NameCensus.

UK surname

Sutherland

From the southern lands or from the land south of a river, hill, or other natural feature.

In the 1881 census there were 15,089 people recorded with the Sutherland surname, ranking it #263 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 17,806, ranked #341, down from #263 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wick, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sutherland East, Caithness North West and Caithness South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sutherland is 17,886 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.0%.

1881 census count

15,089

Ranked #263

Modern count

17,806

2016, ranked #341

Peak year

2010

17,886 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sutherland had 15,089 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #263 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 17,806 in 2016, ranked #341.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 17,218 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Sutherland surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sutherland surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Sutherland 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 11,894 #208
1861 historical 11,236 #219
1881 historical 15,089 #263
1891 historical 15,754 #270
1901 historical 17,218 #292
1911 historical 4,010 #1,275
1997 modern 16,148 #372
1998 modern 16,726 #375
1999 modern 16,904 #374
2000 modern 17,121 #365
2001 modern 16,582 #367
2002 modern 17,054 #364
2003 modern 16,698 #364
2004 modern 16,711 #365
2005 modern 16,712 #353
2006 modern 16,784 #352
2007 modern 17,011 #348
2008 modern 17,157 #349
2009 modern 17,526 #351
2010 modern 17,886 #350
2011 modern 17,555 #348
2012 modern 17,151 #352
2013 modern 17,535 #354
2014 modern 17,797 #348
2015 modern 17,728 #349
2016 modern 17,806 #341

Geography

Back to top

Where Sutherlands are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wick, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Clyne and Kildonan with Loth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sutherland East, Caithness North West, Caithness South, Sutherland South and Wick South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Wick Caithness
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Clyne Sutherland
5 Kildonan with Loth Sutherland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sutherland East Highland
2 Caithness North West Highland
3 Caithness South Highland
4 Sutherland South Highland
5 Wick South Highland

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Sutherland

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Sutherland

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

Sutherland 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

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

Meaning and origin of Sutherland

The surname Sutherland originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is a territorial name derived from the county of Sutherland, which was once an independent kingdom in the far north of Scotland. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old Norse words "suðr" meaning "southern" and "land" referring to the region's location relative to the northernmost regions of Norway.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Chronicle of Melrose, which mentions Richard de Sutherlandia in the year 1211. Another early record is from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1290, which lists William de Sutherland as a landowner in the county.

The Sutherland family played a significant role in Scottish history, with several members holding prestigious positions and titles. One notable figure was William de Sutherland, who was granted the title of Earl of Sutherland in 1235 by King Alexander II of Scotland. Another prominent member was John Sutherland (c. 1510-1567), who was appointed as the Bishop of Caithness in 1541.

In the 14th century, the Sutherland clan became embroiled in a long-standing feud with the neighboring Clan Sinclair, which resulted in numerous battles and conflicts over territorial disputes. This feud is referenced in various historical accounts and chronicles from that period.

During the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, Alexander Sutherland (c. 1520-1594) was a notable supporter of the Protestant cause and served as a Lord of Session in the Scottish judiciary. Another notable figure was George Sutherland (1858-1942), a Scottish-born American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1922 to 1938.

Other historical figures with the Sutherland surname include John Sutherland (1805-1891), a British naval officer and explorer who surveyed and mapped parts of the Canadian Arctic, and Graham Sutherland (1903-1980), a renowned English painter and printmaker known for his abstract and surrealist works.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Sutherland families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sutherland 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. Caithness leads with 3,032 Sutherlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 150.45x.

County Total Index
Caithness 3,032 150.45x
Midlothian 1,761 8.93x
Sutherland 1,679 148.34x
Lanarkshire 1,180 2.48x
Aberdeenshire 978 7.17x
Middlesex 431 0.29x
Orkney 426 26.31x
Shetland 414 27.54x
Ross-shire 386 9.55x
Morayshire 373 16.31x
Angus 359 2.63x
Lancashire 339 0.19x
Banffshire 315 10.32x
Northumberland 292 1.33x
Durham 275 0.63x
Yorkshire 233 0.16x
Renfrewshire 209 1.83x
Inverness-shire 203 4.62x
Fife 194 2.23x
Surrey 180 0.25x
Stirlingshire 175 3.22x
Perthshire 147 2.23x
Kent 143 0.28x
Cheshire 107 0.33x
Ayrshire 85 0.77x
Argyllshire 77 1.88x
Dunbartonshire 77 1.95x
East Lothian 70 3.59x
Hampshire 69 0.23x
Kincardineshire 67 3.74x
Staffordshire 60 0.12x
West Lothian 52 2.35x
Warwickshire 51 0.14x
Roxburghshire 44 1.65x
Selkirkshire 41 3.08x
Cumberland 39 0.31x
Essex 36 0.12x
Derbyshire 35 0.15x
Glamorgan 32 0.12x
Gloucestershire 29 0.10x
Nairnshire 29 6.45x
Sussex 29 0.12x
Norfolk 25 0.11x
Devon 23 0.08x
Lincolnshire 23 0.10x
Nottinghamshire 22 0.11x
Royal Navy 21 1.20x
Northamptonshire 19 0.14x
Westmorland 16 0.49x
Leicestershire 15 0.09x
Somerset 15 0.06x
Oxfordshire 13 0.14x
Clackmannanshire 12 0.99x
Buckinghamshire 11 0.12x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.18x
Cornwall 11 0.07x
Monmouthshire 10 0.09x
Suffolk 10 0.06x
Berwickshire 9 0.50x
Buteshire 9 1.01x
Isle of Man 8 0.29x
Wigtownshire 8 0.41x
Dumfriesshire 6 0.18x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 0.19x
Pembrokeshire 4 0.09x
Worcestershire 4 0.02x
Berkshire 3 0.03x
Brecknockshire 3 0.10x
Peeblesshire 3 0.43x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.02x
Cardiganshire 2 0.06x
Denbighshire 2 0.04x
Hertfordshire 2 0.02x
Shropshire 2 0.02x
Bedfordshire 1 0.01x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.02x
Channel Islands 1 0.02x
Flintshire 1 0.03x
Herefordshire 1 0.02x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.03x
Wiltshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Latheron in Caithness leads with 1,279 Sutherlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 379.39x.

Place Total Index
Latheron 1,279 379.39x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 875 11.03x
Wick 621 95.40x
Clyne 454 497.53x
Govan 406 3.45x
Thurso 368 117.07x
Barony 355 2.95x
Aberdeen Old Machar 285 10.01x
Golspie 234 298.28x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 229 8.98x
Halkirk 221 162.09x
South Leith 211 9.51x
Kildonan 208 212.24x
Glasgow 197 2.33x
Dornoch 179 140.37x
Rathven 175 30.51x
Walls Flotta 165 217.59x
Unst 154 140.08x
North Leith 146 16.00x
Duffus 140 69.47x
Dundee 127 2.49x
Reay 126 114.04x
Rogart 123 196.86x
Nesting Lunnas Whalsay 122 92.10x
Dunnet 112 138.24x
Tongue 111 113.50x
Inverness 101 9.14x
Loth 98 333.11x
Peterhead 88 12.21x
Olrig 87 86.42x
Falkirk 85 6.69x
South Ronaldshay 83 49.53x
Watten 83 117.17x
Lairg 81 117.60x
Durness 72 144.78x
Canisbay 71 53.66x
Edinburgh St Stephens 68 17.52x
Fearn 65 60.37x
Bower 64 78.85x
St Vigeans 62 8.42x
Edinburgh Canongate 59 11.76x
Fordyce 59 26.86x
Bishopwearmouth 58 1.54x
Lerwick Gulberwick 58 24.93x
Liff Benvie 56 2.71x
West Greenock 56 2.74x
Kirkwall St Ola 53 21.85x
Creich 52 46.12x
New Monkland 51 3.62x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 47 10.08x
Elgin 46 10.34x
Paisley Middle Church 45 6.78x
Liverpool 43 0.41x
Newhills 43 15.41x
Avoch 42 49.21x
Edinburgh Greenside 42 16.12x
St Pancras London 40 0.34x
Hoy Graemsay 39 128.37x
Edinburgh St Georges 38 9.29x
Forres 38 15.81x
Lambeth 37 0.29x
St Marylebone London 37 0.47x
Old Monkland 36 1.91x
Stirling 36 5.26x
Stoke Upon Trent 36 0.68x
Westoe 36 1.45x
Camberwell 35 0.37x
Rosskeen 35 18.40x
Tain 34 22.20x
Stromness 33 27.17x
Fraserburgh 32 8.34x
Farr 31 31.77x
Toxteth Park 31 0.52x
New Spynie 30 36.44x
Edinburgh St Marys 29 7.57x
Kilmarnock 29 2.21x
Kiltearn 29 48.70x
Maryhill 29 3.11x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 28 2.14x
Berwick Upon Tweed 27 5.82x
Manchester 27 0.34x
Portsea 27 0.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 152
Elizabeth 105
Margaret 77
Jane 67
Sarah 54
Annie 46
Ann 43
Isabella 40
Eliza 39
Catherine 34
Ellen 34
Emma 28
Agnes 25
Alice 23
Emily 21
Jessie 20
Florence 18
Martha 16
Christina 14
Edith 14
Anne 12
Hannah 12
Helen 12
Ada 11
Janet 11
Frances 10
Kate 10
Louisa 10
Charlotte 9
Harriet 9
Maria 9
Barbara 8
Caroline 8
Clara 8
Julia 8
Mabel 8
Matilda 8
Amelia 7
Elizth. 7
Georgina 7
Henrietta 7
Lizzie 7
Anna 6
Esther 6
Fanny 6
Marion 6
Rebecca 6
Susannah 6
Jemima 5
Lucy 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 180
William 171
James 109
George 100
Robert 67
Thomas 52
Alexander 49
Charles 41
Donald 30
Daniel 27
David 26
Henry 23
Arthur 21
Edward 18
Joseph 17
Wm. 14
Angus 11
Hugh 11
Walter 11
Francis 10
Alfred 9
Geo. 9
Andrew 8
Benjamin 8
Douglas 8
Frederick 8
Herbert 8
Albert 7
Jas. 7
Robt. 7
Samuel 7
Alex 5
Frank 5
Fred 5
Gilbert 5
Peter 5
Harry 4
Hector 4
Richard 4
Tom 4
Adam 3
Alex. 3
Caleb 3
Earnest 3
Edwin 3
Ernest 3
Matthew 3
Thos. 3
Willm. 3
Chas. 2

FAQ

Sutherland surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sutherland surname in 1881?

In 1881, 15,089 people were recorded with the Sutherland surname. That placed it at #263 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sutherland surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 17,806 in 2016. That gives Sutherland a modern rank of #341.

What does the Sutherland surname mean?

From the southern lands or from the land south of a river, hill, or other natural feature.

What does the Sutherland map show?

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