NameCensus.

UK surname

Wylie

Derived from a place name meaning "temple", or from a nickname meaning "tricky" or "wily" in Scottish.

In the 1881 census there were 3,495 people recorded with the Wylie surname, ranking it #1,304 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,401, ranked #1,241, up from #1,304 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to South Ronaldsay and Burray, Govan Combination and Canonbie. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Mainland, Kirriemuir Landward and West Kirkwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wylie is 5,453 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.5%.

1881 census count

3,495

Ranked #1,304

Modern count

5,401

2016, ranked #1,241

Peak year

2010

5,453 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wylie had 3,495 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,304 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,401 in 2016, ranked #1,241.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,535 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Wylie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wylie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wylie 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 2,234 #1,314
1861 historical 2,727 #1,077
1881 historical 3,495 #1,304
1891 historical 3,907 #1,228
1901 historical 4,535 #1,260
1911 historical 1,458 #3,308
1997 modern 5,176 #1,260
1998 modern 5,379 #1,267
1999 modern 5,412 #1,267
2000 modern 5,393 #1,265
2001 modern 5,284 #1,258
2002 modern 5,371 #1,260
2003 modern 5,287 #1,257
2004 modern 5,297 #1,251
2005 modern 5,207 #1,255
2006 modern 5,191 #1,260
2007 modern 5,219 #1,262
2008 modern 5,225 #1,275
2009 modern 5,337 #1,276
2010 modern 5,453 #1,278
2011 modern 5,342 #1,285
2012 modern 5,251 #1,277
2013 modern 5,333 #1,282
2014 modern 5,412 #1,266
2015 modern 5,393 #1,254
2016 modern 5,401 #1,241

Geography

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Where Wylies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around South Ronaldsay and Burray, Govan Combination, Canonbie, 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 East Mainland, Kirriemuir Landward, West Kirkwall, Central Easterhouse and Darnley East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 South Ronaldsay and Burray Orkney
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Canonbie Dumfries
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Mainland Orkney Islands
2 Kirriemuir Landward Angus
3 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
4 Central Easterhouse Glasgow City
5 Darnley East Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wylie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wylie

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Wylie, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Wylie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Wylie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wylie 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

Wylie 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

Wylie falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wylie

The surname WYLIE has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "wil," which means "willow," and the suffix "-ey," which denotes a place name, suggesting that the original bearers of the name likely lived near a willow tree or in a place where willows grew abundantly.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of Scottish landowners' oaths of allegiance to Edward I of England. The name appears as "Wyly" in this record. The name is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, where it is spelled "Wylie."

The WYLIE surname is closely associated with the county of Lanarkshire in Scotland, particularly the areas around Glasgow and Hamilton. In the 16th century, the name was commonly found in records from these regions, often spelled as "Wyllie" or "Wylly."

Notable historical figures with the surname WYLIE include Andrew Wylie (1789-1851), a Scottish-born Canadian Presbyterian minister and educator who played a crucial role in establishing the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Another prominent individual was William Wylie (1768-1828), a Scottish-American political figure who served as a United States Representative from Virginia.

Other notable bearers of the WYLIE surname include:

1. James Wylie (1768-1854), a Scottish minister and historian best known for his work "The History of the Reformation in Scotland." 2. Samuel Brown Wylie (1773-1828), an American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania. 3. Andrew Wylie III (1789-1851), a Scottish-born Canadian Presbyterian minister and educator, considered the "Father of the Presbyterian Church in Canada." 4. John Wylie (1837-1923), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio. 5. Ida Alexa Ross Wylie (1885-1959), a Canadian writer and journalist known for her works on Canadian history and culture.

The WYLIE surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Wyliesmill, a village in South Lanarkshire, and Wyliehole, a location in West Lothian. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and the willow tree or willow-growing areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wylie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wylie 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 940 Wylies recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.55x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 940 8.55x
Renfrewshire 412 15.64x
Ayrshire 269 10.57x
Lancashire 260 0.64x
Dumfriesshire 158 21.04x
Perthshire 155 10.16x
Midlothian 138 3.03x
Orkney 122 32.62x
Durham 84 0.83x
Middlesex 84 0.25x
Fife 68 3.38x
Surrey 66 0.40x
Stirlingshire 54 4.31x
Cumberland 52 1.78x
Angus 50 1.59x
Argyllshire 49 5.18x
Northumberland 47 0.93x
Cheshire 44 0.59x
Dunbartonshire 38 4.16x
Roxburghshire 37 6.01x
Yorkshire 34 0.10x
Clackmannanshire 33 11.75x
Wigtownshire 31 6.87x
Kirkcudbrightshire 27 5.49x
Devon 25 0.35x
West Lothian 21 4.10x
Suffolk 15 0.36x
Buckinghamshire 11 0.54x
Morayshire 10 1.89x
Norfolk 10 0.19x
Derbyshire 9 0.17x
Essex 9 0.13x
Hampshire 9 0.13x
Kent 9 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 8 0.25x
Somerset 8 0.15x
Caithness 7 1.50x
Staffordshire 7 0.06x
Gloucestershire 6 0.09x
Hertfordshire 5 0.21x
Peeblesshire 5 3.13x
Warwickshire 5 0.06x
Buteshire 4 1.94x
Herefordshire 4 0.29x
Inverness-shire 4 0.39x
Royal Navy 4 0.99x
Lincolnshire 3 0.06x
Oxfordshire 3 0.14x
Selkirkshire 3 0.98x
Sussex 3 0.05x
Worcestershire 3 0.07x
Banffshire 2 0.28x
Berkshire 2 0.08x
Berwickshire 2 0.49x
Channel Islands 2 0.20x
East Lothian 2 0.44x
Kincardineshire 2 0.48x
Northamptonshire 2 0.06x
Bedfordshire 1 0.06x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Kinross-shire 1 1.16x
Monmouthshire 1 0.04x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.02x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.09x
Rutland 1 0.40x
Shropshire 1 0.03x
Westmorland 1 0.13x

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 346 Wylies recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.43x.

Place Total Index
Barony 346 12.43x
Govan 236 8.68x
Glasgow 200 10.24x
Abbey 108 26.87x
South Ronaldshay 77 198.97x
Canonbie 66 206.83x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 58 3.17x
Paisley High Church 54 25.74x
Lochwinnoch 48 122.26x
Everton 37 2.88x
Stewarton 37 73.50x
Kirkdale 36 5.31x
Beith 34 44.78x
Neilston 34 25.71x
Crieff 33 58.16x
Kilwinning 33 40.17x
Cambusnethan 31 12.70x
Kirkwall St Ola 31 55.34x
Paisley Middle Church 31 20.21x
Stirling 28 17.71x
Liverpool 25 1.02x
Perth East Church 24 16.68x
New Monkland 23 7.08x
Campbeltown 22 19.27x
Crosscanonby 22 22.73x
Kirriemuir 22 28.31x
West Greenock 22 4.65x
Gateshead 21 2.77x
Dalry 20 16.71x
Durrisdeer 20 155.28x
East Greenock 20 8.04x
Old Monkland 20 4.58x
Port Glasgow 20 15.70x
Birkenhead 19 3.18x
Loudoun 19 31.05x
Maryhill 19 8.83x
Dunlop 17 107.12x
Kilbarchan 17 21.24x
Kilmarnock 17 5.61x
Largs 17 28.36x
Ardrossan 16 18.17x
Falkirk 16 5.45x
Crichton 15 118.11x
Layton With Warbreck 15 10.13x
Perth St Pauls 15 42.46x
Tulliallan 15 58.00x
Clackmannan 14 26.39x
Hawick 14 10.16x
Elswick 13 3.22x
Hamilton 13 4.24x
Kirkpatrick Fleming 13 75.80x
Leslie 13 25.51x
Oldham 13 1.00x
Preston 13 1.20x
Alloa 12 8.81x
Cambuslang 12 10.83x
Colinton 12 23.63x
Dundee 12 1.02x
Toxteth Park 12 0.88x
West Calder 12 13.37x
Bermondsey 11 1.09x
Blackburn 11 1.02x
Bradwell 11 38.02x
Cardross 11 10.03x
Clapham 11 2.59x
Houston Killallan 11 43.14x
Paisley Low Church 11 13.19x
Perth West Church 11 15.19x
Rutherglen 11 6.82x
South Leith 11 2.15x
St Marylebone London 11 0.61x
Tormoham 11 3.67x
Whitehaven 11 7.05x
Annan 10 15.50x
Battersea 10 0.80x
Cathcart 10 7.02x
Diss 10 22.32x
Hulme 10 1.19x
Irvine 10 14.15x
Islington London 10 0.30x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 53
William 45
James 41
Robert 27
Thomas 23
George 20
Alexander 18
Henry 15
David 14
Charles 12
Joseph 8
Richard 8
Edward 7
Andrew 6
Arthur 6
Hugh 6
Frederick 5
Samuel 5
Walter 5
Albert 4
Alfred 3
Herbert 3
Matthew 3
Alex 2
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Ellis 2
Fred 2
Norman 2
Reginald 2
Thos. 2
Adrian 1
Angus 1
Archibald 1
Archibd. 1
Archy 1
Christopher 1
Claude 1
Colin 1
Dawson 1
Donald 1
Douglas 1
Duncan 1
Geo. 1
Geo.R. 1
Gordon 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
J.D. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Wylie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wylie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,495 people were recorded with the Wylie surname. That placed it at #1,304 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wylie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,401 in 2016. That gives Wylie a modern rank of #1,241.

What does the Wylie surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "temple", or from a nickname meaning "tricky" or "wily" in Scottish.

What does the Wylie map show?

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