NameCensus.

UK surname

Arbuthnott

In the 1881 census there were 111 people recorded with the Arbuthnott surname, ranking it #18,597 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 223, ranked #18,222, up from #18,597 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Paignton, Arbuthnott and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wyre Forest, Stanley and Murthly and Crathes and Torphins.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Arbuthnott is 223 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 100.9%.

1881 census count

111

Ranked #18,597

Modern count

223

2016, ranked #18,222

Peak year

2016

223 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Arbuthnott had 111 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,597 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 223 in 2016, ranked #18,222.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 132 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Arbuthnott surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Arbuthnott surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Arbuthnott 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 42 #25,706
1861 historical 70 #24,911
1881 historical 111 #18,597
1891 historical 107 #22,967
1901 historical 132 #19,469
1911 historical 17 #31,675
1997 modern 188 #18,324
1998 modern 190 #18,687
1999 modern 191 #18,744
2000 modern 193 #18,616
2001 modern 196 #18,146
2002 modern 196 #18,535
2003 modern 189 #18,738
2004 modern 200 #18,213
2005 modern 200 #18,144
2006 modern 209 #17,784
2007 modern 206 #18,142
2008 modern 215 #17,809
2009 modern 211 #18,377
2010 modern 216 #18,492
2011 modern 210 #18,677
2012 modern 204 #18,973
2013 modern 210 #18,932
2014 modern 212 #18,945
2015 modern 220 #18,346
2016 modern 223 #18,222

Geography

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Where Arbuthnotts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Paignton, Arbuthnott, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Benholm. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wyre Forest, Stanley and Murthly, Crathes and Torphins, Kelvinside and Jordanhill and Mearns North and Inverbervie. 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 Paignton Devon
2 Arbuthnott Kincardine
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Benholm Kincardine

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wyre Forest 001 Wyre Forest
2 Stanley and Murthly Perth and Kinross
3 Crathes and Torphins Aberdeenshire
4 Kelvinside and Jordanhill Glasgow City
5 Mearns North and Inverbervie Aberdeenshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Arbuthnott

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Arbuthnott

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Arbuthnott, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Arbuthnott surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Arbuthnott household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Arbuthnott is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Arbuthnott is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Arbuthnott falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Arbuthnott families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Arbuthnott 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. Angus leads with 53 Arbuthnotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.84x.

County Total Index
Angus 53 52.84x
Kincardineshire 29 220.03x
Middlesex 7 0.65x
Aberdeenshire 5 4.99x
Ayrshire 5 6.17x
Morayshire 4 23.78x
Yorkshire 3 0.28x
Devon 2 0.89x
Lanarkshire 2 0.57x
Durham 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Montrose in Angus leads with 48 Arbuthnotts recorded in 1881 and an index of 789.47x.

Place Total Index
Montrose 48 789.47x
Fettercairn 15 2678.57x
Arbuthnott 6 2000.00x
Kensington London 5 8.31x
Aberdeen Old Machar 4 19.11x
Benholm 4 701.75x
Elgin 4 122.32x
Largs 4 209.42x
Normanby In 3 104.53x
Ealing 2 20.66x
Edzell 2 645.16x
Marykirk 2 370.37x
Paignton 2 116.96x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 1 5.33x
Ayr 1 26.18x
Banchory Ternan 1 87.72x
Barony 1 1.13x
Darlington 1 8.04x
Fordoun 1 135.14x
Glasgow 1 1.61x
Lochlee 1 769.23x
Logie Pert 1 270.27x
Stracathro 1 555.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Caroline 2
Eliz. 1
Eliza 1
Louisa 1
Margt. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Chas. 1
David 1
Donald 1
James 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 Arbuthnott households.

FAQ

Arbuthnott surname: questions and answers

How common was the Arbuthnott surname in 1881?

In 1881, 111 people were recorded with the Arbuthnott surname. That placed it at #18,597 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Arbuthnott surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 223 in 2016. That gives Arbuthnott a modern rank of #18,222.

What does the Arbuthnott map show?

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