NameCensus.

UK surname

Arthurton

An English surname based on the given name Arthur combined with the suffix "-ton" meaning town or village.

In the 1881 census there were 110 people recorded with the Arthurton surname, ranking it #18,695 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 193, ranked #20,039, down from #18,695 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Weston, Tuddenham, East and Fakenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broadland, South Norfolk and Norwich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Arthurton is 196 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.5%.

1881 census count

110

Ranked #18,695

Modern count

193

2016, ranked #20,039

Peak year

2013

196 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Arthurton had 110 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,695 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016, ranked #20,039.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 178 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Arthurton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Arthurton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Arthurton 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 34 #27,194
1861 historical 41 #28,839
1881 historical 110 #18,695
1891 historical 126 #20,604
1901 historical 178 #16,284
1911 historical 154 #17,553
1997 modern 181 #18,763
1998 modern 181 #19,229
1999 modern 184 #19,178
2000 modern 187 #18,990
2001 modern 182 #19,039
2002 modern 191 #18,817
2003 modern 179 #19,416
2004 modern 182 #19,306
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 176 #19,787
2007 modern 182 #19,618
2008 modern 189 #19,315
2009 modern 186 #19,946
2010 modern 190 #20,087
2011 modern 184 #20,363
2012 modern 186 #20,141
2013 modern 196 #19,790
2014 modern 193 #20,159
2015 modern 196 #19,840
2016 modern 193 #20,039

Geography

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Where Arthurtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Weston, Tuddenham, East, Fakenham, Witchingham, Great and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broadland, South Norfolk, Norwich and Breckland. 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 Weston Norfolk
2 Tuddenham, East Norfolk
3 Fakenham Norfolk
4 Witchingham, Great Norfolk
5 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Broadland 002 Broadland
2 South Norfolk 005 South Norfolk
3 Norwich 002 Norwich
4 Breckland 006 Breckland
5 Breckland 014 Breckland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Arthurton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Arthurton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Arthurton, 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 Arthurton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Arthurton 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Arthurton is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Arthurton is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Arthurton falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Arthurton

The surname ARTHURTON is of English origin, deriving from a locational name likely originating in the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "Arður" meaning "bear" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "enclosure". The name suggests it originated from a specific place where a bear was once kept or sighted, such as a bear farm or enclosure.

The earliest known record of the surname ARTHURTON appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, dated 1273, where one Robert de Arþurtone is mentioned. This suggests the surname was already in use and established by the late 13th century.

In the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1327, a John de Arthorton is recorded, indicating the presence of the surname in northern England during the early 14th century.

The ARTHURTON surname is also found in the Hearth Tax returns of 1670, which lists households in various counties across England. Notable entries include a William Arthurton in Cambridgeshire and a Thomas Arthurton in Lancashire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the ARTHURTON surname was Sir John Arthurton (1528-1595), a prominent English politician and landowner from Lincolnshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592.

Another notable figure was Reverend Robert Arthurton (1642-1712), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Battersea in Surrey. He published several religious works during his lifetime, including "A Practical Discourse on Repentance" in 1689.

In the late 18th century, Captain William Arthurton (1760-1832) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He is remembered for his role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

During the 19th century, George Arthurton (1819-1899) was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur from Yorkshire. He founded the Arthurton Iron and Steel Company, which played a significant role in the region's industrial development.

More recently, Sir Edward Arthurton (1920-2006) was a British businessman and philanthropist who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1985-1986. He was knighted in 1986 for his contributions to the City of London and various charitable endeavors.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Arthurton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Arthurton 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. Norfolk leads with 88 Arthurtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.34x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 88 53.34x
Staffordshire 8 2.21x
Surrey 7 1.34x
Yorkshire 5 0.47x
Lancashire 1 0.08x
Middlesex 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. East Tuddenham in Norfolk leads with 13 Arthurtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 7647.06x.

Place Total Index
East Tuddenham 13 7647.06x
Hainford 8 3478.26x
Lichfield St Michael 8 701.75x
Great Witchingham 7 3333.33x
Southwark St Saviour 7 127.04x
Sall 6 8571.43x
East Wretham 5 8333.33x
Leeds 5 8.33x
Barnham Broom 4 2500.00x
Colton 4 4444.44x
Lakenham 4 170.94x
Norwich St Andrew 4 1428.57x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 4 400.00x
Corpusty 3 2142.86x
Drayton 3 2000.00x
Garvestone 3 2500.00x
Heigham 3 33.86x
Norwich St Edmund 3 1111.11x
Norwich St Stephen 3 198.68x
Costessey 2 571.43x
Reepham With Kerdiston 2 1052.63x
Aylsham 1 102.04x
Brampton 1 1428.57x
Cawston 1 250.00x
Great Yarmouth 1 7.32x
Little Bolton 1 6.11x
Mundesley 1 714.29x
Norwich St Michael At 1 104.17x
Paddington London 1 2.53x
Tivetshall St Mary 1 1000.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Robert 8
John 7
William 7
James 4
Arthur 3
Henry 3
George 2
Isaac 2
Thomas 2
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Gorge 1
H. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Jonas 1
Joseph 1
Peter 1
Robt.J. 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1
Wm.Ernest 1

FAQ

Arthurton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Arthurton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 110 people were recorded with the Arthurton surname. That placed it at #18,695 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Arthurton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016. That gives Arthurton a modern rank of #20,039.

What does the Arthurton surname mean?

An English surname based on the given name Arthur combined with the suffix "-ton" meaning town or village.

What does the Arthurton map show?

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