Drummond
A Scottish surname most often linked to a place name meaning “the ridge” or “back of the hill.”
The #2,014 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,227 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is usually explained as a Scottish locational surname from Gaelic elements referring to a ridge or high ground. One historical explanation breaks it down as druim, meaning “back” or “ridge,” and monadh, meaning “mountain” or upland, giving the sense of “the back of the mountain.” Later writers also treated it as a place-based name from Drymen in Stirlingshire, though the ridge-based explanation is the one most often repeated in older surname dictionaries.
History
The name became associated with a prominent Scottish noble family, which helped spread it widely beyond its original locality. Historical spellings varied considerably, and older sources note multiple forms before the modern spelling settled. It is now found in Scotland, England, and in larger numbers in the wider Anglophone world through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older reference works record a surprising number of alternate spellings for the name, reflecting how fluid surnames could be before standard spelling became fixed.
From the historical record
“DRUMMER. One who, in military exercises, beats the drum. DRUMMOND. (Gaelic.) Local. From Druim, the back, and monadh, mountain, a name of place — the back of the mountain. [DRURY. A jewel [Camden.] \ DRYDEN. From the Welsh Urwydwn, broken nose. Ac- cording to Evans, Jonreth, surnamed Drwydwn, the father of…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names