NameCensus.

UK surname

Sorbie

In the 1881 census there were 215 people recorded with the Sorbie surname, ranking it #12,249 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 261, ranked #16,309, down from #12,249 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hamilton, Langholm and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Larkhall Central, Raploch, Millheugh and Burnhead, Stonehouse and Fernhill and Cathkin.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sorbie is 326 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.4%.

1881 census count

215

Ranked #12,249

Modern count

261

2016, ranked #16,309

Peak year

1901

326 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sorbie had 215 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,249 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 261 in 2016, ranked #16,309.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 326 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Sorbie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sorbie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sorbie 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 87 #18,695
1861 historical 152 #15,126
1881 historical 215 #12,249
1891 historical 266 #12,169
1901 historical 326 #10,990
1911 historical 43 #28,581
1997 modern 304 #13,409
1998 modern 299 #13,908
1999 modern 295 #14,108
2000 modern 289 #14,272
2001 modern 276 #14,507
2002 modern 301 #13,962
2003 modern 282 #14,410
2004 modern 271 #14,883
2005 modern 265 #15,048
2006 modern 271 #14,880
2007 modern 268 #15,172
2008 modern 271 #15,182
2009 modern 274 #15,395
2010 modern 272 #15,811
2011 modern 269 #15,800
2012 modern 255 #16,296
2013 modern 267 #16,053
2014 modern 262 #16,380
2015 modern 263 #16,224
2016 modern 261 #16,309

Geography

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Where Sorbies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hamilton, Langholm, Glasgow, Dalserf and Cambusnethan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Larkhall Central, Raploch, Millheugh and Burnhead, Stonehouse, Fernhill and Cathkin, Weymouth and Portland and Bridgeton. 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 Hamilton Lanark
2 Langholm Dumfries
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Dalserf Lanark
5 Cambusnethan Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Larkhall Central, Raploch, Millheugh and Burnhead South Lanarkshire
2 Stonehouse South Lanarkshire
3 Fernhill and Cathkin South Lanarkshire
4 Weymouth and Portland 005 Weymouth and Portland
5 Bridgeton Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sorbie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sorbie

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Sorbie is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sorbie is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sorbie falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Sorbie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sorbie 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 153 Sorbies recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.88x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 153 22.88x
Renfrewshire 12 7.49x
Dumfriesshire 9 19.70x
Midlothian 8 2.89x
Stirlingshire 7 9.18x
West Lothian 6 19.27x
Kinross-shire 4 76.48x
Fife 3 2.45x
Caernarfonshire 2 2.39x
Yorkshire 2 0.10x
Ayrshire 1 0.65x
Cheshire 1 0.22x
Dunbartonshire 1 1.80x
Middlesex 1 0.05x
Surrey 1 0.10x
Warwickshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stonehouse in Lanarkshire leads with 71 Sorbies recorded in 1881 and an index of 3127.75x.

Place Total Index
Stonehouse 71 3127.75x
Barony 17 10.04x
Dalserf 15 224.89x
Paisley Low Church 12 236.69x
Govan 8 4.84x
Langholm 8 243.90x
Blantyre 7 100.57x
Cambusnethan 7 47.14x
Edinburgh St Andrews 7 305.68x
Glasgow 7 5.89x
Lesmahagow 6 84.87x
Alva 5 137.36x
Hamilton 5 26.81x
Whitburn 5 111.11x
Kinross 4 223.46x
Abbotshall 3 65.65x
Avondale 3 76.73x
Rutherglen 3 30.58x
Eglwys Rhos 2 190.48x
Leeds 2 1.73x
Dunsyre 1 555.56x
East Kilbride 1 34.97x
Falkirk 1 5.60x
Lanark 1 18.59x
Larbert 1 21.93x
Leamington Priors 1 7.79x
Loudoun 1 26.88x
Middlebie 1 72.99x
Mobberley 1 96.15x
Old Kilpatrick 1 15.22x
Shoreditch London 1 1.12x
South Leith 1 3.21x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.40x
Uphall 1 29.24x
Wiston Robertson 1 250.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Betsy 1
Catherine 1
Jane 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Edwin 1
Jas. 1
John 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 Sorbie households.

FAQ

Sorbie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sorbie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 215 people were recorded with the Sorbie surname. That placed it at #12,249 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sorbie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 261 in 2016. That gives Sorbie a modern rank of #16,309.

What does the Sorbie map show?

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