One force said it investigated 41 incidents in 2011, compared to 31 over the two years before.
Victims of the attacks, usually women from ethnic minority communities, are accused of bringing shame on their families by defying traditional customs.
Despite the rise in police reports, concerns have been raised about the difficulty in prosecuting such cases given the strength of family ties.
Sergeant Cath Duguid, from Lothian and Borders Police, which reported the rise, said: "Honour-based violence includes assaults, abductions, attempted abductions, threats and a whole range of offences that we take extremely seriously. The force has been reaching out to ethnic communities to build up levels of trust so people feel confident in making reports.
"We've also been doing work with officers to make them better at recognising signs of honour-based violence."
Charges were brought in only seven out of the 41 cases of honour-based attacks last year.
A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said the force had dealt with four confirmed incidents of honour-based violence since January, and was currently dealing with one live investigation.
Officers from Strathclyde Police are working with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland to develop national guidance and training materials for staff relating to all forms of honour-based violence, including forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
Detective Inspector Maxine Martin, of Strathclyde Police's Public Protection Unit, said: "Honour-based violence is recognised as an emerging area of criminality and is very high priority for Strathclyde Police."
Mridul Wadhwa, of Shahkto Women's Aid, said there was a growing confidence about reporting issues of domestic abuse and honour-based violence to the police, but that many victims felt safer talking to support groups.
She added: "Those same agencies have helped to train police and other frontline services in better reporting, and have worked with police and communities to address fears of people distrusting police."
