NameCensus.

UK surname

Arnold

An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle power" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 16,054 people recorded with the Arnold surname, ranking it #245 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 22,756, ranked #260, down from #245 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest Heath, Medway and Fenland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Arnold is 24,027 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.7%.

1881 census count

16,054

Ranked #245

Modern count

22,756

2016, ranked #260

Peak year

1999

24,027 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Arnold had 16,054 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #245 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 22,756 in 2016, ranked #260.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 22,299 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Arnold surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Arnold surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Arnold 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 10,293 #248
1861 historical 10,997 #225
1881 historical 16,054 #245
1891 historical 17,970 #219
1901 historical 20,366 #236
1911 historical 22,299 #194
1997 modern 22,985 #248
1998 modern 23,850 #247
1999 modern 24,027 #247
2000 modern 23,678 #250
2001 modern 23,150 #251
2002 modern 23,512 #251
2003 modern 23,032 #250
2004 modern 22,991 #251
2005 modern 22,535 #251
2006 modern 22,553 #251
2007 modern 22,677 #251
2008 modern 22,663 #253
2009 modern 23,126 #254
2010 modern 23,370 #257
2011 modern 23,106 #256
2012 modern 22,571 #258
2013 modern 23,193 #257
2014 modern 23,232 #257
2015 modern 22,939 #259
2016 modern 22,756 #260

Geography

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Where Arnolds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Lambeth and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest Heath, Medway, Fenland and Isle of Wight. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest Heath 001 Forest Heath
2 Medway 022 Medway
3 Fenland 011 Fenland
4 Medway 027 Medway
5 Isle of Wight 001 Isle of Wight

Forenames

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First names often paired with Arnold

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Arnold

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Arnold 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

Arnold is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Arnold falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Arnold

The surname ARNOLD has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages. It is derived from the Old German name Arnwald or Arnold, which is composed of the elements 'arn' meaning eagle and 'wald' meaning ruler or power. The name translates to 'ruler of the eagles' or 'one with the strength of an eagle'.

The name first appeared in historical records in the 8th century, with references to individuals bearing this surname in regions of modern-day Germany and the Low Countries. One of the earliest known records is in the Codex Aureus of Echternach, a 7th-century manuscript from the Benedictine abbey in Echternach, Luxembourg, which mentions an individual named Arnoldus.

In the 11th century, the ARNOLD surname is found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. This record lists several individuals with variations of the name, such as Arnoldus and Arnaldus, holding lands in various parts of England.

Notable historical figures bearing the ARNOLD surname include Arnold of Brescia (c. 1090-1155), an Italian scholar and political agitator who played a prominent role in the conflict between Pope Innocent II and the Roman commune. Another notable figure is Sir Nicholas Arnold (c. 1508-1580), an English courtier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I.

In the 13th century, the surname ARNOLD was associated with place names such as Arnoldston in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and Arnold in Nottinghamshire, England. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname who held lands or settlements in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the ARNOLD surname include Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), an American military officer during the Revolutionary War who defected to the British Army; Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), an English poet and cultural critic; and Arnold Schwarzenegger (born 1947), an Austrian-American actor, bodybuilder, and former governor of California.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Arnold families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Arnold 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. Middlesex leads with 2,236 Arnolds recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.42x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 2,236 1.42x
Surrey 1,313 1.71x
Lancashire 1,110 0.59x
Kent 1,036 1.93x
Yorkshire 1,010 0.65x
Staffordshire 738 1.39x
Warwickshire 738 1.86x
Hampshire 665 2.06x
Sussex 454 1.71x
Gloucestershire 426 1.38x
Essex 420 1.35x
Hertfordshire 396 3.65x
Bedfordshire 360 4.41x
Cheshire 346 1.00x
Leicestershire 337 1.93x
Dorset 335 3.24x
Norfolk 314 1.30x
Devon 311 0.95x
Glamorgan 288 1.05x
Lincolnshire 286 1.14x
Cambridgeshire 261 2.62x
Monmouthshire 247 2.17x
Northamptonshire 239 1.61x
Somerset 225 0.89x
Worcestershire 188 0.91x
Nottinghamshire 184 0.87x
Derbyshire 171 0.69x
Suffolk 168 0.88x
Durham 161 0.34x
Berkshire 152 1.29x
Buckinghamshire 149 1.57x
Wiltshire 146 1.05x
Oxfordshire 98 1.01x
Herefordshire 71 1.10x
Shropshire 66 0.49x
Channel Islands 57 1.22x
Lanarkshire 52 0.10x
Cornwall 42 0.24x
Pembrokeshire 39 0.78x
Huntingdonshire 34 1.09x
Carmarthenshire 31 0.47x
Montgomeryshire 26 0.72x
Northumberland 21 0.09x
Royal Navy 21 1.12x
Isle of Man 19 0.65x
Midlothian 19 0.09x
Denbighshire 18 0.30x
Westmorland 17 0.49x
Caernarfonshire 13 0.20x
Cumberland 12 0.09x
Merionethshire 9 0.31x
Angus 8 0.05x
Brecknockshire 8 0.25x
Dunbartonshire 8 0.19x
Rutland 7 0.61x
Dumfriesshire 6 0.17x
Radnorshire 5 0.39x
Flintshire 4 0.09x
Perthshire 4 0.06x
Renfrewshire 4 0.03x
Caithness 3 0.14x
Cardiganshire 3 0.08x
Fife 3 0.03x
Anglesey 1 0.04x
Inverness-shire 1 0.02x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.04x
Stirlingshire 1 0.02x
Sutherland 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 222 Arnolds recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.21x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 222 2.21x
Islington London 194 1.27x
St Pancras London 176 1.39x
Lambeth 154 1.12x
Birmingham 135 1.02x
Hackney London 132 1.50x
Aston 130 1.19x
Battersea 122 2.11x
Kensington London 108 1.23x
St Marylebone London 101 1.20x
Mile End Old Town London 96 2.86x
Newington 95 1.63x
Edmonton 92 7.25x
Tottenham 89 3.55x
Brighton 88 1.64x
Bermondsey 87 1.86x
Croydon 87 2.04x
Neath 86 15.41x
Shoreditch London 85 1.25x
Nottingham St Mary 74 1.35x
Bethnal Green London 71 1.04x
Clerkenwell London 71 1.91x
Portsea 71 1.12x
West Ham 71 1.03x
Chelsea London 68 1.43x
Lewisham 68 2.37x
Nuneaton 67 14.56x
Stoke Upon Trent 67 1.19x
Paddington London 66 1.14x
Deptford St Paul 65 1.57x
Greenwich 65 2.59x
Bradford 64 1.69x
Kingston On Thames 62 3.36x
Manchester 62 0.74x
Coventry Holy Trinity 61 5.14x
North Bierley 60 7.12x
Halstead 58 15.99x
Southampton St Mary 58 2.86x
Dudley 57 2.28x
Sculcoates 56 2.26x
Everton 53 0.89x
Wolverhampton 53 1.30x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 52 1.79x
Leicester St Margaret 52 1.22x
Plumstead 51 2.85x
Liverpool 49 0.43x
Shillington 49 40.80x
Walsall Foreign 48 1.75x
Macclesfield 47 3.04x
Southwark St George Martyr 46 1.45x
Wheathampstead 46 36.67x
Ecclesall Bierlow 45 1.42x
Gamlingay 45 43.32x
Toxteth Park 45 0.71x
Chorlton On Medlock 44 1.48x
Salford 44 0.80x
St George Hanover Square 44 1.59x
West Derby 44 0.80x
West Bromwich 43 1.41x
Rotherhithe 42 2.16x
Eastbourne 40 3.27x
Hitchin 40 8.16x
Charlton 39 10.93x
Luton 39 2.76x
Great Shelford 38 72.52x
Hornsey 38 1.91x
Worth 38 19.71x
Hulme 37 0.95x
Plymouth St Andrew 37 1.47x
Streatham 37 3.17x
Coventry St Michael 36 2.82x
Fulham London 36 1.58x
Knottingley 36 13.13x
Leicester St Mary 36 2.55x
Ringwould 36 78.29x
Stranton 36 2.28x
Faversham 35 6.83x
Kings Norton 35 1.90x
Parr 35 5.24x
Yeovil 35 6.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,019
Elizabeth 667
Sarah 629
Ann 314
Eliza 285
Emma 284
Jane 283
Alice 248
Emily 238
Ellen 220
Annie 214
Louisa 144
Hannah 141
Charlotte 116
Margaret 114
Florence 106
Martha 106
Maria 105
Fanny 102
Edith 94
Caroline 93
Harriet 92
Lucy 88
Ada 80
Clara 77
Catherine 76
Kate 74
Susan 73
Frances 67
Amelia 61
Rose 58
Anne 49
Esther 44
Harriett 43
Julia 41
Jessie 38
Agnes 37
Rebecca 37
Sophia 37
Minnie 35
Gertrude 34
Isabella 30
Laura 30
Matilda 30
Ethel 29
Amy 28
Lydia 27
Ruth 27
Susannah 27
Grace 25

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,066
John 818
George 616
Thomas 513
James 446
Henry 370
Charles 366
Joseph 245
Alfred 225
Robert 203
Edward 202
Arthur 160
Frederick 150
Samuel 141
Richard 128
Walter 116
Harry 108
Albert 106
Frank 80
Ernest 73
Herbert 72
David 54
Edwin 49
Wm. 40
Francis 39
Thos. 37
Stephen 33
Isaac 31
Fred 29
Daniel 27
Fredk. 27
Benjamin 26
Percy 26
Tom 23
Peter 21
Matthew 20
Edmund 18
Geo. 18
Abraham 17
Chas. 17
Fredrick 17
Willm. 17
Sydney 16
Sidney 15
Mark 14
Amos 13
Edgar 13
Robt. 12
Job 11
Horace 10

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Arnold households.

FAQ

Arnold surname: questions and answers

How common was the Arnold surname in 1881?

In 1881, 16,054 people were recorded with the Arnold surname. That placed it at #245 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Arnold surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 22,756 in 2016. That gives Arnold a modern rank of #260.

What does the Arnold surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle power" in Old English.

What does the Arnold map show?

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