NameCensus.

UK surname

Askam

A locational surname referring to someone from Askam, a village in Cumbria, England.

In the 1881 census there were 112 people recorded with the Askam surname, ranking it #18,501 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 99, ranked #31,358, down from #18,501 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Silkstone and Pontefract. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wakefield, East Lindsey and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Askam is 135 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.6%.

1881 census count

112

Ranked #18,501

Modern count

99

2016, ranked #31,358

Peak year

1901

135 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2006

Key insights

  • Askam had 112 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,501 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 99 in 2016, ranked #31,358.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 135 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Askam surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Askam surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Askam 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 115 #15,634
1861 historical 75 #24,238
1881 historical 112 #18,501
1891 historical 100 #24,045
1901 historical 135 #19,203
1911 historical 116 #20,850
1997 modern 116 #24,688
1998 modern 115 #25,466
1999 modern 112 #26,044
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 107 #26,328
2002 modern 111 #26,291
2003 modern 110 #26,220
2004 modern 108 #26,741
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 101 #28,125
2007 modern 110 #27,087
2008 modern 105 #28,180
2009 modern 112 #27,685
2010 modern 112 #28,336
2011 modern 112 #28,117
2012 modern 101 #30,078
2013 modern 106 #29,740
2014 modern 105 #30,204
2015 modern 101 #30,816
2016 modern 99 #31,358

Geography

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Where Askams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Silkstone, Pontefract, London parishes and Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wakefield, East Lindsey, Leeds, Swale and Hillingdon. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Silkstone Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Pontefract Yorkshire, West Riding
4 London parishes London 2
5 Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wakefield 038 Wakefield
2 East Lindsey 001 East Lindsey
3 Leeds 095 Leeds
4 Swale 011 Swale
5 Hillingdon 025 Hillingdon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Askam

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Askam

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Askam surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Askam 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Askam is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Askam is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Askam 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 Askam is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Askam

The surname ASKAM originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, derived from the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree and "ham" meaning homestead or settlement. It suggests that the earliest bearers of this name lived near an ash tree or in a place with a significant ash tree presence.

ASKAM was first recorded as a place name in Lancashire, England, where the hamlet of Askam-in-Furness is located. It appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Ascam", reflecting the Norman spelling of the name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of ASKAM as a surname dates back to the 13th century, with a John de Askam mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1221. The "de" prefix indicates that John was from the place called Askam.

In the 14th century, a Robert de Askam was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379. This record provides evidence of the surname's early usage and its connection to the region of Yorkshire.

A notable figure bearing the ASKAM surname was Sir Adam de Askam, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1320 and participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

Another historically significant individual was John Askam, a 16th-century English Protestant reformer and scholar. Born in Westmorland in 1520, he was a tutor to Lady Jane Grey and later became the first Protestant Bishop of Winchester, serving from 1554 until his death in 1556.

In the 17th century, the ASKAM surname was recorded in the parish registers of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland, with the baptism of Thomas Askam in 1629.

A notable bearer of the ASKAM name in the 18th century was William Askam, an English barrister and legal writer born in 1725. He authored several works on legal subjects, including "A Course of Study Proper to Qualify a Student at Law for Practice" published in 1765.

In the 19th century, John Askam, born in 1835 in Yorkshire, was a prominent architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Askam families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Askam 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. Yorkshire leads with 75 Askams recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.39x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 75 7.39x
Bedfordshire 11 20.74x
Middlesex 7 0.68x
Northamptonshire 7 7.27x
Northumberland 5 3.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 11 Askams recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.19x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 11 19.19x
Northill 11 2200.00x
Hunslet 10 63.17x
Shipley 10 189.75x
Knottingley 9 505.62x
Askham Bryan 6 5454.55x
Fairburn 5 2777.78x
Holy Trinity 5 20.48x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 5 54.95x
Wortley In Bramley 5 62.19x
Dewsbury 4 38.42x
Hackney London 4 6.97x
Northampton St Sepulchre 4 81.63x
Poplar London 3 15.52x
Wellingborough 3 61.98x
Castleford 2 54.05x
Hilderthorpe 2 392.16x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 1 10.57x
Hornsea 1 156.25x
Horton In Bradford 1 6.31x
Hoyland Nether 1 40.16x
Sculcoates 1 6.22x
Thorner 1 303.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Hannah 8
Alice 4
Emma 3
Harriet 3
Sarah 3
Ada 2
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Ann 1
Catherine 1
Charlote 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Emily 1
Eva 1
Florence 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Minnia 1
Nancy 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 6
Charles 5
Arthur 4
John 4
Thomas 4
Robert 3
William 3
Abraham 2
George 2
Joseph 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Bob 1
Edwin 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
Jno. 1
Lot 1
M.P.John 1
Richard 1
Sam 1
Sefton 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Askam surname: questions and answers

How common was the Askam surname in 1881?

In 1881, 112 people were recorded with the Askam surname. That placed it at #18,501 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Askam surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 99 in 2016. That gives Askam a modern rank of #31,358.

What does the Askam surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Askam, a village in Cumbria, England.

What does the Askam map show?

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