NameCensus.

UK surname

Cadenhead

A locational surname derived from a place name in Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 147 people recorded with the Cadenhead surname, ranking it #15,674 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 142, ranked #24,625, down from #15,674 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Fordoun, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kelvindale, Bucksburn North and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cadenhead is 167 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.4%.

1881 census count

147

Ranked #15,674

Modern count

142

2016, ranked #24,625

Peak year

2000

167 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cadenhead had 147 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,674 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016, ranked #24,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 162 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Cadenhead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cadenhead surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cadenhead 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 136 #13,892
1861 historical 118 #18,512
1881 historical 147 #15,674
1891 historical 150 #18,328
1901 historical 162 #17,271
1911 historical 12 #32,302
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 150 #21,665
1999 modern 154 #21,455
2000 modern 167 #20,332
2001 modern 158 #20,788
2002 modern 159 #21,086
2003 modern 149 #21,766
2004 modern 145 #22,289
2005 modern 145 #22,253
2006 modern 143 #22,619
2007 modern 145 #22,693
2008 modern 148 #22,627
2009 modern 151 #22,816
2010 modern 154 #23,082
2011 modern 149 #23,408
2012 modern 140 #24,376
2013 modern 145 #24,207
2014 modern 145 #24,395
2015 modern 145 #24,246
2016 modern 142 #24,625

Geography

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Where Cadenheads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Fordoun, Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kelvindale, Bucksburn North, Allerdale, Thanet and Kelvingrove and University. 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 Fordoun Kincardine
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kelvindale Glasgow City
2 Bucksburn North Aberdeen City
3 Allerdale 001 Allerdale
4 Thanet 008 Thanet
5 Kelvingrove and University Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cadenhead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cadenhead

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cadenhead, 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 Cadenhead surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cadenhead 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cadenhead 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

Cadenhead 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

Cadenhead falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Cadenhead

The surname Cadenhead originates from the Scottish Lowlands, specifically the areas around Glasgow and Ayrshire. It dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the Old English words "caden" meaning "battle" or "conflict" and "heafod" meaning "head" or "leader". This suggests the name may have been given to someone who led troops into battle or conflict.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cadenhead appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is spelled "Caudenhede" in this document. Over time, variations such as Caudenhead, Cawdenheid, and Cawdenhede emerged.

In the 16th century, the Cadenhead name was associated with the lands of Cadenhead near Mauchline, Ayrshire. Records show a John Cadenhead was granted these lands in 1532 by King James V of Scotland. This may have been the origin of the name as a place name before becoming a surname.

Notable individuals with the Cadenhead surname include Robert Cadenhead (1807-1891), a Scottish merchant and vintner who founded the Cadenhead whisky company in Aberdeen. William Cadenhead (1856-1904), his son, continued the family business and expanded it across Scotland.

Another prominent figure was Sir James Cadenhead (1835-1917), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1885 to 1888. He played a significant role in the prosecution of the infamous Ardlamont mystery case in 1893.

In the realm of literature, Jennie Cadenhead (1854-1917) was a Scottish writer and poet, best known for her collection of poems titled "Heather Bells" published in 1895.

Lastly, Archibald Cadenhead (1901-1978) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Rangers F.C. and Falkirk F.C., in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cadenhead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cadenhead 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 55 Cadenheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.42x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 55 41.42x
Kincardineshire 29 166.09x
Angus 18 13.55x
Lanarkshire 18 3.88x
Renfrewshire 7 6.30x
Perthshire 5 7.77x
Surrey 5 0.72x
Midlothian 3 1.56x
Middlesex 2 0.14x
Northumberland 2 0.94x
Banffshire 1 3.36x
Berwickshire 1 5.76x
Durham 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdeen Old Machar in Aberdeenshire leads with 28 Cadenheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 101.01x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen Old Machar 28 101.01x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 11 44.28x
St Vigeans 9 125.52x
Durris 7 1400.00x
East Greenock 7 66.73x
Garvock 7 3333.33x
Glasgow 7 8.50x
Fordoun 6 612.24x
Blairgowrie 5 196.08x
Cluny 5 781.25x
Govan 5 4.36x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 17.33x
Fetteresso 4 145.99x
Meldrum 4 357.14x
Peterculter 4 425.53x
Barony 3 2.56x
Brechin 3 57.47x
Cadder 3 87.72x
Craig 3 234.38x
Benholm 2 266.67x
Byker 2 18.96x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 2.59x
Turriff 2 93.46x
Aberlemno 1 204.08x
Barry 1 62.89x
Bervie 1 97.09x
Coldingham 1 64.10x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 25.06x
Gateshead 1 3.13x
Glenbervie 1 208.33x
Inverurie 1 66.67x
Laurencekirk 1 99.01x
Marnoch 1 62.50x
Montrose 1 12.42x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.96x
St George Martyr London 1 34.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Alice 1
Euphemia 1
Florence 1
Julia 1
Lucy 1
Mary 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
David 2
Geo. 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 Cadenhead households.

FAQ

Cadenhead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cadenhead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 147 people were recorded with the Cadenhead surname. That placed it at #15,674 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cadenhead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016. That gives Cadenhead a modern rank of #24,625.

What does the Cadenhead surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name in Scotland.

What does the Cadenhead map show?

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