The Ramsay surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,120 people carried this name — #4,380 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,400 people counted. That is up 7% from 7,561 in 2000.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 28 births for the Ramsay name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 12 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
54 people named Ramsay live in Switzerland.
They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 32 people named Ramsay.
11 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Drôme.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In the Nordic population registers
223 people named Ramsay are counted in Finland and Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Scotland, 1880s
Ramsay was 13 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.
That is about 1 in 769. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Scattered.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 593 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.
In Scotland’s registers today
Ramsay was recorded 172 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 123rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 302. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.
National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In print
Ramsay in American newspapers,
1910–1914.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,854 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Ramsay in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.
217,028 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ramsay. The most, 57,347, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 1.4 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ramsay.
Who carried it
People named Ramsay,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Allan Ramsay 1686–1758 · writer -
Allan Ramsay 1713–1784 · painter -
Charlotte Lennox 1730–1804 · writer -
Katherine Ramsay 1740– -
George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie 1770–1838 · politician
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 290 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Ramsay,
in the records of 9 countries.
Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.
United States1,439 records
- Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 348
- U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 336
- Other U.S. records 755
-
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Don C. RamsayBorn 1916 in Utah. Enlisted 1941 at Richfield; driver from Sevier County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Richfield City Cemetery, Utah.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Helen G. RamsayBorn 1900 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1942 in the Women's Army Corps at Phoenix, Arizona; secondary school teacher. Women's Army Corps veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Arizona.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record John RamsayArrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Rome from Moville, aged 24; farmer. From Glasgow, Scotland; bound for Chicago.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 1,439 records for Ramsay in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Australia2,371 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,290
- Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 446
- Other Australian records 635
-
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record William RamsayTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Guildford, sailing from Portsmouth in 1820. Native of Donegal. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Charles RamsayDied 1923 in West¿devonport, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1923.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Mary RamsayArrived in Victoria in 1861 aboard the Red Jacket, aged 20; Scottish.
Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 2,371 records for Ramsay in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Canada435 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 232
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 51
- Other Canadian records 152
-
Example: civil register, 1880 Civil record William RamsayKilled in 1915 at the Dominion No. 15 mine, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record John RamsayCame to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Peruvian, landing at Quebec, bound for Oakvill, Ontario; English.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Margaret RamsayBuried in 1979 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 95.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
Showing 3 of 435 records for Ramsay in Canada.
Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).
United Kingdom191 records
- Stirling Council burial records 105
- Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 41
- Other British records 45
-
Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record Arthur Kemp RamsayBorn 1880 at Elgin; draper. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).
National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record John RamsayDied 1977, aged 72; buried at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record William RamsayBuried in 1822 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 78.
MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Showing 3 of 191 records for Ramsay in the United Kingdom.
Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
New Zealand56 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 50
- Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 4
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
-
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record William Davison RamsayDied 1968, aged 88; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Ida Elizabeth RamsayDied 1987; buried at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.
Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: roll of the war dead War record A. RamsayNew Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.
National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
Showing 3 of 56 records for Ramsay in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).
Netherlands15 records
- Dutch church registers before 1811 14
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
-
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Alexander Legh RamsayDied 1827 in Delft; born in Brussel.
Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Christian RamsayMarried in 1737 in Rotterdam; born in Dysert.
Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 2 of 15 records for Ramsay in the Netherlands.
Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).
France11 records
-
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Ernest Elie RamsayBorn 1920 in Brienne-sur-Aisne (Ardennes); died 1994 in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes (Vaucluse).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record May RamsayBorn 1910 in the United Kingdom; died 1993 in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 11 records for Ramsay in France.
Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).
Germany2 records
-
Example: German casualty list, 1918 Casualty list Henry RamsayFrom Winsen a. Luhe, Lüneburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 12 September 1918.
Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
Showing 1 of 2 records for Ramsay in Germany.
Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).
Finland1 record
-
Example: roll of the war dead War record Georg Anders Valter RamsayBorn 1895 in Nastola; student. Died in 1918 in Orivesi, one of the dead of Finland's wars of 1914–1922.
Kansallisarkisto, via Sotasurmasampo (CC BY 4.0)
Counts: Kansallisarkisto, via Sotasurmasampo (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Ramsay.
- Ramond 129 · U.S. census
- Ramone 439 · U.S. census
- Ramont 125 · U.S. census
- Ramos 263,464 · U.S. census
- Ramponi 212 · U.S. census
- Rams 296 · U.S. census
- Ramsey 78,350 · U.S. census
- Ramseyer 960 · U.S. census
- Ramus 557 · U.S. census
- Rana 7,145 · U.S. census
- Ranaldi 186 · U.S. census
- Rance 957 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Ramsay is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.