NameCensus.

UK surname

Cartney

A locational surname referring to someone from Carney or Cartney in Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 82 people recorded with the Cartney surname, ranking it #21,957 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 142, ranked #24,625, down from #21,957 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Bees, St Leonard Shoreditch and Aberdour. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Deer and Mormond, Auchnagatt and Friockheim.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cartney is 195 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 73.2%.

1881 census count

82

Ranked #21,957

Modern count

142

2016, ranked #24,625

Peak year

2010

195 bearers

Map years

5

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cartney had 82 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,957 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 169 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Cartney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cartney surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cartney 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 75 #20,268
1861 historical 169 #13,823
1881 historical 82 #21,957
1891 historical 130 #20,173
1901 historical 83 #24,900
1911 historical 51 #27,708
1997 modern 120 #24,158
1998 modern 132 #23,394
1999 modern 134 #23,378
2000 modern 133 #23,462
2001 modern 130 #23,457
2002 modern 136 #23,296
2003 modern 135 #23,155
2004 modern 129 #24,019
2005 modern 130 #23,848
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 119 #25,747
2008 modern 122 #25,638
2009 modern 134 #24,711
2010 modern 195 #19,762
2011 modern 138 #24,615
2012 modern 138 #24,614
2013 modern 140 #24,779
2014 modern 141 #24,855
2015 modern 141 #24,723
2016 modern 142 #24,625

Geography

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Where Cartneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Bees, St Leonard Shoreditch, Aberdour, Workington (Workington), Clossocks and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Deer and Mormond, Auchnagatt, Friockheim, Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg North and Ellon East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St Bees Cumberland
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 Aberdour Aberdeen
4 Workington (Workington), Clossocks Cumberland
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Deer and Mormond Aberdeenshire
2 Auchnagatt Aberdeenshire
3 Friockheim Angus
4 Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg North Aberdeen City
5 Ellon East Aberdeenshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cartney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cartney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cartney, 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 Cartney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Cartney 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Cartney is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cartney 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

Cartney falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cartney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cartney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cartney

The surname Cartney has its origins in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cart" and "ney," meaning "dweller near the rough hilly ground." The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early spellings including "de Cartney" and "Cartenay."

One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273. It mentions a John de Cartney from the village of Cartmel in Lancashire. This village likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

In the 14th century, the Cartney family established themselves as landowners and members of the gentry in the North of England. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379 list several Cartneys, including Robert Cartney of Skipton and William Cartney of Keighley.

During the Tudor period, the Cartneys were prominent in the wool trade and owned several mills in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Richard Cartney (1512-1582), a wealthy wool merchant from Halifax, was known for his philanthropic work and endowed a grammar school in the town.

In the 17th century, the Cartney family branched out into other professions. John Cartney (1624-1689) was a notable clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. His son, William Cartney (1653-1712), was a respected lawyer and served as a Justice of the Peace in the West Riding.

The Cartneys continued to play an essential role in the social and economic life of northern England throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Notable figures include Sir Robert Cartney (1745-1818), a wealthy industrialist and landowner in Lancashire, and Elizabeth Cartney (1790-1865), a pioneering educationist who founded several schools for girls in Yorkshire.

While the name Cartney is not as common today as it once was in its traditional heartlands, it remains a part of the region's rich heritage and can be found throughout the United Kingdom and in other parts of the world where English settlers migrated.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cartney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cartney 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 17 Cartneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.09x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 17 25.09x
Lancashire 12 1.38x
Durham 8 3.68x
Middlesex 8 1.09x
Cumberland 6 9.53x
Lanarkshire 6 2.54x
Essex 5 3.46x
Northumberland 3 2.76x
Renfrewshire 3 5.29x
Cheshire 2 1.24x
Yorkshire 2 0.28x
Kent 1 0.40x
Stirlingshire 1 3.71x
Surrey 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdour in Aberdeenshire leads with 11 Cartneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2075.47x.

Place Total Index
Aberdour 11 2075.47x
Shoreditch London 8 25.23x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 7 74.23x
West Derby 6 23.62x
Leyton 5 200.80x
Cockermouth 4 300.75x
Govan 4 6.84x
Hedley Woodside 3 2727.27x
Ince In Makerfield 3 74.26x
Tyrie 3 352.94x
Abbey 2 23.12x
Ashton Under Lyne 2 10.54x
Glasgow 2 4.76x
Camberwell 1 2.14x
Chester St Olave 1 714.29x
Darlington 1 11.90x
Hatton In Waverton 1 2500.00x
Longside 1 123.46x
Middlesbrough 1 10.59x
Rathen 1 140.85x
Slamannan 1 67.57x
Strichen 1 169.49x
Teynham 1 222.22x
Thornaby 1 36.90x
Thornton In Fylde 1 52.63x
West Greenock 1 9.82x
Whitehaven 1 29.76x
Workington 1 27.70x

Top female names

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

Name Count
James 5
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
William 2
Arthur 1
Daniel 1
George 1
Heugh 1
John 1
Michael 1
Patk. 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Thomas 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 Cartney households.

FAQ

Cartney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cartney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 82 people were recorded with the Cartney surname. That placed it at #21,957 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cartney surname today?

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

What does the Cartney surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Carney or Cartney in Scotland.

What does the Cartney map show?

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