NameCensus.

UK surname

Bethune

A locational surname derived from a place in Pas-de-Calais, France, meaning "house of God" or "prayer house."

In the 1881 census there were 463 people recorded with the Bethune surname, ranking it #7,170 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 306, ranked #14,543, down from #7,170 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Duirnish, Edinburgh and Cameron. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leith (Hermitage and Prospect Bank), Muir of Ord and Black Isle South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bethune is 839 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 33.9%.

1881 census count

463

Ranked #7,170

Modern count

306

2016, ranked #14,543

Peak year

1851

839 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bethune had 463 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,170 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 306 in 2016, ranked #14,543.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 839 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bethune surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bethune surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bethune 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 839 #3,239
1861 historical 663 #4,039
1881 historical 463 #7,170
1891 historical 404 #8,802
1901 historical 409 #9,338
1911 historical 112 #21,274
1997 modern 294 #13,707
1998 modern 310 #13,578
1999 modern 304 #13,843
2000 modern 321 #13,337
2001 modern 296 #13,842
2002 modern 306 #13,835
2003 modern 286 #14,259
2004 modern 274 #14,762
2005 modern 273 #14,708
2006 modern 284 #14,396
2007 modern 301 #14,022
2008 modern 292 #14,403
2009 modern 298 #14,480
2010 modern 304 #14,591
2011 modern 295 #14,758
2012 modern 292 #14,770
2013 modern 305 #14,577
2014 modern 308 #14,571
2015 modern 307 #14,504
2016 modern 306 #14,543

Geography

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Where Bethunes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Duirnish, Edinburgh, Cameron, Kilmuir and Dingwall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leith (Hermitage and Prospect Bank), Muir of Ord, Black Isle South, Black Isle North and South Leith. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Duirnish Inverness
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Cameron Fife
4 Kilmuir Inverness
5 Dingwall Ross And Cromarty

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leith (Hermitage and Prospect Bank) City of Edinburgh
2 Muir of Ord Highland
3 Black Isle South Highland
4 Black Isle North Highland
5 South Leith City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bethune

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bethune

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Bethune surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bethune household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bethune 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

Bethune 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

Bethune falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bethune

The surname Bethune originated in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. Its roots lie in the Old French words "beau" meaning beautiful and "tun" meaning an enclosed settlement or village. It was likely a descriptive name given to someone who lived in or came from a picturesque village.

The earliest known record of the name Bethune appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that people with this surname may have migrated from France to England as early as the 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show a nobleman named Robert de Bethune who fought alongside King Edward I in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He was born around 1245 and died in 1305.

Another notable bearer of this name was Maximilien de Bethune, Duke of Sully, a French nobleman and statesman who served as the chief minister of King Henry IV in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in 1559 and died in 1641.

In the 18th century, George Washington Bethune, a Scottish-American minister and educator, was born in 1805. He co-founded the New York Sabbath School Association and played a significant role in shaping the American education system.

In the 19th century, Mary Bethune McLeod, an American educator and civil rights activist, was born in 1875. She founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute, which later became Bethune-Cookman University, and was a prominent leader in the African-American community.

Another well-known figure with this surname was Norman Bethune, a Canadian physician and humanitarian who was born in 1890. He is celebrated for his service in the Spanish Civil War and the Second Sino-Japanese War, where he established mobile medical units and trained medical personnel.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bethune families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bethune 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. Fife leads with 104 Bethunes recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.98x.

County Total Index
Fife 104 38.98x
Inverness-shire 72 53.50x
Ross-shire 62 50.10x
Midlothian 51 8.45x
Sutherland 34 98.12x
Caithness 16 25.93x
Lanarkshire 15 1.03x
Surrey 12 0.55x
Kinross-shire 11 96.58x
Lancashire 8 0.15x
Middlesex 7 0.16x
Lincolnshire 6 0.83x
Morayshire 6 8.57x
Devon 5 0.53x
Hampshire 5 0.54x
Stirlingshire 5 3.01x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.96x
East Lothian 4 6.70x
Renfrewshire 4 1.15x
Dunbartonshire 3 2.48x
Durham 3 0.22x
Leicestershire 3 0.60x
Worcestershire 3 0.51x
Angus 2 0.48x
Buteshire 2 7.32x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.70x
Northamptonshire 2 0.47x
Perthshire 2 0.99x
Argyllshire 1 0.80x
Banffshire 1 1.07x
Gloucestershire 1 0.11x
Hertfordshire 1 0.32x
Kincardineshire 1 1.82x
Nairnshire 1 7.27x
Royal Navy 1 1.86x
Selkirkshire 1 2.45x
Yorkshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 33 Bethunes recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.59x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 33 13.59x
Duirinish 30 437.32x
Cameron 25 1612.90x
Kennoway 22 905.35x
Inverness 21 62.04x
Latheron 16 155.04x
St Andrews 14 115.32x
Auchterderran 13 193.74x
Snizort 13 386.90x
Dingwall 12 344.83x
Lairg 12 568.72x
Creich 11 318.84x
Fodderty 10 319.49x
Govan 9 2.50x
Tain 9 191.90x
Markinch 8 88.30x
Orwell 8 254.78x
Clapham 7 12.42x
Falkland 7 166.67x
Urray 7 182.29x
Contin 6 266.67x
Everton 6 3.52x
Frodingham 6 233.46x
Kincardine 6 263.16x
Chulmleigh 5 233.64x
Cockpen 5 70.82x
Forres 5 67.93x
Kildonan 5 166.67x
Penge 5 17.37x
Stirling 5 23.86x
Assynt 4 188.68x
Barony 4 1.08x
Creich 4 666.67x
Kensington London 4 1.60x
Killearnan 4 245.40x
Kiltarlity 4 121.21x
West Greenock 4 6.38x
Balmerino 3 294.12x
Burton Overy 3 461.54x
Fortrose 3 400.00x
Great Malvern 3 24.43x
Haddington 3 34.05x
Portmoak 3 185.19x
Sunderland 3 12.67x
Cardross 2 13.76x
Ceres 2 62.31x
Edinburgh St Andrews 2 40.08x
Edinburgh St Georges 2 15.96x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 2 56.98x
Fraserburgh 2 17.02x
Glasgow 2 0.77x
Holy Trinity Cambridge 2 64.52x
Leslie 2 29.59x
Millbrook 2 8.60x
Portree 2 40.16x
Portsea 2 1.10x
Rothesay 2 15.13x
St George Hanover Square 2 2.52x
Wemyss 2 17.71x
Winwick In Daventry 2 714.29x
Ardnamurchan 1 15.72x
Auchterhouse 1 97.09x
Currie 1 27.03x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 1 7.00x
Edinburgh New 1 21.32x
Ferry Port On Craig 1 22.78x
Fetteresso 1 11.63x
Gairloch 1 14.03x
Humbie 1 70.92x
Kirkcaldy 1 7.56x
Leith South 1 120.48x
Monzie 1 86.21x
Nairn 1 11.98x
North Uist 1 19.05x
Resolis 1 45.25x
Selkirk 1 8.70x
Stornoway 1 6.20x
Wardleworth 1 3.27x
West Calder 1 8.40x
Westminster St Margaret 1 4.60x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

FAQ

Bethune surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bethune surname in 1881?

In 1881, 463 people were recorded with the Bethune surname. That placed it at #7,170 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bethune surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 306 in 2016. That gives Bethune a modern rank of #14,543.

What does the Bethune surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place in Pas-de-Calais, France, meaning "house of God" or "prayer house."

What does the Bethune map show?

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