The Guthrie surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 31,956 people carried this name — #1,095 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 9,230 people counted. That is up 1% from 31,530 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Guthrie surname

A surname from Irish or Scottish Gaelic.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Guthrie» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 11 births for the Guthrie name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Clare.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 5
Ulster 4
Connacht 1
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland, 1880s

Guthrie was 10 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 1,000. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Dispersed over a large part of Scotland, but rare in the north.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 589 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Guthrie was recorded 73 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 370th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 92. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

83 families named Guthrie, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 471 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 18 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 24
Virginia 19
North Carolina 16
New York 6
Maryland 6
South Carolina 6
Connecticut 5
Massachusetts 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 243 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Guthrie in American newspapers,
1874–1912.

Newspaper page from Helena Weekly Herald carrying the name Guthrie
Helena Weekly Herald 1875-10-07
Newspaper page from Helena Weekly Herald carrying the name Guthrie
Helena Weekly Herald 1874-09-24
Newspaper page from The Port Gibson Reveille carrying the name Guthrie
The Port Gibson Reveille 1912-11-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 388,337 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Guthrie in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

59,229 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Guthrie. The most, 8,967, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 20,770
New South Wales 11,568
Queensland 8,539
Western Australia 7,882
South Australia 7,733
Tasmania 2,344
ACT (Canberra) 151
Northern Territory 20

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Guthrie.

Who carried it

People named Guthrie,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Mary Louise Guthrie d. 1970 · writer
  • John Guthrie d. 1834 · merchant
  • Alexander Guthrie d. 1582
  • Æmilia Margaret Guthrie d. 1924
  • Georgeana Anne Daly d. 2012
  • Elizabeth Gardyne d. 1745

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Guthrie,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,355 records

2,355 records of the Guthrie name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,149
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 443
  • Other U.S. records 763
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles Larry Guthrie

    Born 1947; from Kensington, Georgia. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Phuoc Long, South Vietnam. Buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Willis P. Guthrie

    Born 1921 in Ohio. Enlisted 1945 at Cleveland; driver from Summit County. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1994, buried at Dayton National Cemetery, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Isabella Guthrie

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Devonia from Glasgow and Moville, aged 30; servant. From Londonderry, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,355 records for Guthrie in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,695 records

1,695 records of the Guthrie name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 982
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 291
  • Other Australian records 422
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Guthrie

    Died 1923 in Public Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1924.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margaret Guthrie

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the Ocean Home, aged 23; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edmund Guthrie

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Governor Ready, arriving 1829.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 1,695 records for Guthrie in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

United Kingdom89 records

89 records of the Guthrie name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 45
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 24
  • Other British records 20
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Alexander Guthrie

    Born 1898 at Kingston; carpenter. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Betty Guthrie

    Buried in 1935 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 64.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Samuel Smith Guthrie

    Will proved in 1926; of Penmaenmawr, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 89 records for Guthrie in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada78 records

78 records of the Guthrie name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 21
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 20
  • Other Canadian records 37
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Guthrie

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Sarmatian, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Paul Guthrie

    Buried in 1987 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 54.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Melase Guthrie

    Died 1909 in Springhill, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 78 records for Guthrie in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand43 records

43 records of the Guthrie name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 33
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 6
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Guthrie

    Died 1925, aged 41; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William John Guthrie

    Buried in 1874 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 42.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Murray James Guthrie

    Died 1991, aged 60; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 43 records for Guthrie in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands22 records

22 records of the Guthrie name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 11
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 7
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Eleanor Guthrie

    In the population register of Nijmegen; teacher, born 1852 in Gateshead.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Nijmegen (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Margaret Blyth Guthrie

    Died 1972 in Doorn; born 1877 in Glasow.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Guthrie

    Died 1838 in Ijsselmonde, aged 25.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 22 records for Guthrie in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Guthrie name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Calum Mac Neill Guthrie

    Born 1965 in Great Britain; died 1995 in La Tronche (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Peter Henry Guthrie

    Born 1922 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Périgueux (Dordogne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Guthrie.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Guthrie is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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