NameCensus.

UK surname

Cordiner

A surname derived from the Old French word "cordier" meaning a maker of ropes or cords.

In the 1881 census there were 401 people recorded with the Cordiner surname, ranking it #7,959 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 692, ranked #7,773, up from #7,959 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Heslerton, Southend and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Longside and Rattray, Peterhead Harbour and Cruden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cordiner is 709 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 72.6%.

1881 census count

401

Ranked #7,959

Modern count

692

2016, ranked #7,773

Peak year

2010

709 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cordiner had 401 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,959 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 692 in 2016, ranked #7,773.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 562 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Cordiner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cordiner surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cordiner 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 248 #8,840
1861 historical 244 #10,087
1881 historical 401 #7,959
1891 historical 493 #7,514
1901 historical 562 #7,419
1911 historical 79 #24,903
1997 modern 650 #7,655
1998 modern 681 #7,638
1999 modern 682 #7,669
2000 modern 707 #7,436
2001 modern 683 #7,500
2002 modern 687 #7,625
2003 modern 681 #7,558
2004 modern 671 #7,665
2005 modern 664 #7,660
2006 modern 646 #7,844
2007 modern 664 #7,745
2008 modern 681 #7,644
2009 modern 702 #7,626
2010 modern 709 #7,710
2011 modern 688 #7,791
2012 modern 674 #7,852
2013 modern 686 #7,869
2014 modern 689 #7,875
2015 modern 688 #7,828
2016 modern 692 #7,773

Geography

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Where Cordiners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Heslerton, Southend, Gateshead, Edinburgh and Fraserburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Longside and Rattray, Peterhead Harbour, Cruden, Peterhead Ugieside and Peterhead Bay. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Heslerton Yorkshire, North Riding
2 Southend Argyll
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Fraserburgh Aberdeen

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Longside and Rattray Aberdeenshire
2 Peterhead Harbour Aberdeenshire
3 Cruden Aberdeenshire
4 Peterhead Ugieside Aberdeenshire
5 Peterhead Bay Aberdeenshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cordiner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cordiner

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Cordiner is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cordiner is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Cordiner

The surname Cordiner is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French word "cordouanier," meaning a shoemaker or worker of cordovan leather. Cordovan was a fine leather from Cordoba, Spain, and those who worked with this material adopted the surname.

In early Scottish records, the name appears with various spellings, including Cordiner, Cordner, and Cordener. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Robertus Cordenare" appears in these rolls.

The Cordiner surname is closely associated with the historic Scottish town of Banff, where a family of Cordiners held significant influence and served as burgesses (town councillors) and merchants. In 1489, a record mentions John Cordiner, a burgess of Banff. Another notable Cordiner from Banff was Sir Robert Cordiner (1616-1673), a merchant and landowner who served as Provost (Mayor) of Banff.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cordiners were among the most prominent families in Banff. They owned several properties, including the Cordiner's Aisle in the local church, which served as their family burial vault. The Cordiners' coat of arms, featuring three shoemakers' knives, reflects their association with the shoemaking trade.

Outside of Scotland, the Cordiner surname also appeared in England, particularly in the northern counties. In the 17th century, records show a Cordiner family residing in the village of Warkworth, Northumberland. One notable member of this family was William Cordiner (1654-1732), an Anglican clergyman who served as the Rector of Warkworth.

Another individual of note is James Cordiner (1736-1828), a Scottish antiquarian and writer. Born in Banffshire, he authored several works, including "Remarkable Ruins and Romantic Prospects of North Britain" (1788), which documented many historic sites in Scotland.

In the United States, the Cordiner surname can be traced back to Scottish immigrants who arrived in the 18th and 19th centuries. One early bearer of the name was John Cordiner (1801-1859), a Scottish-born merchant who settled in Philadelphia and became a prominent businessman.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cordiner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cordiner 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 301 Cordiners recorded in 1881 and an index of 83.08x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 301 83.08x
Argyllshire 18 16.53x
Lanarkshire 17 1.34x
Yorkshire 10 0.26x
Durham 8 0.69x
Stirlingshire 8 5.55x
Angus 7 1.93x
Kincardineshire 6 12.60x
Midlothian 6 1.15x
East Lothian 5 9.65x
Lincolnshire 5 0.80x
Morayshire 3 4.94x
Lancashire 2 0.04x
Shetland 2 5.01x
Buteshire 1 4.22x
Caithness 1 1.87x
Surrey 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Peterhead in Aberdeenshire leads with 250 Cordiners recorded in 1881 and an index of 1304.80x.

Place Total Index
Peterhead 250 1304.80x
Aberdeen Old Machar 17 22.47x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 13 19.18x
Southend 13 1015.63x
Cruden 11 235.55x
Barony 8 2.50x
Lesmahagow 7 52.32x
Balfron 6 337.08x
Nigg 6 152.28x
Great Grimsby 5 12.59x
Haddington 5 65.36x
Montrose 5 22.77x
Campbeltown 4 30.44x
Eggleston 4 400.00x
Fraserburgh 4 39.22x
Gateshead 4 4.59x
Ampleforth St Peter 3 967.74x
Drainie 3 55.76x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 3 1.42x
Dundee 2 1.48x
East Heslerton 2 487.80x
Lerwick Gulberwick 2 32.36x
Rathen 2 52.63x
Scarborough 2 5.68x
South Leith 2 3.39x
Toxteth Park 2 1.27x
Alford 1 50.76x
Ampleforth Oswaldkirk 1 256.41x
Bothwell 1 2.91x
Dunoon Kilmun 1 11.78x
Eddlethorpe 1 1428.57x
Govan 1 0.32x
Kingarth 1 58.82x
Lambeth 1 0.29x
Larbert 1 11.60x
Latheron 1 11.16x
Leith North 1 99.01x
Longside 1 23.09x
New Machar 1 49.02x
St Ninians 1 6.99x
Towie 1 98.04x
Wakefield 1 3.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Sarah 2
Ann 1
Christian 1
Elizabeth 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Maggie 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 3
Andrew 2
James 2
William 2
Henry 1
Jame 1
John 1
Sylvester 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 Cordiner households.

FAQ

Cordiner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cordiner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 401 people were recorded with the Cordiner surname. That placed it at #7,959 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cordiner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 692 in 2016. That gives Cordiner a modern rank of #7,773.

What does the Cordiner surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old French word "cordier" meaning a maker of ropes or cords.

What does the Cordiner map show?

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