The name Rutherford (Rutherfurd) is one of the oldest in Scotland, with accounts dating from the twelfth century. Rutherford is a border surname borne originally by the ancient Teviotdale family of Rutherford of that ilk. The surname derives from the lands of Rutherford in Roxburghshire, near the River Tweed, where the ancestral hamlet lies between Melrose and Kelso, some seven miles north of Jedburgh Abbey.
Roxburghshire to the World
Rutherfords of Scotland
Tracing eight centuries of Rutherford history across the shires of Scotland.
12th c.
Earliest records
1296
Ragman Roll
The Rutherfords were a powerful clan in the Scottish Borders. From Aymer de Rutherford on the Ragman Roll (1296) through the lords of that ilk and the cadet branches at Edgerston, Hunthill, Hundalee, and Fairnington, the family shaped Teviotdale history for centuries. Robertus dominus de Rodyrforde witnessed a charter of David I around 1140; later generations included Andrew Rutherford, created Lord Rutherford (1661) and Earl of Teviot (1663).
From their Roxburghshire heartland, Rutherford families spread across Scotland and beyond — to Ulster, North America, and the wider diaspora. Many genealogists trace their descent through the Borders counties of Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire, and Berwickshire, and through cadet lines such as the Rutherfords of Hunthill, granted lands at Scraisburgh in the west of Roxburghshire.
The Regions
Explore Rutherford settlement across the five historic regions of Scotland.
The Highlands and Western Isles
The largest geographic region of Scotland — mountainous terrain, Gaelic heritage, and vast territorial shires.
Read more →The North-East
East of the Grampians — farming, fishing, and the Scots dialect known as Doric.
Read more →Central Scotland & The Lowlands
The industrial and political heartland between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth.
Read more →The Borders and South-West
Rolling hill country of the Scottish Borders and the rural landscapes of Galloway — heartland of the Rutherford clan.
Read more →The Northern Isles
The island archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland — Norse cultural influence distinct from the mainland.
Read more →