Top Locations

See the bottom of the page for an explanation of the numeric columns.

Counties

Census Districts

Demographics

Numbers in brackets are the total recorded in the census. Note that for less common surnames, some of these may well be typos or transcription errors. See below for some more information on occupational titles.

Top male names

  1. Francis (8)
  2. Henry (5)
  3. George (5)
  4. Robert (5)
  5. William (4)
  6. Charles (4)
  7. Thomas (3)
  8. Arthur (3)
  9. John (3)
  10. Cecil (2)
  11. Frederick (2)
  12. Walter (1)
  13. Herbert (1)
  14. Hugh (1)
  15. Vernon (1)
  16. Thos. (1)
  17. Robt. (1)
  18. Stephen (1)
  19. T.D. (1)
  20. Samuel (1)
  21. Henery (1)
  22. Gerald (1)
  23. Albert (1)
  24. Alexis (1)
  25. Arther (1)
  26. Bennet (1)
  27. Cuthbert (1)
  28. Edgar (1)
  29. Edward (1)
  30. Ernest (1)
  31. Evan (1)
  32. Frederic (1)
  33. Fredk. (1)
  34. Fredrick (1)
  35. A. (1)

Top female names

  1. Mary (5)
  2. Sarah (3)
  3. Catherine (3)
  4. Selina (3)
  5. Lucy (3)
  6. Eliza (2)
  7. Elizabeth (2)
  8. Maria (2)
  9. Ruth (2)
  10. Mabel (2)
  11. Margaret (2)
  12. Edith (2)
  13. Diana (2)
  14. Annie (2)
  15. Alice (2)
  16. Augusta (2)
  17. Agnes (2)
  18. Caroline (2)
  19. Hilda (1)
  20. Isabel (1)
  21. Helena (1)
  22. Harriet (1)
  23. Justina (1)
  24. Eda (1)
  25. Louisa (1)
  26. Annette (1)
  27. Eva (1)
  28. Martha (1)
  29. Minnie (1)
  30. Nora (1)
  31. Rosa (1)
  32. Hannah (1)
  33. Gwenllian (1)
  34. Gladys (1)
  35. Charlotte (1)
  36. Eleanor (1)
  37. Elenor (1)
  38. Blanche (1)
  39. Ellen (1)
  40. Elsie (1)
  41. Emily (1)
  42. Emlin (1)
  43. Emma (1)
  44. Ethel (1)
  45. Vera (1)
  46. Fanny (1)
  47. Florence (1)
  48. Frances (1)
  49. Georgina (1)
  50. Gertrude (1)

Top occupations

  1. Scholar (38)
  2. No Occupation (5)
  3. Annuitant (4)
  4. General Servant (3)
  5. Domestic Servant (2)
  6. Independent Means (2)
  7. Assistant Floral Depart (2)
  8. J. P. D L County Of Brecon (No Occ) (1)
  9. Independant Means (1)
  10. Income Derived From Dividend (1)
  11. House Holder (1)
  12. Hon Sec To Girl Friendly Society (1)
  13. Governess (Private) (1)
  14. Glover (1)
  15. Land Agent & Major of Militia (1)
  16. Laundress (1)
  17. Receiver Of Dividends (1)
  18. Railway Labourer (1)
  19. Privy Councillor Magist (1)
  20. Office Keeper (1)
  21. No Calling (1)
  22. Member Of London Stock Exchange (1)
  23. Mechanical Engineer (En & Mg Maker) (1)
  24. Lieut Col Army Retired (1)
  25. Law Judge In India Wife (1)
  26. Law Judge In India Ost (1)
  27. General Serv Out Of Employ (1)
  28. General Labourer (1)
  29. Fund & House Prop Holder (1)
  30. Boiler Smith (1)
  31. Barrister At Law In Practice (1)
  32. Barrister At Law In Actual Practice MA & LLM Cambridge (1)
  33. Auctioneers Porter (1)
  34. Asst School Master UnderGrad Of Univ Oxford (1)
  35. Assistant Master (1)
  36. Assistant C... Merchant (1)
  37. Architect (1)
  38. ... ... ... (1)
  39. Brewery Manager Unemployed (1)
  40. Butler (Domestic) (1)
  41. Captain Bombay Staff Corps (1)
  42. Farm Serv (Indoor) (1)
  43. Dairymaid (Ag) (1)
  44. Cordwainer (1)
  45. Commercial Clerk Wharfinger (1)
  46. Commercial Clerk (1)
  47. Coal Miner (1)
  48. Coal Agent (DL) (1)
  49. Carter (1)
  50. Captain Daughter (1)

Explanation of numeric columns in the county and district tables

The Total column shows the total number of people in that county or town with this surname. For example, there were 34 people with the surname Raikes in the county of London in 1881.

The Frequency column shows the percentage of people in this county or town with this surname. For example, 0% of the people in London were called Raikes.

The Index column shows how more or less common a surname is in a particular location compared to the population as a whole. If the index is higher than 1, then you more likely to find a person with this name here than you would in the country as a whole. And if it's less than 1, you are less likely to find someone with this surname here. For example, the Raikes surname has an index of 2.28 in London, meaning that you are 2.28 times as likely to find a Raikes here than you would in the population as a whole.

The Total value is an absolute figure which takes no account of the size of the county or town, so it tends to be biased towards larger towns and counties. The Frequency and Index values are relative to the local population, so they give a better idea of where a surname is most concentrated.

A note on occupational titles

Occupational titles are presented exactly as recorded on the census and later transcribed, with no attempt made to unify names that are the same. So, for example, 'Ag Lab' and 'Agricultural Labourer' will apear as separate entries, and so will any misspellings of them.

'Scholar' was the census term for any child in education. Given that families tended to be large, this means that school children, or scholars, are almost always the largest recorded occupational group for any surname. A better idea of what the family breadwinners did for a living will be found in the other job titles.

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