NameCensus.

UK surname

Abercromby

In the 1881 census there were 188 people recorded with the Abercromby surname, ranking it #13,379 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 131, ranked #26,004, down from #13,379 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, St. Ninians and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Arbroath Landward and Craiglockhart.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Abercromby is 251 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 30.3%.

1881 census count

188

Ranked #13,379

Modern count

131

2016, ranked #26,004

Peak year

1891

251 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Abercromby had 188 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,379 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016, ranked #26,004.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 251 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Abercromby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Abercromby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Abercromby 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 142 #13,428
1861 historical 147 #15,539
1881 historical 188 #13,379
1891 historical 251 #12,729
1901 historical 251 #13,102
1911 historical 74 #25,423
1997 modern 125 #23,567
1998 modern 135 #23,118
1999 modern 131 #23,709
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 140 #22,441
2002 modern 122 #24,874
2003 modern 129 #23,783
2004 modern 131 #23,756
2005 modern 128 #24,076
2006 modern 123 #24,873
2007 modern 120 #25,606
2008 modern 125 #25,249
2009 modern 124 #25,957
2010 modern 129 #25,900
2011 modern 130 #25,547
2012 modern 126 #26,148
2013 modern 136 #25,252
2014 modern 137 #25,345
2015 modern 136 #25,352
2016 modern 131 #26,004

Geography

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Where Abercrombys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, St. Ninians, Glasgow, West Derby and Stirling. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Arbroath Landward, Craiglockhart, Possil Park and Summerston North. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 St. Ninians Stirling
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Stirling Stirling

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 006 Cheshire East
2 Arbroath Landward Angus
3 Craiglockhart City of Edinburgh
4 Possil Park Glasgow City
5 Summerston North Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Abercromby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Abercromby

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Abercromby 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

Abercromby is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Abercromby falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Abercromby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Abercromby, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Abercromby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Abercromby 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 49 Abercrombys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.31x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 49 8.31x
Stirlingshire 41 60.94x
Lancashire 25 1.16x
Aberdeenshire 12 7.10x
Angus 11 6.51x
Northumberland 10 3.68x
Dunbartonshire 8 16.32x
Middlesex 6 0.33x
Midlothian 5 2.05x
Perthshire 5 6.11x
Yorkshire 4 0.22x
Banffshire 2 5.29x
Cheshire 2 0.50x
Durham 2 0.37x
Ayrshire 1 0.73x
Clackmannanshire 1 6.64x
Kincardineshire 1 4.50x
Renfrewshire 1 0.71x
Surrey 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 27 Abercrombys recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.78x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 27 25.78x
St Ninians 14 209.90x
Everton 10 14.49x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 9 28.47x
Byker 9 67.06x
Govan 9 6.17x
Kilsyth 9 209.79x
Stirling 9 106.13x
Falkirk 8 50.79x
Liverpool 7 5.32x
West Derby 7 11.05x
Barony 6 4.02x
St George Hanover Square 6 18.67x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 5.09x
Carluke 4 74.63x
Fearn 4 2000.00x
Kirriemuir 4 95.92x
Row 4 63.09x
Sutton Stoneferry 4 77.37x
Aberdeen Old Machar 3 8.51x
Brechin 3 45.18x
Kirkmichael 3 566.04x
New Kilpatrick 3 64.38x
Bothwell 2 12.50x
Gateshead 2 4.92x
Alloa 1 13.68x
Ayr 1 15.53x
Banchory Devenick 1 48.31x
Barrow In Furness 1 3.40x
Dumbarton 1 14.66x
Forglen 1 217.39x
Liscard 1 13.79x
Marburywith Quoisley 1 238.10x
Meigle 1 163.93x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 7.11x
Polmont 1 40.32x
Putney 1 12.03x
Rattray 1 52.36x
Shotts 1 14.16x
St Fergus 1 104.17x
West Greenock 1 3.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 3
Sarah 3
Caroline 2
Ellen 2
Jane 2
Lucy 2
Mary 2
Amy 1
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
Elsie 1
Emily 1
Janet 1
Julia 1
Laura 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
David 4
James 4
William 3
Walter 2
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
Francis 1
George 1
Janet 1
Ralph 1
Wm.J. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Abercromby households.

FAQ

Abercromby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Abercromby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 188 people were recorded with the Abercromby surname. That placed it at #13,379 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Abercromby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016. That gives Abercromby a modern rank of #26,004.

What does the Abercromby map show?

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