NameCensus.

UK surname

Tannahill

A locational surname referring to someone from Tannahill in Ayrshire, Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 305 people recorded with the Tannahill surname, ranking it #9,615 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 426, ranked #11,279, down from #9,615 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Greenock and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pembrokeshire, Overtown and Parkhead West and Barrowfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tannahill is 428 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.7%.

1881 census count

305

Ranked #9,615

Modern count

426

2016, ranked #11,279

Peak year

2015

428 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tannahill had 305 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,615 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 426 in 2016, ranked #11,279.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 387 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Tannahill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tannahill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tannahill 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 162 #12,215
1861 historical 207 #11,687
1881 historical 305 #9,615
1891 historical 371 #9,405
1901 historical 387 #9,698
1911 historical 47 #28,110
1997 modern 385 #11,314
1998 modern 393 #11,495
1999 modern 396 #11,527
2000 modern 402 #11,357
2001 modern 398 #11,276
2002 modern 414 #11,151
2003 modern 393 #11,401
2004 modern 386 #11,579
2005 modern 399 #11,206
2006 modern 402 #11,213
2007 modern 402 #11,338
2008 modern 408 #11,292
2009 modern 418 #11,309
2010 modern 416 #11,627
2011 modern 423 #11,333
2012 modern 411 #11,500
2013 modern 418 #11,533
2014 modern 424 #11,463
2015 modern 428 #11,276
2016 modern 426 #11,279

Geography

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Where Tannahills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Greenock, Glasgow, Cambusnethan and Kilmarnock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pembrokeshire, Overtown, Parkhead West and Barrowfield, Lennoxtown and Grange, Howard and Gargieston. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Greenock Renfrew
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Cambusnethan Lanark
5 Kilmarnock Ayr

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pembrokeshire 002 Pembrokeshire
2 Overtown North Lanarkshire
3 Parkhead West and Barrowfield Glasgow City
4 Lennoxtown East Dunbartonshire
5 Grange, Howard and Gargieston East Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tannahill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tannahill

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Tannahill is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tannahill 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

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

Meaning and origin of Tannahill

The surname Tannahill is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "tana" meaning thin or slender, and "ail" meaning a meadow or clearing. It is believed to have originated in the Renfrewshire region of Scotland sometime in the 12th or 13th century.

The earliest known record of the Tannahill surname dates back to the late 13th century, where it appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name was also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, indicating that the Tannahills were landowners or tenants of the Crown.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Tannahill surname was John Tannahill, a merchant and burgess of Glasgow, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Robert Tannahill, a Scottish poet and songwriter who lived from 1774 to 1810. He is considered one of the foremost poets of the Scottish Romantic period and is best known for his works such as "The Braes o' Balquhidder" and "Jessie, the Flower o' Dunblane."

In the 16th century, the Tannahill surname was found in various historical records in the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire, suggesting that the family had spread across the southwestern region of Scotland. One notable bearer from this period was John Tannahill, who was appointed as the Rector of Kilbarchan Parish in 1580.

Another prominent figure was James Tannahill, a Scottish minister and theologian who lived from 1700 to 1776. He served as the minister of the parish of Yarrow in the Scottish Borders and was known for his controversial views on the doctrine of predestination.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Tannahill surname began to appear in various parts of the British Isles, as well as in North America, as Scottish immigrants and settlers began to establish themselves in new lands. One notable bearer from this period was John Tannahill, a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia in the late 18th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tannahill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tannahill 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 111 Tannahills recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.85x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 111 11.85x
Renfrewshire 92 40.98x
Ayrshire 59 27.21x
Dunbartonshire 8 10.28x
Perthshire 7 5.38x
Cumberland 5 2.00x
Argyllshire 3 3.72x
Midlothian 3 0.77x
Angus 2 0.75x
Essex 2 0.35x
Gloucestershire 2 0.35x
Surrey 2 0.14x
Stirlingshire 1 0.94x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kilmarnock in Ayrshire leads with 46 Tannahills recorded in 1881 and an index of 178.23x.

Place Total Index
Kilmarnock 46 178.23x
Barony 40 16.87x
Glasgow 32 19.23x
Abbey 29 84.65x
Cambusnethan 17 81.69x
West Greenock 14 34.74x
Cathcart 13 107.00x
Govan 12 5.18x
Paisley High Church 12 67.11x
Paisley Middle Church 12 91.81x
Paisley Low Church 9 126.58x
Kirkintilloch 8 75.61x
Perth East Church 7 57.10x
Rutherglen 7 50.91x
Galston 6 101.18x
Old Cumnock 6 124.22x
Penrith 5 54.29x
Dunoon Kilmun 3 47.69x
Renfrew 3 40.49x
South Leith 3 6.87x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 3.74x
Camberwell 2 1.08x
Cambuslang 2 21.16x
Dundee 2 2.00x
West Ham 2 1.58x
Dundonald 1 12.50x
Kilsyth 1 14.68x
Old Monkland 1 2.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Agnes 2
Catherine 1
Constance 1
Emma 1
Margaret 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 3
Hugh 1
Robert 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 Tannahill households.

FAQ

Tannahill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tannahill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 305 people were recorded with the Tannahill surname. That placed it at #9,615 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tannahill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 426 in 2016. That gives Tannahill a modern rank of #11,279.

What does the Tannahill surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Tannahill in Ayrshire, Scotland.

What does the Tannahill map show?

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