NameCensus.

UK surname

Buchanan

A toponymic surname of Scottish origin meaning "dweller at the house of the canon."

In the 1881 census there were 7,755 people recorded with the Buchanan surname, ranking it #550 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,136, ranked #576, down from #550 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Bonhill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ruchill, South Lewis and Benbecula and North Uist.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Buchanan is 11,205 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.6%.

1881 census count

7,755

Ranked #550

Modern count

11,136

2016, ranked #576

Peak year

2014

11,205 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Buchanan had 7,755 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #550 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,136 in 2016, ranked #576.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,984 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Buchanan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Buchanan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Buchanan 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 5,783 #481
1861 historical 6,292 #443
1881 historical 7,755 #550
1891 historical 7,860 #564
1901 historical 8,984 #588
1911 historical 2,145 #2,342
1997 modern 10,106 #609
1998 modern 10,511 #608
1999 modern 10,660 #604
2000 modern 10,718 #595
2001 modern 10,413 #601
2002 modern 10,646 #600
2003 modern 10,400 #600
2004 modern 10,389 #603
2005 modern 10,352 #599
2006 modern 10,370 #599
2007 modern 10,456 #600
2008 modern 10,599 #595
2009 modern 10,867 #595
2010 modern 11,064 #598
2011 modern 10,845 #603
2012 modern 10,806 #592
2013 modern 11,082 #587
2014 modern 11,205 #580
2015 modern 11,139 #577
2016 modern 11,136 #576

Geography

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Where Buchanans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Bonhill, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ruchill, South Lewis, Benbecula and North Uist, Oban South and Blane Valley. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Bonhill Dunbarton
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ruchill Glasgow City
2 South Lewis Na h-Eileanan Siar
3 Benbecula and North Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar
4 Oban South Argyll and Bute
5 Blane Valley Stirling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Buchanan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Buchanan

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Buchanan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Buchanan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Buchanan 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

Buchanan 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

Buchanan falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Buchanan

The surname Buchanan is of Scottish origin, with its roots traced back to the early 11th century in the region of Stirlingshire. The name is derived from the Gaelic words 'buth' and 'chanain,' which together mean "house or hut of the canon or canon's house." This refers to the residences of the canons or clergy members of the Church during that time.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Buchanan appears in the Scottish Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it is listed as 'de Buchanen.' This document was a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the ancient Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, dating back to the 14th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Buchanan was Sir Maurice Buchanan, who lived during the reign of King David II in the mid-14th century. He was a prominent Scottish knight and landowner, known for his involvement in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another notable figure was George Buchanan, a renowned Scottish humanist scholar, historian, and poet, who was born in 1506 and died in 1582.

The Buchanan family has a rich history in Scotland, with their ancestral lands located in the area of Buchanan, near Loch Lomond. The clan was known for their support of the Scottish Crown and their involvement in various battles and conflicts throughout the centuries. One of the most famous members of the clan was John Buchanan, the 15th Earl of Buchanan, who lived from 1725 to 1822 and played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings.

Other notable individuals with the surname Buchanan include James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States, who was of Scottish descent and served from 1857 to 1861. Sir George Buchanan, a renowned Scottish explorer and diplomat in the 16th century, and Robert Buchanan, a Scottish poet and novelist of the Victorian era, born in 1841 and died in 1901, also carried the name.

The Buchanan surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Buchannan, Buchanon, and Buchanane, but the modern spelling of Buchanan has become the most widely accepted form.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Buchanan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Buchanan 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 2,391 Buchanans recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.79x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 2,391 9.79x
Renfrewshire 630 10.77x
Stirlingshire 535 19.21x
Dunbartonshire 534 26.32x
Midlothian 430 4.25x
Lancashire 391 0.44x
Perthshire 307 9.06x
Middlesex 295 0.39x
Argyllshire 228 10.85x
Ayrshire 217 3.84x
Inverness-shire 177 7.85x
Fife 151 3.38x
Surrey 128 0.35x
Yorkshire 111 0.15x
Kent 97 0.38x
Ross-shire 97 4.68x
Angus 86 1.23x
East Lothian 83 8.30x
Durham 79 0.35x
West Lothian 63 5.54x
Northumberland 57 0.51x
Aberdeenshire 51 0.73x
Gloucestershire 48 0.32x
Hampshire 46 0.30x
Dumfriesshire 44 2.64x
Cheshire 43 0.26x
Clackmannanshire 42 6.74x
Buteshire 38 8.31x
Sussex 35 0.27x
Cumberland 33 0.51x
Kirkcudbrightshire 26 2.38x
Hertfordshire 18 0.35x
Derbyshire 17 0.14x
Warwickshire 16 0.08x
Kincardineshire 15 1.63x
Staffordshire 13 0.05x
Devon 11 0.07x
Essex 11 0.07x
Wiltshire 11 0.16x
Berwickshire 9 0.98x
Glamorgan 9 0.07x
Isle of Man 9 0.64x
Morayshire 9 0.77x
Shropshire 9 0.14x
Somerset 9 0.07x
Worcestershire 9 0.09x
Royal Navy 8 0.89x
Oxfordshire 7 0.15x
Orkney 6 0.72x
Lincolnshire 5 0.04x
Monmouthshire 5 0.09x
Roxburghshire 5 0.37x
Peeblesshire 4 1.13x
Cornwall 3 0.04x
Nairnshire 3 1.30x
Suffolk 3 0.03x
Sutherland 3 0.52x
Westmorland 3 0.18x
Wigtownshire 3 0.30x
Berkshire 2 0.04x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.04x
Dorset 2 0.04x
Leicestershire 2 0.02x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.08x
Anglesey 1 0.07x
Bedfordshire 1 0.03x
Caithness 1 0.10x
Cambridgeshire 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. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 680 Buchanans recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.00x.

Place Total Index
Barony 680 11.00x
Govan 675 11.18x
Glasgow 453 10.45x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 184 4.52x
Bonhill 150 46.05x
Abbey 134 15.01x
Falkirk 103 15.80x
Old Monkland 92 9.49x
Row 87 33.15x
St Ninians 81 29.34x
Uig 78 82.98x
Paisley High Church 77 16.53x
New Kilpatrick 75 38.86x
South Leith 74 6.50x
East Greenock 67 12.13x
Dunfermline 65 9.46x
West Greenock 65 6.19x
Callander 62 110.95x
Everton 59 2.07x
Campsie 58 37.95x
Dundee 57 2.18x
Cardross 55 22.58x
Hamilton 51 7.49x
New Monkland 46 6.37x
Cadder 43 23.84x
Shettleston 43 19.67x
Dumbarton 42 14.87x
Killearn 42 143.54x
Kilmore Kilbride 42 31.48x
Kilbarchan 41 23.07x
Old Kilpatrick 40 16.68x
Barra 39 69.28x
Kensington London 39 0.93x
Renfrew 39 20.18x
Snizort 39 69.35x
Portree 38 45.55x
Liverpool 37 0.68x
Neilston 36 12.26x
Balfron 35 101.83x
Kirkintilloch 35 12.70x
Cambusnethan 34 6.27x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 33 2.52x
Rothesay 33 14.90x
Stirling 33 9.40x
Carluke 32 14.43x
Dundonald 32 15.36x
Cathcart 31 9.79x
Kirkdale 31 2.06x
Sorn 31 27.93x
West Derby 30 1.14x
Barrow In Furness 29 2.38x
Kilmadock 29 37.22x
Lismore 29 151.44x
Shotts 29 9.92x
Bothwell 28 4.23x
Cambuslang 28 11.37x
Tranent 27 19.98x
Toxteth Park 26 0.86x
Ardchattan Muckairn 25 48.10x
Drymen 25 66.93x
Culross 24 81.83x
Eastwood 24 6.66x
Prestonpans 24 35.78x
Rutherglen 24 6.70x
East Kilbride 23 21.99x
Denny 22 14.85x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 22 9.19x
Kilmaronock 22 91.51x
Longbenton 22 4.62x
Maryhill 22 4.60x
Paisley Middle Church 22 6.46x
Alloa 21 6.94x
Islington London 21 0.29x
Lambeth 21 0.32x
Mearns 21 20.49x
Newington 21 0.75x
Strathblane 21 60.41x
Ayr 20 7.50x
South Uist 20 12.71x
St Marylebone London 19 0.47x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 113
Elizabeth 54
Sarah 47
Jane 41
Margaret 37
Annie 24
Ellen 22
Agnes 21
Alice 16
Ann 16
Catherine 16
Emma 15
Isabella 14
Martha 13
Edith 12
Janet 12
Jessie 12
Eliza 11
Emily 10
Helen 10
Ada 8
Eleanor 8
Grace 8
Kate 8
Anna 7
Caroline 7
Amelia 5
Anne 5
Florence 5
Frances 5
Hannah 5
Arabella 4
Charlotte 4
Clara 4
Esther 4
Fanny 4
Gertrude 4
Louisa 4
Maria 4
Susannah 4
Beatrice 3
Ethel 3
Harriet 3
Isabel 3
Julia 3
Laura 3
Lucy 3
Margt. 3
Marion 3
Nora 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 110
James 87
William 85
George 42
Thomas 40
Robert 39
Charles 20
Walter 18
Alexander 17
Henry 17
Archibald 15
David 15
Joseph 15
Wm. 10
Andrew 8
Francis 8
Christopher 7
Edward 7
Samuel 7
Alfred 6
Arthur 6
Norman 6
Daniel 5
Duncan 5
Neil 5
Peter 5
Albert 4
Frank 4
Fredk. 4
Herbert 4
Donald 3
Edgar 3
Frederick 3
Geo. 3
Hugh 3
Ralph 3
Alex 2
Ernest 2
Harold 2
Hubert 2
Isaac 2
J. 2
Jonathan 2
Joshua 2
Leonard 2
Patrick 2
Sam 2
Sidney 2
Thos. 2
W. 2

FAQ

Buchanan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Buchanan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,755 people were recorded with the Buchanan surname. That placed it at #550 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Buchanan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,136 in 2016. That gives Buchanan a modern rank of #576.

What does the Buchanan surname mean?

A toponymic surname of Scottish origin meaning "dweller at the house of the canon."

What does the Buchanan map show?

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