NameCensus.

UK surname

Crombie

A surname derived from a Scottish place name meaning "crooked or winding stream".

In the 1881 census there were 1,697 people recorded with the Crombie surname, ranking it #2,537 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,240, ranked #2,900, down from #2,537 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Eyemouth, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, Northumberland and Dysart.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Crombie is 2,302 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.0%.

1881 census count

1,697

Ranked #2,537

Modern count

2,240

2016, ranked #2,900

Peak year

1998

2,302 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Crombie had 1,697 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,537 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,240 in 2016, ranked #2,900.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,206 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Crombie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Crombie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Crombie 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 947 #2,931
1861 historical 1,088 #2,579
1881 historical 1,697 #2,537
1891 historical 1,826 #2,516
1901 historical 2,206 #2,450
1911 historical 660 #6,361
1997 modern 2,207 #2,814
1998 modern 2,302 #2,810
1999 modern 2,299 #2,827
2000 modern 2,281 #2,831
2001 modern 2,207 #2,862
2002 modern 2,241 #2,876
2003 modern 2,214 #2,848
2004 modern 2,242 #2,819
2005 modern 2,234 #2,792
2006 modern 2,219 #2,817
2007 modern 2,227 #2,826
2008 modern 2,226 #2,856
2009 modern 2,272 #2,865
2010 modern 2,285 #2,914
2011 modern 2,218 #2,953
2012 modern 2,217 #2,900
2013 modern 2,269 #2,890
2014 modern 2,294 #2,876
2015 modern 2,267 #2,871
2016 modern 2,240 #2,900

Geography

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Where Crombies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Eyemouth, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Berwick-on-Tweed. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, Northumberland, Dysart, Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown and Eyemouth. 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 Eyemouth Berwick
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Berwick-on-Tweed Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 005 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Northumberland 001 Northumberland
3 Dysart Fife
4 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife
5 Eyemouth Scottish Borders

Forenames

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First names often paired with Crombie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Crombie

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

Crombie 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

Crombie 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 Crombie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Crombie

The surname Crombie finds its origins in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "crom" and "bī," which together translate to "crooked dwelling" or "crooked farmstead." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a dwelling or farmstead situated on a bend or curve.

The Crombies were historically concentrated in the northeast of Scotland, particularly in Aberdeenshire and the surrounding areas. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where a John de Crombath is mentioned. This document was a historical record of landowners and nobles who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Cromby, Crombie, and Crumby, in records from Aberdeen and the surrounding regions. One notable example is Alexander Crombie, who was a merchant and burgess of Aberdeen in the late 16th century.

The Crombie name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Crombie, a Scottish landowner and laird of Kemnay in Aberdeenshire, who lived from 1565 to 1625. Another prominent figure was Alexander Crombie (1762-1840), a Scottish lawyer and author who wrote several works on Scottish history and law.

In the 19th century, James Crombie (1809-1873) was a successful Scottish industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Crombie textile and clothing company, which became renowned for its high-quality coats and outerwear. The Crombie coat, a classic overcoat style, remains popular to this day.

Other notable individuals with the Crombie surname include James Crombie (1928-2003), a Scottish artist and painter known for his abstract and landscape works, and Lewis Crombie (1652-1727), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian who wrote several influential religious works.

While the Crombie name has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish emigration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the northeastern regions of Scotland and the Old English words that gave rise to this distinctive surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Crombie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Crombie 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. Fife leads with 237 Crombies recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.43x.

County Total Index
Fife 237 24.43x
Midlothian 201 9.16x
Aberdeenshire 179 11.79x
Lanarkshire 138 2.60x
Berwickshire 80 40.31x
Northumberland 62 2.54x
Stirlingshire 62 10.26x
Durham 59 1.21x
Ayrshire 51 4.16x
Staffordshire 51 0.92x
Yorkshire 48 0.30x
Renfrewshire 47 3.70x
East Lothian 46 21.19x
Morayshire 45 17.67x
Lancashire 40 0.21x
Middlesex 39 0.24x
Perthshire 34 4.62x
Surrey 31 0.39x
Dunbartonshire 29 6.58x
Kent 24 0.43x
Kinross-shire 21 50.69x
Caithness 17 7.58x
Kincardineshire 14 7.02x
Ross-shire 12 2.67x
Peeblesshire 10 12.97x
Dumfriesshire 9 2.49x
Clackmannanshire 8 5.91x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 3.37x
Lincolnshire 8 0.31x
Suffolk 8 0.40x
West Lothian 7 2.84x
Angus 6 0.40x
Glamorgan 6 0.21x
Roxburghshire 6 2.02x
Sussex 6 0.22x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.50x
Selkirkshire 5 3.37x
Hampshire 4 0.12x
Derbyshire 3 0.12x
Shropshire 3 0.21x
Banffshire 2 0.59x
Buteshire 2 2.01x
Northamptonshire 2 0.13x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.09x
Argyllshire 1 0.22x
Devon 1 0.03x
Wigtownshire 1 0.46x

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 97 Crombies recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.98x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 97 10.98x
Aberdeen Old Machar 75 23.67x
Govan 70 5.34x
Eyemouth 50 301.93x
Dysart 48 73.47x
Dunfermline 45 30.17x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 40 14.09x
East Greenock 36 30.02x
Leek Lowe 32 43.48x
Berwick Upon Tweed 31 60.00x
Glasgow 27 2.87x
South Leith 26 10.52x
Falkirk 22 15.55x
Bishopwearmouth 21 5.02x
Bonhill 20 28.29x
West Calder 19 43.91x
Straiton 18 258.25x
Barony 17 1.27x
Kinross 16 112.68x
Latheron 16 42.63x
North Leith 16 15.75x
Cupar 15 35.55x
Haddington 15 46.82x
Kirkcaldy 15 31.18x
Leslie 15 61.07x
Burntisland 14 51.62x
Foveran 14 121.85x
Markinch 14 42.51x
Lambeth 13 0.91x
Abbotshall 12 33.10x
Croydon 12 2.71x
Duffus 11 49.02x
Kilmadock 11 65.05x
Muiravonside 11 71.66x
Wolverhampton 11 2.59x
Auchterarder 10 48.71x
Belhelvie 10 96.34x
Bunkle Preston 10 245.10x
Cramond 10 60.10x
Inveresk 10 16.82x
Liverpool 10 0.85x
Maybole 10 26.78x
South Shields 10 23.03x
Urquhart 10 83.13x
Auchtermuchty 9 69.07x
Dalmellington 9 24.96x
Drainie 9 39.89x
Dumbarton 9 14.68x
Erith 9 16.34x
Falkland 9 58.98x
Hackney London 9 0.98x
Innerleithen 9 43.99x
Lockwood 9 15.40x
Monkwearmouth 9 19.28x
Nigg 9 54.51x
Stirling 9 11.81x
Barrow In Furness 8 3.02x
Brocklesby 8 544.22x
Coldingham 8 44.84x
Dunse 8 42.51x
Islington London 8 0.50x
Longbenton 8 7.75x
New Machar 8 93.79x
Sculcoates 8 3.11x
Tweedmouth 8 26.32x
West Derby 8 1.41x
Alloa 7 10.67x
Barlaston 7 151.84x
Bellie 7 60.82x
Collessie 7 62.67x
Dalton 7 215.38x
Gate Fulford 7 18.46x
Kelton 7 35.92x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 7 21.83x
Perth East Church 7 10.09x
Stenton 7 209.58x
Stranton 7 4.26x
Wemyss 7 17.05x
Whitekirk Tynninghame 7 117.85x
Clase 6 5.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Elizabeth 14
Margaret 12
Agnes 10
Jane 10
Annie 9
Isabella 9
Sarah 8
Ann 5
Catherine 5
Eliza 5
Harriet 5
Alice 4
Elizth. 4
Ellen 4
Margt. 4
Clara 3
Emily 3
Janet 3
Louisa 3
Ada 2
Barbara 2
Emma 2
Euphemia 2
Florance 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Hannah 2
Helen 2
Jessie 2
Kate 2
Lillias 2
Maggie 2
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Bridget 1
Caroline 1
Cath. 1
Christine 1
Deborah 1
Edith 1
Effie 1
Elener 1
Ester 1
Georgina 1
Gracie 1
Janette 1
Jeannette 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 28
George 22
James 21
William 14
Thomas 12
David 11
Robert 11
Alexander 8
Henry 6
Charles 5
Peter 5
Andrew 3
Edward 3
Francis 3
Albert 2
Alex 2
Dennis 2
Frank 2
Johnston 2
Joseph 2
Kenneth 2
Patrick 2
Reuben 2
Alfred 1
Alice 1
Ankitt 1
Archibald 1
Arthur 1
Aymer 1
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Infant 1
Johan 1
Johnstone 1
Morgan 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Rupert 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Selina 1
Stewart 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wiliam 1

FAQ

Crombie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Crombie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,697 people were recorded with the Crombie surname. That placed it at #2,537 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Crombie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,240 in 2016. That gives Crombie a modern rank of #2,900.

What does the Crombie surname mean?

A surname derived from a Scottish place name meaning "crooked or winding stream".

What does the Crombie map show?

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