NameCensus.

UK surname

Adderley

From the Old English "eadred" and "lēah," meaning "Eadred's clearing," referring to a person who lived near Eadred's clearing.

In the 1881 census there were 499 people recorded with the Adderley surname, ranking it #6,784 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 861, ranked #6,510, up from #6,784 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Astbury and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include High Peak, Cotswold and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Adderley is 903 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 72.5%.

1881 census count

499

Ranked #6,784

Modern count

861

2016, ranked #6,510

Peak year

2000

903 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Adderley had 499 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,784 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 861 in 2016, ranked #6,510.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 718 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Adderley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Adderley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Adderley 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 284 #7,977
1861 historical 349 #7,318
1881 historical 499 #6,784
1891 historical 632 #6,123
1901 historical 705 #6,248
1911 historical 718 #5,952
1997 modern 825 #6,385
1998 modern 884 #6,253
1999 modern 887 #6,280
2000 modern 903 #6,163
2001 modern 871 #6,213
2002 modern 887 #6,246
2003 modern 893 #6,124
2004 modern 902 #6,081
2005 modern 894 #6,060
2006 modern 873 #6,183
2007 modern 870 #6,259
2008 modern 870 #6,297
2009 modern 878 #6,392
2010 modern 900 #6,382
2011 modern 899 #6,330
2012 modern 864 #6,442
2013 modern 880 #6,462
2014 modern 880 #6,484
2015 modern 852 #6,587
2016 modern 861 #6,510

Geography

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Where Adderleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Astbury, Liverpool, Newport and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to High Peak, Cotswold, Barnsley and Telford and Wrekin. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Astbury Cheshire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Newport Shropshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 High Peak 003 High Peak
2 Cotswold 005 Cotswold
3 Barnsley 028 Barnsley
4 Telford and Wrekin 014 Telford and Wrekin
5 High Peak 001 High Peak

Forenames

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First names often paired with Adderley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Adderley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Adderley, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Adderley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Adderley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Adderley 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

Adderley 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

Adderley falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Adderley 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 Adderley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Adderley

The surname Adderley has its roots in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to have originated from a place name, with the earliest recorded spelling being "Adelardeslei" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This place name is believed to derive from the Old English personal name "Adelard" and the word "leah," meaning a woodland clearing or meadow.

The name Adderley is strongly associated with Shropshire, a county in the West Midlands region of England. The village of Adderley, located in this county, is likely the place from which the surname originated. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, including Adderdeley, Adderlee, and Adderlay.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Adderley was Thomas Adderley, who was born in Shropshire around 1280. He was a landowner and is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of the county in 1327.

In the 16th century, Sir Ralph Adderley (1512-1583) was a prominent figure from the Adderley family. He served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1570.

Another notable individual was Sir Charles Bowyer Adderley (1786-1846), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire. He was an advocate for social reforms and played a role in the establishment of the General Register Office for England and Wales.

Sir Charles Adderley (1814-1905), a son of Sir Charles Bowyer Adderley, was also a British politician and served as President of the Board of Trade from 1878 to 1880. He was a proponent of colonial expansion and was involved in the establishment of the Straits Settlements in Southeast Asia.

In the 19th century, Sir Claude Hubert Adderley (1853-1926) was a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Sierra Leone and later as Governor of the Leeward Islands.

The surname Adderley has a rich history rooted in England, particularly in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. Its origin can be traced back to the medieval period, and it has been borne by notable individuals throughout the centuries, including landowners, politicians, and colonial administrators.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Adderley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Adderley 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. Staffordshire leads with 140 Adderleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.52x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 140 8.52x
Warwickshire 113 9.21x
Lancashire 56 0.97x
Cheshire 44 4.09x
Middlesex 37 0.76x
Yorkshire 32 0.66x
Shropshire 28 6.66x
Cumberland 8 1.91x
Nottinghamshire 8 1.22x
Worcestershire 8 1.26x
Derbyshire 6 0.79x
Surrey 4 0.17x
Wiltshire 4 0.93x
Hampshire 3 0.30x
Sussex 3 0.37x
Devon 2 0.20x
Kent 2 0.12x
Lincolnshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 80 Adderleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.55x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 80 19.55x
Liverpool 31 8.84x
Aston 24 7.10x
St George Hanover Square 22 25.65x
Stoke Upon Trent 21 12.05x
Congleton 18 96.98x
Cannock 16 55.81x
Wolstanton 16 32.06x
Newport 14 275.59x
Walsall Foreign 14 16.50x
Macclesfield 13 27.22x
Madeley 13 84.31x
Weston Under Lizard 13 2765.96x
Leeds 11 4.04x
Worsbrough 9 63.69x
Crosscanonby 8 57.72x
Lenton 8 51.78x
Newcastle Under Lyme 8 27.52x
Trentham 8 57.27x
Gnosall 7 176.32x
York All Sts North 7 292.89x
Belper 6 40.62x
Hurdsfield 6 90.77x
Monks Coppenhall 6 14.80x
Hampton In Arden 5 462.96x
Kingswinford 5 8.38x
Paddington London 5 2.79x
Teddesley Hay 5 2272.73x
Wolstanton Chatterly 5 295.86x
Castle Church 4 40.49x
Everton 4 2.17x
Hulme 4 3.32x
Manchester 4 1.54x
Shoreditch London 4 1.90x
Swindon 4 11.98x
Wolverhampton 4 3.17x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 3 6.68x
Bedford 3 24.83x
Bushbury 3 101.69x
Croydon 3 2.28x
Hove 3 8.33x
Oldbury 3 9.59x
Salford 3 1.77x
Stafford St Mary 3 12.90x
Yardley 3 18.45x
Bishopsbourne 2 338.98x
Chelsea London 2 1.36x
Edgbaston 2 5.25x
Kibblestone 2 571.43x
Leamington 2 24.60x
Radcliffe 2 7.18x
Ryde 2 9.33x
St George Bloomsbury 2 7.16x
Stafford St Chad 2 263.16x
Stone 2 9.51x
Upper Penn 2 48.54x
Aldershot 1 2.99x
Ardwick 1 1.92x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 2.18x
Broughton In Salford 1 1.89x
Dartmouth St Petrox 1 68.49x
Dudley 1 1.29x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 1.02x
Gosberton 1 28.90x
Islington London 1 0.21x
Kensington London 1 0.37x
Kimberworth 1 3.74x
Lymm 1 12.80x
Stoke Damerel 1 1.41x
Stourbridge 1 6.11x
Wandsworth 1 2.13x
Warrington 1 1.46x
Wem 1 16.00x
West Derby 1 0.59x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 32
John 27
William 24
James 16
Edward 13
Henry 12
Joseph 12
Charles 9
George 9
Samuel 8
Arthur 6
Alfred 5
Frederick 5
Robert 5
Albert 4
Harry 4
Richard 4
Walter 4
Edwin 3
Frank 3
Chas. 2
David 2
Fred. 2
Herbert 2
Michael 2
Patrick 2
Rupert 2
Wallace 2
Augustus 1
Benjaman 1
Bernard 1
Christopher 1
Edw. 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Job 1
John. 1
Jonah 1
Josiah 1
Martin 1
Mathew 1
Myles 1
Philip 1
Phillip 1
Ralph 1
Richd. 1
Saml 1
Saml. 1
Sampson 1
Wm.Alsager 1

FAQ

Adderley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Adderley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 499 people were recorded with the Adderley surname. That placed it at #6,784 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Adderley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 861 in 2016. That gives Adderley a modern rank of #6,510.

What does the Adderley surname mean?

From the Old English "eadred" and "lēah," meaning "Eadred's clearing," referring to a person who lived near Eadred's clearing.

What does the Adderley map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Adderley 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.