NameCensus.

UK surname

Atkinson

An English occupational surname referring to the son of Atkin, a diminutive of Adam.

In the 1881 census there were 29,154 people recorded with the Atkinson surname, ranking it #110 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 38,242, ranked #132, down from #110 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Lakeland, Eden and Lancaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Atkinson is 39,184 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.2%.

1881 census count

29,154

Ranked #110

Modern count

38,242

2016, ranked #132

Peak year

2010

39,184 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Atkinson had 29,154 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #110 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 38,242 in 2016, ranked #132.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 38,886 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Atkinson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Atkinson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Atkinson 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 19,216 #111
1861 historical 20,429 #104
1881 historical 29,154 #110
1891 historical 29,601 #114
1901 historical 35,984 #114
1911 historical 38,886 #93
1997 modern 37,847 #125
1998 modern 38,915 #127
1999 modern 39,110 #128
2000 modern 38,841 #129
2001 modern 38,094 #126
2002 modern 38,779 #132
2003 modern 37,659 #132
2004 modern 37,567 #134
2005 modern 37,122 #134
2006 modern 37,062 #135
2007 modern 37,283 #135
2008 modern 37,598 #134
2009 modern 38,403 #134
2010 modern 39,184 #134
2011 modern 38,558 #135
2012 modern 37,970 #133
2013 modern 38,699 #133
2014 modern 38,914 #133
2015 modern 38,449 #132
2016 modern 38,242 #132

Geography

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Where Atkinsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead, Leeds and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Lakeland, Eden, Lancaster and Hambleton. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Lakeland 003 South Lakeland
2 Eden 006 Eden
3 Lancaster 001 Lancaster
4 Hambleton 002 Hambleton
5 South Lakeland 012 South Lakeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Atkinson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Atkinson

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

Atkinson 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

Atkinson 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 Atkinson 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 Atkinson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Atkinson

The surname Atkinson is of English origin, deriving from the Old English personal name "Atkin" or "Adkin," which was a diminutive form of the name Adam. This name was first recorded in the late 12th century in various regions of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Atkinson is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-son" to the personal name Atkin or Adkin, essentially translating to "son of Atkin." This naming convention was common during the medieval period when surnames began to emerge as a way to distinguish individuals and families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Atkinson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a person named Adam Atkinson. In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Atkynson, Atkynsone, and Atkinsoun, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England, does not contain any direct references to the surname Atkinson. However, it does list individuals with the personal name Adam, which could have been the basis for the later development of the surname Atkinson.

Notable historical figures with the surname Atkinson include:

1. Thomas Atkinson (1546-1639), an English mathematician and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. 2. John Atkinson (1598-1628), an English writer and poet, best known for his work "The Passion of a Discontented Mind." 3. Joseph Atkinson (1743-1818), an English artist and engraver, known for his illustrations of Shakespeare's works. 4. Hannah Atkinson (1784-1859), an English Baptist missionary who served in India and played a significant role in promoting education for women. 5. Mary Atkinson (1836-1910), an English actress and playwright, renowned for her performances in various Shakespearean plays.

The name Atkinson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Atkinson Close in Yorkshire and Atkinson's Bank in Lancashire, reflecting the historical presence of families with this surname in those regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Atkinson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Atkinson 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 9,614 Atkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.41x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 9,614 3.41x
Lancashire 5,442 1.61x
Durham 3,532 4.17x
Lincolnshire 1,478 3.25x
Northumberland 1,445 3.41x
Cumberland 1,347 5.50x
Middlesex 1,306 0.46x
Westmorland 1,240 19.83x
Surrey 638 0.46x
Cheshire 538 0.86x
Kent 391 0.40x
Nottinghamshire 301 0.78x
Lanarkshire 144 0.16x
Essex 138 0.25x
Derbyshire 120 0.27x
Warwickshire 116 0.16x
Staffordshire 107 0.11x
Sussex 106 0.22x
Leicestershire 105 0.33x
Hampshire 91 0.16x
Gloucestershire 75 0.13x
Midlothian 68 0.18x
Worcestershire 61 0.16x
Northamptonshire 54 0.20x
Devon 52 0.09x
Norfolk 52 0.12x
Glamorgan 44 0.09x
Renfrewshire 44 0.20x
Somerset 44 0.10x
Suffolk 40 0.12x
Shropshire 31 0.13x
Oxfordshire 28 0.16x
Wiltshire 28 0.11x
Berkshire 26 0.12x
Cambridgeshire 26 0.14x
Monmouthshire 23 0.11x
Dunbartonshire 21 0.27x
Buckinghamshire 20 0.12x
Isle of Man 20 0.38x
Denbighshire 19 0.18x
Channel Islands 18 0.21x
Ayrshire 17 0.08x
Dorset 17 0.09x
Rutland 17 0.81x
Hertfordshire 15 0.08x
Bedfordshire 14 0.10x
Kirkcudbrightshire 12 0.29x
Berwickshire 10 0.29x
Herefordshire 10 0.09x
Royal Navy 9 0.27x
Huntingdonshire 8 0.14x
Dumfriesshire 6 0.10x
Fife 6 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 6 0.09x
Flintshire 4 0.05x
Perthshire 4 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.03x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.01x
Angus 2 0.01x
Cornwall 2 0.01x
Roxburghshire 2 0.04x
Argyllshire 1 0.01x
Buteshire 1 0.06x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.01x
Stirlingshire 1 0.01x
West Lothian 1 0.02x
Wigtownshire 1 0.03x

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 687 Atkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.31x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 687 4.31x
Gateshead 317 5.00x
Preston 312 3.45x
Bishopwearmouth 281 3.87x
Holy Trinity 265 3.91x
Kendal 237 20.70x
Sculcoates 215 4.81x
Westoe 210 4.38x
Hunslet 206 4.69x
Barrow In Furness 196 4.27x
Elswick 193 5.71x
Stockton On Tees 189 4.63x
Manchester 183 1.21x
Great Grimsby 177 6.13x
Bradford 174 2.55x
Horton In Bradford 173 3.93x
Salford 172 1.73x
Dalton In Furness 160 12.28x
Westgate 160 6.10x
Darlington 156 4.77x
Scarborough 149 5.82x
West Derby 147 1.49x
Bowling 146 5.23x
Liverpool 146 0.71x
Stranton 144 5.05x
Everton 137 1.27x
Headingley Cum Burley 136 7.49x
St Pancras London 136 0.59x
Wortley In Bramley 134 6.00x
Great Bolton 132 2.95x
Winlaton 129 15.88x
Blackburn 120 1.34x
Middlesbrough 119 3.24x
Toxteth Park 117 1.02x
Lambeth 116 0.47x
Ulverston 116 11.80x
Hulme 113 1.60x
Lancaster 113 5.62x
Sheffield 112 1.25x
Camberwell 110 0.61x
Islington London 110 0.40x
Huddersfield 102 2.48x
Manningham 102 2.94x
Barnsley 100 3.44x
Burnley 97 3.41x
Oldham 97 0.89x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 95 3.76x
Holbeck 94 5.03x
Bingley 92 5.12x
Penrith 92 10.17x
Keighley 91 3.03x
Wakefield 91 4.20x
Wigan 91 1.93x
Brightside Bierlow 89 1.61x
Chorlton On Medlock 88 1.64x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 86 2.35x
Longbenton 85 4.74x
Newcastle On Tyne St 85 3.87x
Halifax 84 2.03x
Layton With Warbreck 84 6.78x
Ecclesall Bierlow 81 1.41x
Shipley 81 5.54x
Idle 80 6.12x
Whitehaven 79 6.05x
Tynemouth 78 3.44x
Barrowford Booth 77 20.61x
Doncaster 77 3.74x
St Marylebone London 77 0.51x
Habergham Eaves 75 2.43x
Kensington London 75 0.47x
Deptford St Paul 71 0.95x
Falsgrave 69 16.61x
Hackney London 68 0.43x
Monkwearmouth Shore 68 4.12x
Pendleton In Salford 68 1.69x
Great Little Marsden 67 4.33x
Skipton 65 7.33x
Govan 64 0.28x
Hetton Le Hole 64 5.97x
Kirkby Lonsdale 62 36.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2,266
Elizabeth 1,219
Sarah 1,042
Jane 864
Ann 696
Margaret 609
Annie 471
Hannah 425
Alice 366
Emma 316
Ellen 315
Isabella 273
Eliza 272
Emily 234
Martha 228
Edith 152
Ada 151
Agnes 146
Maria 144
Frances 129
Harriet 128
Catherine 120
Anne 115
Florence 115
Louisa 115
Charlotte 108
Clara 107
Eleanor 107
Fanny 104
Lucy 98
Kate 90
Caroline 79
Esther 71
Elizth. 60
Susannah 58
Rachel 57
Ruth 56
Harriett 54
Ethel 53
Dorothy 49
Rebecca 48
Amy 47
Betsy 47
Amelia 46
Gertrude 42
Grace 41
Margt. 41
Rose 41
Nancy 40
Susan 39

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2,140
William 1,782
Thomas 1,230
George 986
James 920
Joseph 668
Robert 609
Henry 483
Charles 374
Richard 308
Edward 280
Arthur 202
Alfred 184
Frederick 175
Samuel 159
Walter 134
Wm. 124
Harry 119
Albert 112
Herbert 97
Thos. 87
Fred 86
David 85
Frank 84
Francis 81
Isaac 73
Edwin 66
Matthew 66
Tom 64
Benjamin 63
Ernest 62
Peter 58
Geo. 50
Ralph 50
Christopher 46
Jonathan 39
Jno. 34
Stephen 34
Mark 33
Robt. 30
Jas. 28
Anthony 27
Fredk. 26
Abraham 25
Percy 24
Alexander 23
Michael 23
Andrew 22
Fredrick 22
Chas. 20

FAQ

Atkinson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Atkinson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 29,154 people were recorded with the Atkinson surname. That placed it at #110 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Atkinson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 38,242 in 2016. That gives Atkinson a modern rank of #132.

What does the Atkinson surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to the son of Atkin, a diminutive of Adam.

What does the Atkinson map show?

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