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 2 2.84x
Ince In Makerfield 2 6.63x
Kelso 2 20.28x
Lambeth 2 0.42x
New Kilpatrick 2 14.33x
Skelton In Guisbrough 2 13.66x
South Cave 2 111.11x
St Bees 2 92.17x
Swansea Town 2 2.56x
Port Of Monteith 1 45.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 22
Jane 18
Elizabeth 10
Margaret 7
Ann 6
Ada 4
Catherine 4
Clara 4
Emily 4
Hannah 4
Isabella 4
Sarah 4
Agnes 3
Annie 3
Eleanor 3
Ellen 3
Gertrude 3
Dorothy 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Florence 2
Grace 2
Kate 2
Minnie 2
Sophia 2
Barbra 1
Betsy 1
Bridget 1
Cathet. 1
Charlotte 1
Cicele 1
Cordelia 1
Effie 1
Elizth. 1
Emilie 1
Emma 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Jain 1
Jessie 1
Joice 1
Kezia 1
Margt.Jane 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
N. 1
Norma 1
Rachel 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 24
William 19
Henry 8
Robert 8
George 7
Alexander 6
Thomas 6
Andrew 4
Edward 4
James 4
Charles 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Arthur 2
Watkinson 2
Alfred 1
Arther 1
Bruce 1
Cecil 1
Frank 1
Hunter 1
Joseph 1
Martin 1
Montague 1
Nathaniel 1
Norman 1
Ringrose 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Vincent 1
Wallace 1
Walter 1
Wilfrid 1
Wm.Heslop 1

FAQ

Selkirk surname: questions and answers

How common was the Selkirk surname in 1881?

In 1881, 561 people were recorded with the Selkirk surname. That placed it at #6,174 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Selkirk surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 650 in 2016. That gives Selkirk a modern rank of #8,181.

What does the Selkirk surname mean?

A surname derived from the town of Selkirk in Scotland.

What does the Selkirk map show?

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