NameCensus.

UK surname

Cleghorn

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Lanark, meaning "hayfield near a steep hollow."

In the 1881 census there were 833 people recorded with the Cleghorn surname, ranking it #4,520 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 731, ranked #7,448, down from #4,520 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Melrose, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Galashiels South, Northumberland and Galashiels North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cleghorn is 948 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 12.2%.

1881 census count

833

Ranked #4,520

Modern count

731

2016, ranked #7,448

Peak year

1901

948 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cleghorn had 833 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,520 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 731 in 2016, ranked #7,448.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 948 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Cleghorn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cleghorn surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Cleghorn 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 630 #4,122
1861 historical 691 #3,904
1881 historical 833 #4,520
1891 historical 790 #5,085
1901 historical 948 #4,941
1911 historical 537 #7,421
1997 modern 794 #6,573
1998 modern 815 #6,660
1999 modern 812 #6,717
2000 modern 773 #6,955
2001 modern 735 #7,086
2002 modern 735 #7,221
2003 modern 716 #7,246
2004 modern 730 #7,161
2005 modern 727 #7,121
2006 modern 740 #7,061
2007 modern 730 #7,213
2008 modern 754 #7,077
2009 modern 760 #7,177
2010 modern 791 #7,095
2011 modern 760 #7,230
2012 modern 733 #7,356
2013 modern 739 #7,432
2014 modern 737 #7,486
2015 modern 734 #7,448
2016 modern 731 #7,448

Geography

Back to top

Where Cleghorns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Melrose, Gateshead, Edinburgh, Penicuik and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Galashiels South, Northumberland, Galashiels North, Selkirk and Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 Melrose Roxburgh
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Penicuik Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Galashiels South Scottish Borders
2 Northumberland 004 Northumberland
3 Galashiels North Scottish Borders
4 Selkirk Scottish Borders
5 Newcastle upon Tyne 004 Newcastle upon Tyne

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Cleghorn

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Cleghorn

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cleghorn, 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 Cleghorn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cleghorn 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, Cleghorn 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

Cleghorn 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

Cleghorn falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Cleghorn

The surname Cleghorn is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Clydesdale region of Scotland in the Middle Ages. The name is believed to be a locational surname, derived from the lands of Cleghorn in the parish of Covington and Thankertown in Lanarkshire.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing as "de Clegyrne" in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during his invasion of Scotland. This suggests the name was well-established by the late 13th century in Scotland.

The name is thought to originate from the Old English words "clæg" meaning clay or clayland, and "hyrne" meaning a corner or nook, thus describing the geographic location of the lands from which the name is derived. The Cleghorn family was prominent landowners in this area during the medieval period.

One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Robert Cleghorn, a Scottish knight who fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England in the early 14th century. His descendants continued to hold lands in Lanarkshire for several centuries.

Another prominent figure was William Cleghorn (1718-1754), a Scottish physician and botanist who served as a surgeon in the East India Company and made significant contributions to the study of Indian flora. He published several influential works on the subject during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, Andrew Cleghorn (1785-1841) was a Scottish horticulturist and botanist who introduced many new plant species to Scotland from his travels abroad. He served as the head gardener at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh for over three decades.

The name also has a long association with the legal profession in Scotland, including James Cleghorn (1778-1838), a prominent lawyer and legal writer, and Thomas Cleghorn (1820-1898), a Scottish judge and Senator of the College of Justice.

While the name originated in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has been borne by various notable individuals, such as Robert Cleghorn Bunten (1892-1968), a Canadian politician and lawyer.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Cleghorn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cleghorn 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 110 Cleghorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.24x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 110 10.24x
Northumberland 109 9.14x
Middlesex 83 1.04x
Durham 77 3.23x
Berwickshire 60 61.79x
Selkirkshire 56 77.20x
Lanarkshire 52 2.01x
Lancashire 48 0.50x
Roxburghshire 44 30.29x
Surrey 23 0.59x
Angus 20 2.69x
Staffordshire 16 0.59x
Yorkshire 14 0.18x
Perthshire 13 3.61x
Fife 12 2.53x
Peeblesshire 12 31.82x
Cheshire 10 0.57x
Caithness 9 8.20x
Bedfordshire 7 1.69x
Renfrewshire 7 1.13x
Suffolk 6 0.61x
East Lothian 5 4.71x
Essex 5 0.32x
Cumberland 3 0.43x
Kent 3 0.11x
Ayrshire 2 0.33x
Flintshire 2 0.93x
West Lothian 2 1.66x
Westmorland 2 1.13x
Argyllshire 1 0.45x
Denbighshire 1 0.33x
Devon 1 0.06x
Dorset 1 0.19x
Hertfordshire 1 0.18x
Northamptonshire 1 0.13x
Somerset 1 0.08x
Stirlingshire 1 0.34x
Sussex 1 0.07x
Worcestershire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 59 Cleghorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.65x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 59 13.65x
Melrose 37 202.63x
Gateshead 24 13.44x
Hackney London 20 4.45x
Westoe 20 14.79x
Hutton 18 676.69x
Newton 17 470.91x
Penicuik 17 116.44x
Westgate 16 21.66x
Dunse 15 162.87x
Islington London 15 1.93x
Clapham 12 11.97x
Coldingham 12 137.46x
Govan 12 1.87x
Peebles 12 107.62x
Berwick Upon Tweed 11 43.51x
Kelso 11 76.02x
Newcastle On Tyne St 11 17.79x
Everton 10 3.30x
Barony 9 1.37x
Cupar 9 43.60x
Glasgow 9 1.95x
Hobkirk 9 491.80x
Monkwearmouth 9 39.42x
Cambusnethan 8 13.89x
Cheetham 8 11.27x
Crailing 8 454.55x
Dunnet 8 181.41x
Tynemouth 8 12.52x
Walsall Foreign 8 5.72x
Aspley Guise 7 176.32x
Bishopwearmouth 7 3.42x
Bromley London 7 3.97x
Elswick 7 7.35x
Kirkhope 7 466.67x
Liberton 7 42.22x
Liff Benvie 7 6.21x
Lowick 7 168.67x
Selkirk 7 34.25x
Ayton 6 106.57x
Bamburgh 6 631.58x
Eglingham Crawley Hedgeley 6 952.38x
Framwellgate 6 42.46x
Fulham London 6 5.16x
Hawick 6 18.46x
Lambeth 6 0.86x
Leeds 6 1.34x
Little Dunkeld 6 98.20x
Manchester 6 1.40x
Mile End Old Town London 6 3.52x
Roxburgh 6 215.83x
Rutherglen 6 15.77x
St George Bloomsbury 6 13.04x
Byker 5 8.48x
Cambuslang 5 19.13x
Cornhill 5 277.78x
Darlington 5 5.43x
Galashiels 5 18.64x
Gorton 5 5.59x
North Meols 5 5.37x
Paisley Middle Church 5 13.82x
Winnington 5 255.10x
Camberwell 4 0.78x
Chorlton On Medlock 4 2.65x
Dunbar 4 26.86x
Dundee 4 1.44x
Glamis 4 89.29x
Hunslet 4 3.23x
Jesmond 4 23.82x
Milfield 4 833.33x
Murroes 4 194.17x
Seaton Delaval 4 38.17x
St Bartholomew Great 4 54.79x
Trentham 4 17.38x
West Ham 4 1.14x
Bradford 3 1.56x
Eccles 3 70.59x
Longbenton 3 5.94x
Walton 3 85.71x
Wilton 3 18.82x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 20
Jane 19
Elizabeth 17
Margaret 16
Sarah 16
Agnes 8
Isabella 8
Eliza 7
Alice 6
Ann 5
Ada 3
Annie 3
Helen 3
Isabel 3
Janet 3
Kate 3
Maria 3
Susan 3
Christiana 2
Christina 2
Eleanor 2
Ethel 2
Florence 2
Grace 2
Hannah 2
Jessie 2
June 2
Laura 2
Louisa 2
Margt. 2
Maud 2
Rebecca 2
Rosina 2
Amelia 1
Angelia 1
Christania 1
Clara 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Euphemia 1
Evelene 1
Gargina 1
George 1
Jeanie 1
Jemima 1
Joan 1
Joanna 1
Wilhelmina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 22
John 21
William 19
Thomas 18
George 14
Robert 13
David 9
Arthur 7
Alexander 6
Joseph 6
Charles 5
Adam 4
Henry 4
Ralph 4
Thos. 4
Walter 4
Edmund 3
Francis 2
Frederick 2
Matthew 2
Rinnian 2
Robt. 2
Simeon 2
Albert 1
Alex. 1
Alfred 1
Ann 1
Archibald 1
Earnest 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Edwd. 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Geo.M. 1
Harrold 1
Jas. 1
Lawrence 1
Peter 1
Thomas.A. 1
Tom 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cleghorn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cleghorn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 833 people were recorded with the Cleghorn surname. That placed it at #4,520 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cleghorn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 731 in 2016. That gives Cleghorn a modern rank of #7,448.

What does the Cleghorn surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Lanark, meaning "hayfield near a steep hollow."

What does the Cleghorn map show?

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