NameCensus.

UK surname

Torrie

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "tòrr" meaning a hill or knoll.

In the 1881 census there were 213 people recorded with the Torrie surname, ranking it #12,328 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 415, ranked #11,550, up from #12,328 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Lauder and Elgin. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forfar West, Carnoustie West and Forfar Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Torrie is 415 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 94.8%.

1881 census count

213

Ranked #12,328

Modern count

415

2016, ranked #11,550

Peak year

2016

415 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Torrie had 213 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,328 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 415 in 2016, ranked #11,550.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 261 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Torrie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Torrie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Torrie 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 140 #13,593
1861 historical 140 #16,169
1881 historical 213 #12,328
1891 historical 202 #14,808
1901 historical 261 #12,775
1911 historical 36 #29,370
1997 modern 339 #12,464
1998 modern 367 #12,121
1999 modern 381 #11,873
2000 modern 391 #11,591
2001 modern 379 #11,676
2002 modern 390 #11,646
2003 modern 397 #11,316
2004 modern 387 #11,559
2005 modern 398 #11,231
2006 modern 393 #11,398
2007 modern 391 #11,570
2008 modern 386 #11,795
2009 modern 399 #11,750
2010 modern 398 #12,039
2011 modern 404 #11,786
2012 modern 403 #11,662
2013 modern 409 #11,714
2014 modern 411 #11,768
2015 modern 412 #11,642
2016 modern 415 #11,550

Geography

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Where Torries are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Forfar West, Carnoustie West, Forfar Central, Letham and Glamis and Cornwall. 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 Lauder Berwick
3 Elgin Elgin
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forfar West Angus
2 Carnoustie West Angus
3 Forfar Central Angus
4 Letham and Glamis Angus
5 Cornwall 070 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Torrie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Torrie

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Torrie is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Torrie is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Torrie falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Torrie

The surname Torrie has its roots in Scotland, originating from the Gaelic word "torr," which means a conical hill or a mound. The name is believed to have emerged around the 12th or 13th century, when it was commonly used as a descriptive name for individuals who lived near or on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torrie can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 13th century, where it appears as "de Torry." This suggests that the name was initially associated with a specific location or place name, as was common during that era.

The name Torrie has also been linked to various place names across Scotland, such as Torry in Aberdeenshire and Torryburn in Fife. These place names likely derived from the same Gaelic root word, "torr," and may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname.

In the 15th century, the surname Torrie appeared in the records of the Scots Peerage, with one notable individual being Sir William Torrie, a prominent landowner and knight who lived during the reign of King James III (1460-1488). Another early bearer of the name was John Torrie, a clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of St. Andrews in the late 16th century (1546-1615).

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Torrie surname gained further recognition with individuals like James Torrie (1614-1676), a Scottish minister and writer who authored several religious works. Robert Torrie (1685-1747) was a notable philosopher and academic who served as the Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.

In more recent history, one of the most famous bearers of the Torrie surname was Sir Victor Alexander John Torrie (1864-1938), a British military officer and member of the Royal Engineers. He played a pivotal role in the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in Egypt and was knighted for his contributions.

Throughout its history, the surname Torrie has maintained a strong presence in Scotland, with variations in spelling such as Torry, Torrey, and Torry-e. While the name has spread to other parts of the world through emigration, its origins remain deeply rooted in the Scottish landscape and culture.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Torrie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Torrie 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 40 Torries recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.98x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 40 5.98x
Kincardineshire 23 91.34x
Argyllshire 21 36.48x
Midlothian 17 6.14x
Morayshire 16 49.80x
Berwickshire 15 59.90x
Aberdeenshire 13 6.79x
Dunbartonshire 12 21.59x
Selkirkshire 9 48.10x
Roxburghshire 8 21.36x
Cheshire 6 1.31x
Middlesex 6 0.29x
Northumberland 5 1.63x
Inverness-shire 4 6.48x
Lancashire 4 0.16x
Devon 3 0.70x
Sussex 3 0.86x
Angus 2 1.04x
Banffshire 2 4.66x
Buteshire 1 7.98x
Perthshire 1 1.08x
Sutherland 1 6.29x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 23 Torries recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.90x.

Place Total Index
Govan 23 13.90x
Kilchoman 18 994.48x
Dumbarton 12 155.04x
Lauder 11 797.10x
South Leith 11 35.28x
Elgin 10 160.00x
Fettercairn 9 841.12x
Melrose 8 169.85x
Old Monkland 8 30.14x
King Edward 7 316.74x
Ednam 6 1363.64x
Maryhill 6 45.84x
Runcorn 6 56.98x
St Cyrus 6 571.43x
St Mary Le Strand 6 909.09x
Urquhart 6 394.74x
Benholm 5 462.96x
Berwick Upon Tweed 5 76.69x
Aberdeen Old Machar 4 10.00x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 3.59x
Hume 4 1379.31x
Kirkdale 4 9.69x
Strath 4 212.77x
Bowmore 3 225.56x
Brighton 3 4.27x
Plymouth St Andrew 3 9.05x
Glasgow 2 1.68x
Keith 2 43.76x
Kelso 2 53.62x
Auchterless 1 65.79x
Banchory Ternan 1 45.87x
Bute North 1 117.65x
Carstairs 1 71.94x
Colinton 1 32.36x
Edinburgh Old Church 1 45.05x
Fordoun 1 70.92x
Galashiels 1 14.45x
Kildonan 1 72.46x
Logie Pert 1 140.85x
Montrose 1 8.61x
Nigg 1 48.08x
Perth East Church 1 11.43x
Turriff 1 32.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emma 3
Helen 2
Jane 2
Susanna 2
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Isabella 1
Phebe 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
Robert 4
Alfred 2
James 2

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 Torrie households.

FAQ

Torrie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Torrie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 213 people were recorded with the Torrie surname. That placed it at #12,328 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Torrie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 415 in 2016. That gives Torrie a modern rank of #11,550.

What does the Torrie surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "tòrr" meaning a hill or knoll.

What does the Torrie map show?

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