NameCensus.

UK surname

Cuthbert

Famous, bright, or intelligent; derived from an Old English given name composed of the elements "cuth" (famous) and "beorht" (bright).

In the 1881 census there were 4,302 people recorded with the Cuthbert surname, ranking it #1,037 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,064, ranked #1,342, down from #1,037 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockton-on-Tees, Dalmilling and Redcar and Cleveland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cuthbert is 5,243 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.7%.

1881 census count

4,302

Ranked #1,037

Modern count

5,064

2016, ranked #1,342

Peak year

2002

5,243 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cuthbert had 4,302 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,037 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,064 in 2016, ranked #1,342.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,140 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Cuthbert surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cuthbert surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Cuthbert 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 2,704 #1,092
1861 historical 2,779 #1,049
1881 historical 4,302 #1,037
1891 historical 4,629 #1,009
1901 historical 5,140 #1,094
1911 historical 3,610 #1,447
1997 modern 5,034 #1,302
1998 modern 5,185 #1,310
1999 modern 5,234 #1,306
2000 modern 5,233 #1,300
2001 modern 5,106 #1,300
2002 modern 5,243 #1,301
2003 modern 5,056 #1,307
2004 modern 5,047 #1,310
2005 modern 4,992 #1,310
2006 modern 4,966 #1,316
2007 modern 5,003 #1,318
2008 modern 5,016 #1,322
2009 modern 5,139 #1,324
2010 modern 5,194 #1,342
2011 modern 5,145 #1,332
2012 modern 4,992 #1,339
2013 modern 5,034 #1,352
2014 modern 5,105 #1,345
2015 modern 5,089 #1,339
2016 modern 5,064 #1,342

Geography

Back to top

Where Cuthberts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockton-on-Tees, Dalmilling, Redcar and Cleveland, East Riding of Yorkshire and Maybole. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockton-on-Tees 008 Stockton-on-Tees
2 Dalmilling South Ayrshire
3 Redcar and Cleveland 010 Redcar and Cleveland
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 039 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Maybole South Ayrshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Cuthbert

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Cuthbert

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

Cuthbert is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Cuthbert

The surname Cuthbert is of Anglo-Saxon origin, initially arising in the 7th century in the area of Northumbria, which is now part of northern England and southeast Scotland. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Cuðberht," composed of the elements "cuð" meaning "famous" and "beorht" meaning "bright."

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Cuthbert can be found in the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century. This work mentions St. Cuthbert, a highly revered Anglo-Saxon monk and Bishop of Lindisfarne, who lived from around 634 to 687 AD.

The Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror, contains several entries of individuals bearing the name Cuthbert, indicating its use as a personal name and potential surname in that era.

In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Cuthbert of Canterbury served as Prior of the Benedictine monastery in Canterbury from 1170 to 1176. Additionally, Cuthbert of York, who lived from around 1145 to 1216, was a notable English Catholic prelate and Archbishop of York.

During the 13th century, the surname Cuthbert began appearing more frequently in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1274-1279, which lists individuals such as Thomas Cuthbert and Richard Cuthbert.

Noteworthy historical figures bearing the surname Cuthbert include John Cuthbert (1616-1669), an English Catholic priest and writer, and William Cuthbert (1742-1809), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.

In the realm of literature, the surname Cuthbert is associated with the English novelist and playwright Sir Lancelot Cuthbert Brenton (1786-1845), known for his naval novels and dramatic works. Additionally, the character of Cuthbert Calculus, a fictional inventor and aviator, appears in the Adventures of Tintin series by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Cuthbert families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cuthbert 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. Yorkshire leads with 472 Cuthberts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.13x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 472 1.13x
Middlesex 415 0.99x
Angus 340 8.74x
Lancashire 273 0.55x
Lanarkshire 270 1.99x
Durham 242 1.94x
Suffolk 194 3.79x
Ayrshire 188 5.98x
Lincolnshire 175 2.61x
Perthshire 165 8.76x
Northumberland 143 2.29x
Midlothian 127 2.26x
Kent 113 0.79x
Essex 112 1.35x
Surrey 111 0.54x
Fife 97 3.90x
Northamptonshire 88 2.23x
Derbyshire 69 1.05x
Renfrewshire 54 1.66x
Sussex 50 0.71x
Leicestershire 47 1.01x
Norfolk 45 0.70x
Hampshire 37 0.43x
Aberdeenshire 27 0.69x
Banffshire 24 2.76x
Berkshire 24 0.76x
Cheshire 23 0.25x
Stirlingshire 20 1.29x
Warwickshire 20 0.19x
Berwickshire 19 3.74x
Clackmannanshire 19 5.48x
Staffordshire 19 0.13x
Kincardineshire 18 3.52x
Kinross-shire 18 16.96x
West Lothian 18 2.85x
Nottinghamshire 17 0.30x
Hertfordshire 16 0.55x
Cumberland 15 0.42x
Sutherland 15 4.65x
Gloucestershire 14 0.17x
Inverness-shire 13 1.04x
Bedfordshire 11 0.51x
Nairnshire 11 8.59x
Morayshire 10 1.53x
Caithness 9 1.57x
Roxburghshire 9 1.18x
Worcestershire 9 0.16x
East Lothian 7 1.26x
Pembrokeshire 7 0.52x
Montgomeryshire 6 0.62x
Orkney 5 1.08x
Shropshire 5 0.14x
Argyllshire 4 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.15x
Channel Islands 4 0.32x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.35x
Glamorgan 4 0.05x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 0.66x
Buteshire 3 1.18x
Dorset 3 0.11x
Peeblesshire 3 1.52x
Wiltshire 3 0.08x
Devon 2 0.02x
Royal Navy 2 0.40x
Selkirkshire 2 0.53x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Herefordshire 1 0.06x
Monmouthshire 1 0.03x
Ross-shire 1 0.09x
Somerset 1 0.01x
Westmorland 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 108 Cuthberts recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.44x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 108 7.44x
Govan 101 3.01x
Barony 78 2.27x
Liff Benvie 75 12.70x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 66 2.92x
Glasgow 55 2.28x
Glossop Dale 52 16.90x
Islington London 52 1.28x
Stockton On Tees 44 7.31x
Forfar 41 19.47x
Caputh 40 134.95x
Montrose 39 16.55x
Hackney London 38 1.61x
Irthlingborough 37 95.58x
Mile End Old Town London 37 4.14x
Lambeth 35 0.96x
West Ham 34 1.86x
Hinderwell 32 90.14x
Holy Trinity 28 2.80x
Bishopwearmouth 27 2.52x
Everton 27 1.70x
Kensington London 27 1.16x
Westoe 27 3.81x
Perth East Church 26 14.64x
Raunds 26 64.68x
Sculcoates 26 3.94x
St George In East London 25 6.33x
Shoreditch London 24 1.32x
Tweedmouth 24 30.82x
Deptford St Paul 23 2.08x
Hastings St Mary 23 13.06x
Loughton 23 56.15x
Brechin 22 14.40x
Camberwell 22 0.82x
St Quivox 22 20.71x
Dawdon 21 13.67x
Newton On Ayr 21 22.32x
Over Darwen 21 5.28x
Patrck Brmptn Newton 21 282.64x
Edmonton 20 5.91x
Salford 20 1.37x
Aberdour 19 75.91x
Hulme 19 1.83x
Ipswich St Clement 19 14.62x
Liverpool 19 0.63x
Normanby In 19 17.09x
Tonbridge 19 3.68x
West Derby 19 1.30x
Ayr 18 12.14x
Barrow On Humber 18 46.21x
Coylton 18 40.39x
Heaton Norris 18 6.35x
Maybole 18 18.82x
St Pancras London 18 0.53x
Witton Gilbert 18 36.51x
Anstruther Wester 17 175.80x
Manchester 17 0.76x
Stanwick 17 180.85x
Alloa 16 9.52x
Blairgowrie 16 21.47x
Leicester St Margaret 16 1.41x
Lofthouse 16 25.76x
St Vigeans 16 7.62x
Ardrossan 15 13.79x
Bow London 15 2.81x
Dundonald 15 12.95x
Egerton 15 120.00x
Heworth 15 6.10x
Poplar London 15 1.89x
Sheffield 15 1.13x
Wakefield 15 4.70x
Orwell 14 47.86x
Stowmarket 14 23.70x
Tealby 14 148.78x
West Greenock 14 2.40x
Carham 13 80.45x
Easington In Patrington 13 236.79x
Kildonan 13 46.51x
Tynemouth 13 3.89x
West Bromwich 13 1.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 190
Elizabeth 112
Sarah 90
Jane 77
Ann 57
Annie 43
Emma 41
Margaret 40
Alice 39
Eliza 33
Ellen 32
Emily 29
Maria 25
Hannah 20
Isabella 20
Louisa 19
Martha 19
Harriet 17
Ada 15
Fanny 15
Florence 14
Frances 14
Catherine 13
Clara 13
Kate 13
Rebecca 13
Anne 12
Edith 12
Amelia 11
Charlotte 10
Elizth. 10
Esther 8
Julia 8
Matilda 8
Agnes 7
Amy 7
Lizzie 7
Susan 7
Barbara 6
Caroline 5
Gertrude 5
Helen 5
Jessie 5
Laura 5
Lucy 5
Marion 5
May 5
Eva 4
Francis 4
Mabel 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 167
William 161
George 117
James 104
Thomas 89
Henry 62
Robert 60
Charles 57
Joseph 39
Edward 30
Frederick 26
Richard 26
David 22
Alfred 19
Walter 19
Arthur 18
Stephen 16
Albert 15
Ernest 15
Harry 15
Frank 14
Samuel 14
Fred 9
Herbert 8
Thos. 8
Tom 8
Andrew 7
Edwin 7
Jonathan 6
Ralph 6
Benjamin 5
Hugh 5
Percy 5
Peter 5
Sidney 5
Wm. 5
Alexander 4
Chas. 4
Fredrick 4
Jno. 4
Martin 4
Eleazer 3
Forbes 3
Geo. 3
Jas. 3
Lewis 3
Horace 2
Jesse 2
Maurice 2
Wright 2

FAQ

Cuthbert surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cuthbert surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,302 people were recorded with the Cuthbert surname. That placed it at #1,037 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cuthbert surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,064 in 2016. That gives Cuthbert a modern rank of #1,342.

What does the Cuthbert surname mean?

Famous, bright, or intelligent; derived from an Old English given name composed of the elements "cuth" (famous) and "beorht" (bright).

What does the Cuthbert map show?

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