NameCensus.

UK surname

Cuthbertson

A surname of Scottish origin derived from the given name Cuthbert, meaning "bright-fame."

In the 1881 census there were 2,303 people recorded with the Cuthbertson surname, ranking it #1,941 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,341, ranked #2,035, down from #1,941 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Govan Combination and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ryedale, Newton Stewart and North Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cuthbertson is 3,382 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.1%.

1881 census count

2,303

Ranked #1,941

Modern count

3,341

2016, ranked #2,035

Peak year

2010

3,382 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cuthbertson had 2,303 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,941 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,341 in 2016, ranked #2,035.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,843 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Cuthbertson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cuthbertson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cuthbertson 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 1,478 #1,937
1861 historical 1,676 #1,704
1881 historical 2,303 #1,941
1891 historical 2,512 #1,886
1901 historical 2,843 #1,957
1911 historical 1,316 #3,624
1997 modern 3,075 #2,091
1998 modern 3,247 #2,066
1999 modern 3,253 #2,076
2000 modern 3,262 #2,060
2001 modern 3,194 #2,064
2002 modern 3,297 #2,042
2003 modern 3,209 #2,047
2004 modern 3,189 #2,061
2005 modern 3,179 #2,042
2006 modern 3,185 #2,047
2007 modern 3,211 #2,054
2008 modern 3,265 #2,042
2009 modern 3,330 #2,051
2010 modern 3,382 #2,059
2011 modern 3,324 #2,063
2012 modern 3,246 #2,073
2013 modern 3,315 #2,066
2014 modern 3,371 #2,049
2015 modern 3,344 #2,042
2016 modern 3,341 #2,035

Geography

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Where Cuthbertsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Govan Combination, Gateshead, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ryedale, Newton Stewart, North Tyneside and IZ12. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ryedale 008 Ryedale
2 Newton Stewart Dumfries and Galloway
3 North Tyneside 008 North Tyneside
4 Ryedale 007 Ryedale
5 IZ12 East Lothian

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cuthbertson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cuthbertson

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

Cuthbertson 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

Cuthbertson 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 Cuthbertson 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.

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Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Cuthbertson

The surname Cuthbertson is of English origin, deriving from the Old English personal name "Cuthbert" which was composed of the elements "cūth" meaning "famous" and "beorht" meaning "bright" or "shining." The name was relatively common in medieval England, particularly in the north of the country.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Cuthbertson can be traced back to the late 12th century in Yorkshire, where it was often rendered as "Cudbertsun" or "Cudberdesun." This patronymic form indicated "son of Cuthbert," demonstrating the name's widespread use as a given name during that period.

Cuthbertson is closely associated with the Venerable Bede's account of St. Cuthbert, a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon monk and Bishop of Lindisfarne, who was renowned for his piety and miracles. This association likely contributed to the name's popularity in the region.

Notable historical figures with the surname Cuthbertson include William Cuthbertson (1743-1815), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Another is John Cuthbertson (1743-1821), a Scottish-born Canadian fur trader and explorer who was involved in the early settlement of the Red River Colony.

In the literary realm, James Cuthbertson (1851-1920) was a Scottish writer and journalist who authored several works on Scottish history and culture. Katharine Cuthbertson (1903-1985), on the other hand, was a British novelist and playwright known for her works depicting rural life in the Scottish Borders.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cudberdesune" in the county of Yorkshire, indicating the presence of a family bearing this name in the region during the Norman conquest of England.

While the surname Cuthbertson is predominantly found in England, Scotland, and North America, it has also been documented in other parts of the English-speaking world, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cuthbertson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cuthbertson 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. Lanarkshire leads with 443 Cuthbertsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.07x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 443 6.07x
Durham 319 4.75x
Ayrshire 276 16.34x
Northumberland 258 7.68x
Midlothian 144 4.76x
Renfrewshire 140 8.00x
Yorkshire 139 0.62x
Middlesex 74 0.33x
Lancashire 40 0.15x
Dunbartonshire 36 5.93x
Stirlingshire 36 4.32x
Dumfriesshire 35 7.02x
Surrey 35 0.32x
Cumberland 31 1.60x
Kent 25 0.32x
Roxburghshire 25 6.11x
Wigtownshire 19 6.34x
Perthshire 17 1.68x
Argyllshire 14 2.23x
East Lothian 13 4.35x
Warwickshire 13 0.23x
Nottinghamshire 12 0.39x
Staffordshire 11 0.14x
Isle of Man 10 2.39x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 3.06x
Channel Islands 9 1.35x
Cornwall 9 0.35x
Hampshire 9 0.19x
Angus 8 0.38x
Berwickshire 8 2.93x
Buteshire 8 5.85x
Derbyshire 8 0.23x
Glamorgan 8 0.20x
Inverness-shire 8 1.19x
Clackmannanshire 7 3.76x
Peeblesshire 7 6.59x
Fife 5 0.37x
Cheshire 4 0.08x
Devon 4 0.09x
Norfolk 4 0.12x
Royal Navy 4 1.49x
Worcestershire 4 0.14x
Essex 3 0.07x
Gloucestershire 3 0.07x
Sussex 3 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.10x
Bedfordshire 2 0.17x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.21x
Hertfordshire 2 0.13x
Lincolnshire 2 0.06x
Shropshire 2 0.10x
Anglesey 1 0.25x
Dorset 1 0.07x
Somerset 1 0.03x
West Lothian 1 0.29x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 130 Cuthbertsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.04x.

Place Total Index
Barony 130 7.04x
Govan 93 5.15x
Glasgow 68 5.25x
Kilmarnock 68 33.82x
Gateshead 50 9.94x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 48 3.95x
West Greenock 40 12.74x
Westgate 40 19.23x
Elswick 35 13.06x
North Sunderland 34 441.56x
Stonehouse 34 137.32x
Sculcoates 28 7.90x
Bedlington 26 23.18x
Galston 26 56.28x
Bishopwearmouth 25 4.34x
Hamilton 24 11.79x
Old Cumnock 24 63.81x
South Leith 24 7.05x
Monkwearmouth 23 35.78x
Shadforth 23 176.52x
Alva 20 50.37x
Lanark 20 34.05x
Neilston 19 21.64x
Ardrossan 17 29.07x
Bonhill 17 17.46x
Conside Knitsley 17 32.55x
Tynemouth 16 8.90x
Byker 15 9.03x
Lambeth 15 0.76x
Leeds 15 1.19x
Wilton 15 33.44x
Beith 14 27.77x
Iveston 14 45.25x
Penninghame 14 45.80x
Wingate 14 30.41x
Kilmaurs 13 45.23x
Pittington 13 68.86x
St Quivox 13 22.76x
Straiton 13 135.42x
Tranent 13 32.18x
Abbey 12 4.50x
Brigham 12 130.72x
Chirton 12 15.79x
Darlington 12 4.63x
Mearns 12 39.16x
Nottingham St Mary 12 1.52x
Renfrew 12 20.77x
Birmingham 11 0.58x
Corstorphine 11 65.95x
Islington London 11 0.50x
Moffat 11 48.33x
Skelton In Guisbrough 11 18.18x
Stewarton 11 32.90x
Westoe 11 2.89x
Battersea 10 1.20x
Everton 10 1.17x
Gorbals 10 23.08x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 10 3.44x
Langholm 10 27.90x
Onchan 10 8.28x
Stoke Upon Trent 10 1.24x
Ayr 9 11.29x
Crawford 9 66.08x
Fortingall 9 69.61x
Loudoun 9 22.15x
Medomsley 9 28.74x
Muirkirk 9 22.69x
St Peter Port 9 7.27x
Stoke Newington London 9 5.12x
Wallsend 9 8.45x
Winlaton 9 13.97x
Hackney London 8 0.63x
Kilbarchan 8 15.05x
Lauder 8 52.95x
Little Lumley 8 202.02x
Newcastle On Tyne St 8 4.60x
Ryton 8 33.90x
Sorn 8 24.10x
Staveley 8 12.75x
Whickham 8 12.95x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 63
Elizabeth 49
Margaret 39
Jane 37
Sarah 37
Isabella 22
Ann 21
Annie 15
Hannah 14
Eliza 11
Catherine 10
Alice 9
Ellen 9
Martha 9
Dorothy 8
Ada 7
Emma 7
Kate 6
Amelia 5
Eleanor 5
Ethel 5
Anne 4
Charlotte 4
Edith 4
Eliz. 4
Florence 4
Grace 4
Harriet 4
Margt. 4
Agnes 3
Barbara 3
Christina 3
Emily 3
Frances 3
Isabel 3
Jessie 3
Maria 3
Rebecca 3
Ruth 3
Susannah 3
Betsy 2
Caroline 2
Cicely 2
Clara 2
Elizth. 2
Elonor 2
Laura 2
Lucy 2
Marian 2
Minnie 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 89
William 70
Thomas 52
James 45
George 35
Robert 33
Joseph 21
Edward 11
Ralph 8
Geo. 7
Charles 6
Henry 6
Thos. 6
David 5
Albert 4
Andrew 4
Frederick 4
Isaac 4
Alfred 3
Ambrose 3
Arthur 3
Matthew 3
Peter 3
Walter 3
Wm. 3
Adam 2
Allan 2
Chas. 2
Daniel 2
Ernest 2
Francis 2
H.J. 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
I.S. 2
Jonathan 2
Nicholas 2
Robt. 2
Sydney 2
Tom 2
Whitfield 2
Cuthbert 1
Dale 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Gavin 1
Jasper 1
Jmaes 1
Jno.P.N. 1
Wm.Tait 1

FAQ

Cuthbertson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cuthbertson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,303 people were recorded with the Cuthbertson surname. That placed it at #1,941 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cuthbertson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,341 in 2016. That gives Cuthbertson a modern rank of #2,035.

What does the Cuthbertson surname mean?

A surname of Scottish origin derived from the given name Cuthbert, meaning "bright-fame."

What does the Cuthbertson map show?

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