NameCensus.

UK surname

Acton

Derived from a place name meaning "oak tree town" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 1,729 people recorded with the Acton surname, ranking it #2,497 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,459, ranked #2,680, down from #2,497 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, London parishes and Eccles. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Trafford and Coventry.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Acton is 2,602 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.2%.

1881 census count

1,729

Ranked #2,497

Modern count

2,459

2016, ranked #2,680

Peak year

2000

2,602 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Acton had 1,729 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,497 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,459 in 2016, ranked #2,680.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,326 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Acton surname distribution map

The map shows where the Acton surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Acton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Acton over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,121 #2,514
1861 historical 1,219 #2,334
1881 historical 1,729 #2,497
1891 historical 1,837 #2,497
1901 historical 2,028 #2,639
1911 historical 2,326 #2,189
1997 modern 2,484 #2,524
1998 modern 2,584 #2,530
1999 modern 2,586 #2,546
2000 modern 2,602 #2,521
2001 modern 2,530 #2,532
2002 modern 2,581 #2,545
2003 modern 2,488 #2,578
2004 modern 2,528 #2,546
2005 modern 2,440 #2,597
2006 modern 2,451 #2,587
2007 modern 2,467 #2,596
2008 modern 2,496 #2,583
2009 modern 2,545 #2,606
2010 modern 2,591 #2,622
2011 modern 2,570 #2,605
2012 modern 2,458 #2,664
2013 modern 2,499 #2,663
2014 modern 2,503 #2,678
2015 modern 2,478 #2,673
2016 modern 2,459 #2,680

Geography

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Where Actons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, London parishes, Eccles and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Trafford, Coventry and Cheshire West and Chester. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Stockport Cheshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Eccles Lancashire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 008 Cheshire East
2 Cheshire East 007 Cheshire East
3 Trafford 025 Trafford
4 Coventry 029 Coventry
5 Cheshire West and Chester 012 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Acton

These lists show first names that appear often with the Acton surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Acton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Acton, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Acton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Acton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Acton is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Acton is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Acton falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Acton is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Acton, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Acton

The surname Acton derives from several Old English place names, such as Acton in Middlesex, Acton in Suffolk, and Acton in Cheshire. These place names are believed to have originated from the Old English words "ac" meaning oak and "tun" meaning a farm or settlement.

The name Acton can be traced back to the 11th century and is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several individuals with this surname. One of the earliest recorded Actons was Walter de Acton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1195.

During the medieval period, the Acton family held lands and estates in various parts of England, including Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire. Notable members of the Acton family from this era include Sir Roger Acton, who fought in the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, and Sir Walter Acton, who was a Member of Parliament for Shropshire in 1472.

In the 16th century, the Acton family gained prominence through their involvement in the English Reformation. Sir Richard Acton (c.1525-1587) was a staunch Catholic and a member of the Privy Council under Queen Mary I. His son, Sir Walter Acton (c.1550-1610), converted to Protestantism and served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was John Acton (1736-1811), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament. He is often referred to as Sir John Acton, although he was not officially knighted.

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834-1902), was a prominent English Catholic historian, philosopher, and politician. He is best known for his influential study of the philosophy of history and his famous quote: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Harry Acton (1766-1835) was an English cricketer who played for the famous Hambledon Club and is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of the 18th century.

The name Acton has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Acton in Cheshire, Acton in Suffolk, and Acton in Middlesex, which later became part of London.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Acton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Acton surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 418 Actons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.08x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 418 2.08x
Cheshire 321 8.60x
Staffordshire 153 2.68x
Middlesex 149 0.88x
Kent 85 1.47x
Surrey 72 0.87x
Warwickshire 72 1.69x
Yorkshire 66 0.39x
Nottinghamshire 51 2.24x
Gloucestershire 43 1.30x
Worcestershire 39 1.77x
Devon 32 0.91x
Shropshire 22 1.51x
Lanarkshire 17 0.31x
Sussex 17 0.60x
Flintshire 16 3.52x
Leicestershire 16 0.85x
Derbyshire 13 0.49x
Norfolk 12 0.46x
Buckinghamshire 11 1.08x
Hampshire 10 0.29x
Durham 9 0.18x
Northumberland 9 0.36x
Caernarfonshire 8 1.17x
Somerset 8 0.29x
Cumberland 7 0.48x
Essex 7 0.21x
Lincolnshire 5 0.18x
Denbighshire 4 0.63x
Glamorgan 4 0.14x
Suffolk 4 0.19x
Anglesey 3 1.00x
Dorset 3 0.27x
Midlothian 3 0.13x
Royal Navy 3 1.49x
Ayrshire 2 0.16x
Herefordshire 2 0.29x
Hertfordshire 2 0.17x
Renfrewshire 2 0.15x
Wiltshire 2 0.13x
Berkshire 1 0.08x
Berwickshire 1 0.49x
Brecknockshire 1 0.30x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.09x
Cornwall 1 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.22x
Fife 1 0.10x
Inverness-shire 1 0.20x
Isle of Man 1 0.32x
Monmouthshire 1 0.08x
Rutland 1 0.81x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 55 Actons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.68x.

Place Total Index
Aston 55 4.68x
Manchester 35 3.88x
St Pancras London 30 2.20x
Sutton At Hone 30 250.63x
Hammersmith London 27 6.48x
West Derby 25 4.26x
Hyde 24 21.78x
Walsall Foreign 23 7.80x
Chorlton On Medlock 20 6.27x
Cawthorne In Wortley 19 280.65x
Hulme 19 4.53x
Croydon 18 3.93x
Brinnington 17 48.74x
Tavistock 17 42.38x
Tenbury 16 132.23x
Openshaw 15 15.96x
Lichfield St Michael 14 78.13x
Mansfield 14 17.74x
Nottingham St Mary 14 2.37x
Runcorn 14 16.26x
Ashton Under Lyne 13 2.96x
Birkenhead 13 4.37x
Hamilton 13 8.52x
Liverpool 13 1.07x
Bollin Fee 12 72.46x
Farningham 12 232.56x
Latchford 12 48.39x
Spotland 12 5.38x
Birmingham 11 0.77x
Bury 11 4.80x
Camberwell 11 1.02x
Heaton Norris 11 9.63x
Leeds 11 1.16x
Newton 11 7.11x
Pennington In Leigh 11 28.56x
St Marylebone London 11 1.22x
Wicklewood 11 260.05x
Amersham 10 68.97x
Kensington London 10 1.06x
Leicester St Margaret 10 2.19x
Longhope 10 177.62x
Newcastle Under Lyme 10 9.90x
Pendleton In Salford 10 4.18x
Acton 9 9.08x
Bronington 9 229.01x
Byker 9 7.23x
Chorlton Cum Hardy 9 67.62x
Elton In Congleton 9 283.02x
Everton 9 1.41x
Farnhill 9 276.92x
Gloucester Barton St 9 46.30x
Halton 9 108.04x
Islington London 9 0.55x
Leftwich 9 54.28x
Moss Side 9 8.52x
Oldham 9 1.39x
Preston 9 18.07x
Stoulton 9 420.56x
Warrington 9 3.78x
Worsley 9 7.27x
Arnold 8 24.04x
Barnton 8 89.79x
Burton Upon Trent 8 5.99x
Colwich 8 58.95x
Comberbach 8 446.93x
Knutsford Nether 8 35.45x
Llanfair Is Gaer 8 84.75x
Mobberley 8 93.90x
North Meols 8 4.07x
Rushall 8 23.81x
Shoreditch London 8 1.09x
Stockport Etchells 8 100.50x
Stoke Damerel 8 3.25x
West Bromwich 8 2.45x
Didsbury 7 26.27x
Halliwell 7 9.58x
Hindley 7 8.18x
Oxton 7 33.14x
Poplar London 7 2.19x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 7 21.06x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Acton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 108
Sarah 67
Elizabeth 62
Ellen 48
Jane 38
Ann 32
Annie 32
Eliza 26
Alice 24
Emma 24
Hannah 17
Martha 16
Harriet 15
Margaret 15
Florence 14
Louisa 14
Anne 13
Charlotte 12
Emily 12
Edith 11
Maria 11
Catherine 10
Fanny 9
Kate 9
Susan 9
Amelia 7
Clara 7
Isabella 7
Matilda 7
Caroline 6
Frances 6
Agnes 5
Elizth. 5
Esther 5
Jessie 5
Lizzie 5
Ada 4
Amy 4
Eleanor 4
Gertrude 4
Lucy 4
Rose 4
Ethel 3
Harriett 3
Helen 3
Mabel 3
Margret 3
Rebecca 3
Selina 3
Anna 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Acton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 106
John 100
Thomas 86
James 55
Joseph 47
Edward 41
George 40
Henry 30
Charles 24
Richard 24
Samuel 21
Arthur 20
Alfred 15
Robert 14
Harry 10
Frank 9
Frederick 9
Herbert 9
Albert 8
Walter 8
Ernest 7
Geo. 7
Thos. 7
Wm. 7
Edwin 6
Abraham 5
David 5
Peter 5
Reginald 4
Andrew 3
Francis 3
Jno. 3
Patrick 3
Philip 3
Benjamin 2
Chas.P. 2
Fred 2
Horace 2
Horatio 2
Jonathan 2
Leonard 2
Luke 2
Michael 2
Percy 2
Phillip 2
Roger 2
Sydney 2
Whittaker 2
Willm. 2
Wm.T. 1

FAQ

Acton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Acton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,729 people were recorded with the Acton surname. That placed it at #2,497 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Acton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,459 in 2016. That gives Acton a modern rank of #2,680.

What does the Acton surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "oak tree town" in Old English.

What does the Acton map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Acton bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.