NameCensus.

UK surname

Calderwood

A locational surname referring to someone from a place where an alder tree grew near a forest.

In the 1881 census there were 1,074 people recorded with the Calderwood surname, ranking it #3,687 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,303, ranked #4,597, down from #3,687 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Beith, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington, Kilbirnie South and Longbar and Garelochhead.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Calderwood is 1,326 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.3%.

1881 census count

1,074

Ranked #3,687

Modern count

1,303

2016, ranked #4,597

Peak year

1901

1,326 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Calderwood had 1,074 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,687 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,303 in 2016, ranked #4,597.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,326 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Calderwood surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Calderwood surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Calderwood 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 733 #3,586
1861 historical 771 #3,570
1881 historical 1,074 #3,687
1891 historical 1,116 #3,805
1901 historical 1,326 #3,777
1911 historical 317 #11,011
1997 modern 1,271 #4,483
1998 modern 1,297 #4,577
1999 modern 1,309 #4,573
2000 modern 1,266 #4,691
2001 modern 1,235 #4,691
2002 modern 1,296 #4,585
2003 modern 1,238 #4,683
2004 modern 1,247 #4,651
2005 modern 1,227 #4,671
2006 modern 1,194 #4,794
2007 modern 1,235 #4,708
2008 modern 1,228 #4,758
2009 modern 1,248 #4,786
2010 modern 1,276 #4,788
2011 modern 1,274 #4,734
2012 modern 1,254 #4,727
2013 modern 1,286 #4,703
2014 modern 1,306 #4,658
2015 modern 1,294 #4,656
2016 modern 1,303 #4,597

Geography

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Where Calderwoods are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington, Kilbirnie South and Longbar, Garelochhead, Renfrew West and Dundonald, Loans and Symington. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Beith Ayr
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Kilmarnock Ayr

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington Renfrewshire
2 Kilbirnie South and Longbar North Ayrshire
3 Garelochhead Argyll and Bute
4 Renfrew West Renfrewshire
5 Dundonald, Loans and Symington South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Calderwood

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Calderwood

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Calderwood surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Calderwood household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Calderwood 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

Calderwood 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

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

Meaning and origin of Calderwood

The surname Calderwood has its roots in Scotland, originating from the lands of Calderwood located in the parish of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "calder," meaning a cold stream or river, and "wudu," meaning a wood or forest, thus signifying the wooded area near a cold stream or river.

The earliest record of the name Calderwood can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name is spelled as "de Calder Wode." This suggests that the Calderwood family held lands in the area during the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Baillie Court of Lanarkshire, where a John Calderwood is mentioned as a landowner in the parish of East Kilbride in 1573. This further solidifies the connection between the surname and the lands of Calderwood.

One notable historical figure bearing the Calderwood surname was David Calderwood (1575-1650), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and historian. He is best known for his comprehensive historical work, "The True History of the Church of Scotland," which chronicled the events of the Scottish Reformation from 1560 to 1625.

Another prominent individual with the Calderwood surname was Sir William Calderwood (1820-1898), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the cotton trade and was instrumental in the establishment of several educational institutions in Scotland, including the Calderwood Lodge School in East Kilbride.

The Calderwood surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Calderwood Castle, a 16th-century tower house located near East Kilbride, and Calderwood Glen, a picturesque wooded valley in the same area.

Over the centuries, the Calderwood surname has seen various spellings, including Calderwode, Calderwud, and Caulderwod, reflecting the evolving nature of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Other notable individuals with the Calderwood surname include:

1. Henry Calderwood (1830-1897), a Scottish philosopher and academic who served as the Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.

2. John Calderwood (1788-1858), a Scottish artist known for his landscape paintings and portraits.

3. Margaret Calderwood (1857-1909), a Scottish novelist and children's author, known for her works set in rural Scotland.

4. Robert Calderwood (1716-1789), a Scottish poet and dramatist, who wrote several plays and poems in the Scots dialect.

5. William Calderwood (1786-1865), a Scottish minister and author, who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1842.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Calderwood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Calderwood 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. Ayrshire leads with 317 Calderwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.39x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 317 40.39x
Lanarkshire 300 8.85x
Renfrewshire 123 15.14x
Lancashire 84 0.68x
Midlothian 40 2.85x
Perthshire 31 6.59x
Middlesex 28 0.27x
Northumberland 17 1.09x
Dunbartonshire 15 5.32x
Surrey 15 0.29x
Wigtownshire 15 10.77x
Argyllshire 14 4.80x
Durham 14 0.45x
Cumberland 11 1.22x
Kent 8 0.22x
Angus 6 0.62x
Glamorgan 6 0.33x
Herefordshire 5 1.16x
Fife 4 0.64x
Dumfriesshire 3 1.30x
Gloucestershire 3 0.15x
Worcestershire 3 0.22x
West Lothian 2 1.27x
Yorkshire 2 0.02x
Cheshire 1 0.04x
Denbighshire 1 0.25x
Derbyshire 1 0.06x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.66x
Monmouthshire 1 0.13x
Orkney 1 0.87x
Peeblesshire 1 2.03x
Royal Navy 1 0.80x
Staffordshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kilmarnock in Ayrshire leads with 88 Calderwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 94.21x.

Place Total Index
Kilmarnock 88 94.21x
Govan 86 10.25x
Barony 81 9.44x
Glasgow 38 6.31x
Beith 37 157.98x
Dundonald 28 96.75x
Stewarton 28 180.30x
East Kilbride 23 158.40x
West Greenock 23 15.77x
Dalziel 19 52.08x
Fenwick 18 433.73x
Paisley Middle Church 17 35.93x
Renfrew 16 59.61x
Paisley Low Church 15 58.30x
Craigie 14 648.15x
South Leith 13 8.22x
Dalmellington 12 51.99x
Mearns 12 84.27x
Auckinleck 11 45.29x
Cambusnethan 11 14.60x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 11 1.95x
Everton 11 2.77x
Lanark 11 40.31x
Perth St Pauls 11 100.92x
Battersea 10 2.59x
Bothwell 10 10.87x
Kilbirnie 10 53.08x
Lochwinnoch 10 82.58x
Dreghorn 9 63.34x
Dunlop 9 183.67x
New Monkland 9 8.98x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 9.66x
Paisley High Church 9 13.91x
Perth East Church 9 20.28x
Campbeltown 8 22.72x
Galston 8 37.28x
Irvine 8 36.70x
Kirkdale 8 3.82x
Old Kilpatrick 8 24.02x
Pendleton In Salford 8 5.40x
Abbey 7 5.65x
Bonhill 7 15.48x
Duddingston 7 24.82x
Eaglesham 7 140.56x
Heap 7 10.61x
Kilwinning 7 27.62x
Mid Calder 7 114.94x
Newcastle On Tyne St 7 8.65x
Perth Middle Church 7 39.55x
St Pancras London 7 0.83x
Stoneykirk 7 70.28x
Dundee 6 1.65x
Islington London 6 0.59x
Kilmaurs 6 44.94x
Kilmore Kilbride 6 32.38x
Middleton In Oldham 6 16.08x
Neath 6 16.15x
Dalrymple 5 101.63x
Gateshead 5 2.14x
Greenwich 5 3.00x
Hamilton 5 5.29x
Helmington Row 5 34.41x
Hereford St Owen 5 35.21x
Maryhill 5 7.53x
Neilston 5 12.26x
St George Hanover Square 5 2.71x
Tarbolton 5 38.70x
Blackburn 4 1.21x
Burntisland 4 23.04x
Darlington 4 3.32x
Great Clifton 4 114.29x
Great Harwood 4 17.79x
Liverpool 4 0.53x
Loudoun 4 21.20x
Old Luce 4 45.51x
Perth West Church 4 17.91x
Cheltenham 3 1.89x
Elton 3 6.98x
Mile End Old Town London 3 1.34x
Portpatrick 3 64.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Elizabeth 14
Ellen 5
Jane 5
Margaret 5
Ann 4
Janet 4
Alice 3
Beatrice 3
Florence 3
Martha 3
Sarah 3
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Christiana 2
Isabella 2
Margt. 2
Maria 2
Marion 2
Rachel 2
Allison 1
Annie 1
Bettsy 1
Caroline 1
E.P. 1
Elenor 1
Elisabeth 1
Elleanor 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Isabel 1
Isabell 1
June 1
Laura 1
Lily 1
Maud 1
Robertina 1
Sarahami 1
Scoti 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
George 12
Robert 10
William 10
James 7
Wm. 5
Andrew 4
Hugh 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Adam 2
Alexander 2
Charles 2
David 2
Henry 2
Robt. 2
Arthur 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Hendry 1
Hezekiah 1
Isariah 1
Jas. 1
Maggie 1
Peter 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Calderwood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Calderwood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,074 people were recorded with the Calderwood surname. That placed it at #3,687 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Calderwood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,303 in 2016. That gives Calderwood a modern rank of #4,597.

What does the Calderwood surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a place where an alder tree grew near a forest.

What does the Calderwood map show?

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