Here is the list of surnames found in North Walls and Brims in the 1861 census and the number of occurrences. Where a different spelling of the name is found in other sources, this has been added [in square brackets]. For comparison, Orkney Family History Society has a list of all the surnames in Orkney from the 1861 census. For those born outside Orkney, the most common surname was Ross (15), followed by Telford (9), partly due to two shepherds and their families.
| Surname | Occurrences |
| Anderson | 3 |
| Baikie/Bakie | 11 |
| Bain | 7 |
| Banks | 3 |
| Begg | 1 |
| Bremner | 18 |
| Broak [Brock] | 1 |
| Bruce | 7 |
| Burnie | 2 |
| Burns | 3 |
| Campbell | 4 |
| Cantle [Cantley] | 1 |
| Chalmers | 8 |
| Charleson | 3 |
| Corrigall | 17 |
| Cromarty | 2 |
| Fiddler | 3 |
| Flett | 2 |
| Gray | 18 |
| Groat | 1 |
| Groundwater | 9 |
| Gunn | 12 |
| Henry | 1 |
| Johnston | 23 |
| Kerr | 1 |
| Laird | 4 |
| Learmonth | 2 |
| Linklater | 3 |
| Macdonald/McDonald | 7 |
| MacKay/McKay | 10 |
| Malcomson | 7 |
| Manson | 26 |
| Matheson | 7 |
| McKenzie | 4 |
| McKiver | 1 |
| McLellan | 1 |
| Miller | 3 |
| Mowat | 3 |
| Nicholson/Nicolson | 19 |
| Norquay | 1 |
| Ritch | 1 |
| Robertson | 9 |
| Robeson/Robson | 43 |
| Ross | 36 |
| Ryrie | 1 |
| Sabeston | 9 |
| Sandison | 5 |
| Sangster | 1 |
| Shearer | 3 |
| Simpson | 7 |
| Sinclair | 9 |
| Smith | 34 |
| Stout | 14 |
| Sutherland | 42 |
| Swanson | 19 |
| Swanston | 6 |
| Taylor | 12 |
| Telford | 9 |
| Thompson/Thomson | 26 |
| Wards | 4 |
| Waters | 4 |
| Whire [Weir] | 1 |
| Wilson | 40 |
| Wright | 3 |
