NameCensus.

UK surname

Borrowman

A surname derived from a person's occupation of borrowing or lending money or goods.

In the 1881 census there were 173 people recorded with the Borrowman surname, ranking it #14,112 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 128, ranked #26,401, down from #14,112 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Larbert, Borrowstounness and Carriden and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caithness North East, Dollar and Muckhart and Badenoch and Strathspey Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Borrowman is 229 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 26.0%.

1881 census count

173

Ranked #14,112

Modern count

128

2016, ranked #26,401

Peak year

1891

229 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Borrowman had 173 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,112 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 128 in 2016, ranked #26,401.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 229 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Borrowman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Borrowman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Borrowman 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 176 #11,489
1861 historical 171 #13,692
1881 historical 173 #14,112
1891 historical 229 #13,539
1901 historical 228 #13,929
1911 historical 99 #22,850
1997 modern 119 #24,302
1998 modern 117 #25,190
1999 modern 119 #25,095
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 122 #24,366
2002 modern 123 #24,735
2003 modern 125 #24,265
2004 modern 129 #24,019
2005 modern 137 #23,110
2006 modern 135 #23,486
2007 modern 138 #23,478
2008 modern 145 #22,929
2009 modern 142 #23,791
2010 modern 143 #24,247
2011 modern 137 #24,716
2012 modern 134 #25,059
2013 modern 135 #25,395
2014 modern 129 #26,352
2015 modern 127 #26,494
2016 modern 128 #26,401

Geography

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Where Borrowmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Larbert, Borrowstounness and Carriden, London parishes, Edinburgh and Moffat. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caithness North East, Dollar and Muckhart, Badenoch and Strathspey Central, Meadows and Southside and Blackridge, Westfield and Torphichen. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Larbert Stirling
2 Borrowstounness and Carriden Linlithgow
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Moffat Dumfries

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caithness North East Highland
2 Dollar and Muckhart Clackmannanshire
3 Badenoch and Strathspey Central Highland
4 Meadows and Southside City of Edinburgh
5 Blackridge, Westfield and Torphichen West Lothian

Forenames

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First names often paired with Borrowman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Borrowman

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Borrowman is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Borrowman 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

Borrowman 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 Borrowman 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 Borrowman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Borrowman

The surname BORROWMAN has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Scottish place name Borrowman, which is a combination of the Old English words "burh" meaning "fortified place" and "mann" meaning "man."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Scottish Parish Records of Lanarkshire in 1572, where a John Borrowman is mentioned. The name also appears in the records of the Burgh of Stirling in 1595, referring to a William Borrowman.

The BORROWMAN name has ties to the Scottish borders region, particularly in the areas around Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. The name is thought to have originated from a family that lived near or held land in a fortified settlement or township.

In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Robert Borrowman (1612-1678), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1668 until his death.

Another significant figure with the BORROWMAN surname was James Borrowman (1768-1847), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist from Alloa. He made a fortune in the West Indies trade and donated a substantial sum towards the establishment of the Alloa Academy.

In the 19th century, John Borrowman (1823-1898) was a Scottish engineer and inventor who is credited with developing an early type of safety valve for steam boilers, which helped prevent explosions.

The BORROWMAN name can also be found in historical records from other parts of the United Kingdom, such as the birth of William Borrowman in Leytonstone, Essex, England, in 1803.

A notable BORROWMAN from the 20th century was Alexander Borrowman (1918-1998), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable organizations in Glasgow.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Borrowman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Borrowman 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. Midlothian leads with 66 Borrowmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.80x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 66 30.80x
Dumfriesshire 15 42.44x
Lanarkshire 15 2.90x
Peeblesshire 9 119.68x
Middlesex 8 0.50x
Surrey 7 0.90x
Fife 6 6.34x
Stirlingshire 6 10.17x
Cumberland 5 3.63x
Durham 5 1.05x
Kent 5 0.92x
Banffshire 3 9.04x
West Lothian 3 12.45x
Lancashire 2 0.11x
Renfrewshire 2 1.61x
Selkirkshire 2 13.82x
Warwickshire 2 0.50x
Berwickshire 1 5.16x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 4.32x
Roxburghshire 1 3.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Penicuik in Midlothian leads with 26 Borrowmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 893.47x.

Place Total Index
Penicuik 26 893.47x
Moffat 15 931.68x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 10.44x
Peebles 9 405.41x
Cockpen 8 320.00x
Govan 8 6.25x
Liberton 7 211.48x
Wimbledon 6 68.57x
Barony 5 3.82x
Beckenham 5 70.03x
Egremont 5 152.44x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 5 24.26x
Larbert 5 141.64x
St Pancras London 5 3.88x
Currie 4 305.34x
West Calder 4 94.79x
Auchterderran 3 126.05x
Auchtermuchty 3 236.22x
Banff 3 104.17x
Glencorse 3 365.85x
Abbey 2 10.57x
Birmingham 2 1.49x
Boness 2 60.24x
South Leith 2 8.29x
St George Bloomsbury 2 21.79x
Ayton 1 89.29x
Camberwell 1 0.98x
Duddingston 1 23.26x
Edinburgh St Johns 1 74.07x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 23.70x
Ettrick 1 454.55x
Glasgow 1 1.09x
Hawick 1 15.41x
Irongray 1 232.56x
Kirkdale 1 3.13x
Linlithgow 1 32.36x
Maghull 1 126.58x
Selkirk 1 24.51x
Stirling 1 13.44x
Tottenham 1 3.92x
Walston 1 526.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Emma 2
Mary 2
... 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Christina 1
Ellen 1
Florence 1
Maggie 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Rosamond 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
Alexander 2
Abraham 1
Aymoor 1
Aymor 1
Herbert 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1
Walter 1
William 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 Borrowman households.

FAQ

Borrowman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Borrowman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 173 people were recorded with the Borrowman surname. That placed it at #14,112 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Borrowman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 128 in 2016. That gives Borrowman a modern rank of #26,401.

What does the Borrowman surname mean?

A surname derived from a person's occupation of borrowing or lending money or goods.

What does the Borrowman map show?

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