Find out how popular the last name Borthwick is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Borthwick.

Borthwick, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Borthwick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Borthwick in America

Borthwick is the 29279th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Borthwick surname appeared 808 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Borthwick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Borthwick to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Borthwick

The surname Borthwick originated in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. It is derived from a place name, referring to a village called Borthwick near Gorebridge, Midlothian. The earliest recorded spelling of the place name was Locherwort in the 12th century, from the Gaelic loch meaning "inlet" and the Old English word worth meaning "enclosed homestead or settlement".

The Borthwick family held lands in Midlothian from the 12th century onwards. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname dates back to around 1159, when Richard de Borthwick witnessed a charter by King William the Lion. In the 13th century, Sir William de Borthwick was a prominent figure and held the lands of Borthwick.

The surname Borthwick appears in several historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the name Borthwick, as the surname originated in Scotland.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Borthwick was Sir William Borthwick, Lord of Borthwick (c.1450-1516), who fought alongside King James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Another prominent figure was John Borthwick (c.1480-1570), a Scottish Protestant reformer and writer who was accused of heresy and fled to England.

Other historical figures include William Borthwick (1605-1668), a Scottish clergyman and writer, and John Borthwick (1784-1840), a Scottish poet and writer. In the 19th century, William Borthwick (1805-1892) was a Scottish-born Australian politician and landowner.

During the medieval and early modern periods, various spellings of the surname were used, including Borthwic, Borthwyk, Borthwic, and Borthwick. The name was also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Borthwick Castle and the village of Borthwick, reflecting the family's landholdings and influence in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Borthwick

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Borthwick.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Borthwick was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Borthwick has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Borthwick was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Borthwick, please contact us.

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