NameCensus.

UK surname

Abercrombie

From a place name meaning "mouth of the bendy river" in Gaelic, likely referring to the River Crombie.

In the 1881 census there were 540 people recorded with the Abercrombie surname, ranking it #6,388 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 921, ranked #6,194, up from #6,388 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, St Marylebone and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Balmalloch, Kilsyth East and Croy and Cardenden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Abercrombie is 936 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 70.6%.

1881 census count

540

Ranked #6,388

Modern count

921

2016, ranked #6,194

Peak year

2011

936 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Abercrombie had 540 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,388 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 921 in 2016, ranked #6,194.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 696 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Abercrombie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Abercrombie surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Abercrombie 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 327 #7,119
1861 historical 370 #6,899
1881 historical 540 #6,388
1891 historical 565 #6,725
1901 historical 696 #6,314
1911 historical 289 #11,738
1997 modern 827 #6,372
1998 modern 860 #6,386
1999 modern 875 #6,342
2000 modern 891 #6,223
2001 modern 864 #6,258
2002 modern 872 #6,340
2003 modern 864 #6,266
2004 modern 837 #6,420
2005 modern 860 #6,252
2006 modern 860 #6,260
2007 modern 875 #6,227
2008 modern 887 #6,198
2009 modern 912 #6,194
2010 modern 924 #6,254
2011 modern 936 #6,139
2012 modern 920 #6,141
2013 modern 910 #6,299
2014 modern 925 #6,257
2015 modern 916 #6,246
2016 modern 921 #6,194

Geography

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Where Abercrombies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, St Marylebone, Glasgow, St Matthew Bethnal Green and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Balmalloch, Kilsyth East and Croy, Cardenden, Kilsyth Bogside and Twechar and Harestanes East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Balmalloch North Lanarkshire
2 Kilsyth East and Croy North Lanarkshire
3 Cardenden Fife
4 Kilsyth Bogside North Lanarkshire
5 Twechar and Harestanes East East Dunbartonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Abercrombie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Abercrombie

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Abercrombie is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Abercrombie 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

Abercrombie falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Abercrombie

The surname Abercrombie is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It derives from the Gaelic words 'Aber' meaning 'confluence of waters' and 'crombie' which was the name of a small place near the River Forth in West Lothian, Scotland. The earliest known spelling of the name was 'Abircrumby' which appeared in records from the late 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Abercrombie name was in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of medieval homage rolls documenting the Scottish nobility's sworn allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name William de Abyrcromby appears on these records. Another early record dates back to 1329 when John de Abircromby witnessed a charter granted by Robert I, King of Scots.

In the 15th century, the Abercrombie family held lands in the parish of Tullibody, Clackmannanshire. A record from 1489 mentions Alexander Abircromby being granted a charter of lands in Fife. By the 16th century, the name had evolved to its modern spelling.

One notable person with this surname was Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801), a Scottish soldier and politician. He served as a general in the British Army and played a key role in several major campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Another famous Abercrombie was John Abercrombie (1780-1844), a Scottish physician and philosopher. He published several influential works on intellectual philosophy and was a prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment.

In the field of literature, Lascelles Abercrombie (1881-1938) was an English poet and literary critic. He was associated with the Georgian Poetry movement and wrote several volumes of poetry, including "Interludes and Poems" and "The Sale of St. Thomas".

The name Abercrombie is also linked to the town of Abercrombie in New South Wales, Australia, which was named after James Abercrombie, a colonial surveyor and explorer in the early 19th century.

Finally, one cannot discuss the Abercrombie name without mentioning David Abercrombie (1867-1926), a Scottish-American businessman who co-founded the clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch in 1892.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Abercrombie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Abercrombie 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 135 Abercrombies recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.12x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 135 8.12x
Middlesex 84 1.63x
Stirlingshire 67 35.34x
Renfrewshire 25 6.28x
Midlothian 24 3.48x
Lancashire 23 0.38x
Aberdeenshire 21 4.41x
Dunbartonshire 15 10.86x
Yorkshire 15 0.29x
Northumberland 14 1.83x
Shropshire 12 2.70x
Cheshire 10 0.88x
Gloucestershire 9 0.89x
Perthshire 9 3.90x
Argyllshire 7 4.89x
Fife 6 1.97x
Herefordshire 6 2.85x
Dorset 5 1.48x
Essex 5 0.49x
Hertfordshire 5 1.41x
Lincolnshire 5 0.61x
Surrey 4 0.16x
Angus 3 0.63x
Berkshire 3 0.78x
Warwickshire 3 0.23x
Devon 2 0.19x
Sussex 2 0.23x
West Lothian 2 2.58x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.31x
Clackmannanshire 1 2.36x
Inverness-shire 1 0.65x
Kent 1 0.06x
Peeblesshire 1 4.14x
Somerset 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kilsyth in Stirlingshire leads with 47 Abercrombies recorded in 1881 and an index of 388.75x.

Place Total Index
Kilsyth 47 388.75x
Barony 27 6.42x
Govan 27 6.57x
Bethnal Green London 23 10.30x
Glasgow 20 6.77x
New Monkland 17 34.60x
Cambuslang 15 89.50x
St Marylebone London 15 5.47x
Falkirk 13 29.29x
Kirkintilloch 12 63.93x
Shifnal 12 99.50x
West Derby 12 6.72x
Maryhill 10 30.72x
St Pancras London 10 2.42x
Ashton On Mersey 9 153.32x
Crathie Braemar 9 315.79x
Lasswade 9 57.14x
Carluke 8 52.98x
Kensington London 8 2.80x
Wooler 7 260.22x
Aberdeen Old Machar 6 6.04x
Blairgowrie 6 65.72x
Dunoon 6 204.08x
Dysart 6 29.28x
Eastwood 6 24.45x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 6 2.17x
Hornsey 6 9.23x
Windle 6 17.48x
Acton 5 16.59x
Blantyre 5 28.89x
Bothal Demesne 5 136.61x
East Greenock 5 13.29x
Leeds 5 1.74x
Madley 5 337.84x
Mirfield 5 17.88x
Paisley Middle Church 5 21.56x
South Leith 5 6.45x
Spalding 5 30.66x
St Giles In Fields London 5 19.83x
Abbey 4 6.58x
Bengeo 4 97.32x
Charlton Kings 4 57.31x
Hipperholme Cum 4 17.87x
Shettleston 4 26.86x
St Ninians 4 21.29x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 3 3.37x
Alyth 3 48.31x
Bilton 3 100.33x
Cheltenham 3 3.86x
Holwell 3 410.96x
Lambeth 3 0.67x
Port Glasgow 3 15.58x
West Ham 3 1.34x
Axminster 2 39.84x
Clifton 2 3.92x
Cookham 2 16.63x
Corstorphine 2 52.63x
Hampstead London 2 2.50x
High Ongar 2 106.95x
Old Kilpatrick 2 12.25x
Paddington London 2 1.06x
St George Hanover Square 2 2.21x
Stirling 2 8.36x
Toxteth Park 2 0.97x
Twickenham 2 9.07x
Warkworth 2 162.60x
Alloa 1 4.86x
Carriden 1 28.49x
Chiswick 1 3.56x
Cholsey 1 32.79x
Dumbarton 1 5.20x
Dunoon Kilmun 1 8.96x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 7.37x
Godmanstone 1 344.83x
Great Amwell 1 28.17x
Holmer 1 26.32x
Kirriemuir 1 8.51x
Lancing 1 42.02x
Skirling 1 204.08x
West Greenock 1 1.40x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Eliza 6
Catherine 5
Elizabeth 5
Agnes 4
Ann 4
Emma 4
Margaret 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Anna 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Ethel 2
Janet 2
Susan 2
Wilelmina 2
Beatrice 1
Caroline 1
Catherin 1
Christina 1
Christn. 1
Dow. 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Florence 1
George 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lavra 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Madelina 1
Margery 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Minnie 1
Olive 1
Rachel 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
James 10
John 10
George 9
Henry 8
David 5
Robert 4
Charles 3
Ralph 3
Thomas 3
Alexander 2
Alfred 2
Frank 2
Hugh 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Aba 1
Alan 1
Albert 1
Alexr. 1
Alpha 1
Chas. 1
Chester 1
E. 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Edwd. 1
Francis 1
G.W. 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
J. 1
Jno.F. 1
Johnston 1
Johnstone 1
Joseph 1
Lascelles 1
Leslie 1
Peter 1
Rodolph 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Abercrombie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Abercrombie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 540 people were recorded with the Abercrombie surname. That placed it at #6,388 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Abercrombie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 921 in 2016. That gives Abercrombie a modern rank of #6,194.

What does the Abercrombie surname mean?

From a place name meaning "mouth of the bendy river" in Gaelic, likely referring to the River Crombie.

What does the Abercrombie map show?

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