Find out how popular the last name Scobie is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Scobie.

Scobie, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Scobie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Scobie in America

Scobie is the 41038th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Scobie surname appeared 531 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Scobie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Scobie to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Scobie

The surname Scobie originated in Scotland, where it was first found in the county of Angus. The name is derived from the Gaelic word "sgobach," meaning "projecting ridge." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a prominent ridge or hill.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. A Walter Scoby is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1296, and a John Schoby appears in the Records of the Monastery of Kelso in 1390.

In the 16th century, the name Scobie began to appear in various records and charters throughout Scotland. One notable example is Sir John Scobie, who was granted lands in Fife by King James VI of Scotland in 1587. Another early bearer of the name was Alexander Scobie, a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who was recorded in the city's rolls in 1634.

The Scobie name has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Scobieston in Renfrewshire and Scobie in Angus. These place names likely derived from individuals who bore the surname and settled in those areas.

Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Scobie throughout history are:

1. Sir John Scobie (c. 1550-1614), a Scottish courtier and landowner who served as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James VI of Scotland.
2. Alexander Scobie (fl. 1634), a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, Scotland.
3. William Scobie (c. 1650-1720), a Scottish minister and author who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1716.
4. John Scobie (1767-1836), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who became a prominent citizen of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
5. Norman Ellison Scobie (1888-1962), a British Army officer who served as the Governor of Burma from 1945 to 1946.

Overall, the surname Scobie has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name has been associated with various Scottish place names and has been borne by notable individuals throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Scobie

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Scobie.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Scobie was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Scobie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Scobie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Scobie, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!