NameCensus.

UK surname

Skirving

In the 1881 census there were 211 people recorded with the Skirving surname, ranking it #12,407 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 244, ranked #17,096, down from #12,407 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Haddington, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Marchmont West, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Skirving is 265 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.6%.

1881 census count

211

Ranked #12,407

Modern count

244

2016, ranked #17,096

Peak year

2010

265 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Skirving had 211 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,407 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 244 in 2016, ranked #17,096.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 217 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Skirving surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Skirving surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Skirving 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 185 #11,077
1861 historical 204 #11,814
1881 historical 211 #12,407
1891 historical 217 #14,062
1901 historical 186 #15,839
1911 historical 37 #29,263
1997 modern 216 #16,802
1998 modern 233 #16,459
1999 modern 230 #16,685
2000 modern 237 #16,331
2001 modern 238 #16,004
2002 modern 241 #16,243
2003 modern 236 #16,236
2004 modern 236 #16,335
2005 modern 241 #16,036
2006 modern 246 #15,907
2007 modern 239 #16,449
2008 modern 251 #16,026
2009 modern 256 #16,145
2010 modern 265 #16,115
2011 modern 247 #16,783
2012 modern 238 #17,092
2013 modern 237 #17,423
2014 modern 235 #17,619
2015 modern 241 #17,235
2016 modern 244 #17,096

Geography

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Where Skirvings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Haddington, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Marchmont West, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees and The Calders. 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 Haddington Haddington
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Marchmont West City of Edinburgh
2 Hartlepool 007 Hartlepool
3 Hartlepool 008 Hartlepool
4 Stockton-on-Tees 006 Stockton-on-Tees
5 The Calders City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Skirving

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Skirving

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

Skirving 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

Skirving falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Skirving families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Skirving 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. Midlothian leads with 64 Skirvings recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.10x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 64 23.10x
Lanarkshire 32 4.78x
East Lothian 22 80.32x
Renfrewshire 16 9.98x
Angus 13 6.79x
Fife 10 8.17x
Lancashire 7 0.29x
Warwickshire 7 1.34x
Caernarfonshire 6 7.18x
Kinross-shire 6 114.72x
Northumberland 6 1.95x
Berwickshire 5 19.97x
Durham 4 0.65x
Middlesex 3 0.15x
Perthshire 2 2.15x
Yorkshire 2 0.10x
Ayrshire 1 0.65x
Cumberland 1 0.56x
Hampshire 1 0.24x
Kent 1 0.14x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 3.34x
Royal Navy 1 4.06x
Stirlingshire 1 1.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dalkeith in Midlothian leads with 21 Skirvings recorded in 1881 and an index of 383.91x.

Place Total Index
Dalkeith 21 383.91x
Glasgow 15 12.63x
Govan 13 7.86x
Haddington 12 297.03x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 11 9.87x
South Leith 9 28.86x
Birmingham 7 4.03x
Dundee 7 9.79x
East Greenock 7 46.27x
Newburn 7 2916.67x
Aberlady 6 845.07x
Kinross 6 335.20x
Llandudno 6 201.34x
Cockburnspath 5 625.00x
Inverkip 5 132.28x
Liberton 5 116.82x
Liff Benvie 5 17.19x
Crichton 4 519.48x
Denton 4 73.53x
Edinburgh St Marys 4 74.21x
Stranton 4 19.31x
Barony 3 1.77x
Cathcart 3 34.60x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 16.32x
Berwick North 2 104.17x
Byker 2 13.15x
Edinburgh St Stephens 2 36.70x
Inveresk 2 26.67x
Islington London 2 1.00x
Kirkcaldy 2 32.95x
Newbattle 2 84.39x
Pencaitland 2 256.41x
West Derby 2 2.79x
Anwoth 1 192.31x
Caldewgate 1 10.25x
Colinton 1 32.36x
Cranston 1 140.85x
Douglas 1 51.81x
Dreghorn 1 35.71x
Hythe St Leonard 1 40.16x
Kennoway 1 90.09x
Kilmadock 1 46.95x
Kilsyth 1 20.58x
Lasswade 1 15.80x
Leeds 1 0.86x
Liverpool 1 0.67x
Monifieth 1 14.77x
Oswaldkirk 1 714.29x
Penicuik 1 26.60x
Perth East Church 1 11.43x
Portsmouth 1 10.25x
Riding 1 666.67x
Royal Navy 1 4.75x
West Greenock 1 3.48x
Westminster St John 1 3.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Ann 2
Jane 2
Annetia 1
Annie 1
Bertha 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Helena 1
Henrietta 1
Jessie 1
Marie 1
Martha 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
Archibald 2
James 2
John 2
Adam 1
Edwin 1
Geo. 1
Maxwell 1
Norman 1
Patrick 1
Robert 1
Sam 1
Victor 1
Walter 1
Wm. 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 Skirving households.

FAQ

Skirving surname: questions and answers

How common was the Skirving surname in 1881?

In 1881, 211 people were recorded with the Skirving surname. That placed it at #12,407 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Skirving surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 244 in 2016. That gives Skirving a modern rank of #17,096.

What does the Skirving map show?

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