NameCensus.

UK surname

Battison

A variant spelling of the English surname Battison, likely derived from a baptismal name.

In the 1881 census there were 336 people recorded with the Battison surname, ranking it #8,996 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 457, ranked #10,690, down from #8,996 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bonhill, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Alfreton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northampton, Walsall and Wirral.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Battison is 495 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.0%.

1881 census count

336

Ranked #8,996

Modern count

457

2016, ranked #10,690

Peak year

1901

495 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Battison had 336 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,996 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 457 in 2016, ranked #10,690.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 495 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Battison surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Battison surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Battison 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 232 #9,296
1861 historical 300 #8,432
1881 historical 336 #8,996
1891 historical 373 #9,367
1901 historical 495 #8,111
1911 historical 340 #10,490
1997 modern 454 #10,004
1998 modern 471 #10,048
1999 modern 466 #10,189
2000 modern 469 #10,105
2001 modern 450 #10,226
2002 modern 468 #10,117
2003 modern 462 #10,045
2004 modern 461 #10,107
2005 modern 456 #10,111
2006 modern 451 #10,221
2007 modern 451 #10,318
2008 modern 442 #10,573
2009 modern 460 #10,481
2010 modern 463 #10,660
2011 modern 457 #10,651
2012 modern 461 #10,482
2013 modern 456 #10,722
2014 modern 458 #10,749
2015 modern 455 #10,734
2016 modern 457 #10,690

Geography

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Where Battisons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bonhill, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Alfreton, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northampton, Walsall, Wirral and Balfron and Drymen. 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 Bonhill Dunbarton
2 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
3 Alfreton Derbyshire
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northampton 030 Northampton
2 Northampton 020 Northampton
3 Walsall 008 Walsall
4 Wirral 027 Wirral
5 Balfron and Drymen Stirling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Battison

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Battison

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Battison surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Battison household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Battison is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Battison 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

Battison 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 Battison is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Battison

The surname Battison originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words 'batt' and 'sunu' which translate to 'son of Batt'. Batt was a common diminutive form of the name Bartholomew during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Battison appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which lists a Roger Batteson. The Battison surname was primarily concentrated in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire during its early history.

In the 13th century, a William Battison is recorded as holding lands in the village of Eccleshill near Bradford, West Yorkshire. This place name may have contributed to variations in the spelling such as Battishill and Batteshull that appeared in later centuries.

The Battison name can also be found in the Hearth Tax Rolls for Lincolnshire from 1673, suggesting its spread across different regions of England by the late 17th century. One notable entry is for a John Battison, a landowner in the village of Nettleton.

A prominent early bearer of the Battison surname was Robert Battison (1632-1704), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Cleveland in Yorkshire. Another individual of note was John Battison (1765-1835), a renowned English mathematician and astronomer from Cockermouth, Cumberland.

Other historical figures include William Battison (1779-1858), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and James Battison (1815-1897), a English industrialist and founder of the Battison Cycle Company in Birmingham.

The Battison surname has undergone various spellings throughout its long history, such as Bateson, Battyson, and Battisson, reflecting regional dialect differences and changes in pronunciation over time. However, the core roots of the name can be traced back to its Old English origins in the northern counties of medieval England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Battison families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Battison 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. Northamptonshire leads with 105 Battisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.06x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 105 34.06x
Yorkshire 35 1.08x
Dunbartonshire 27 30.65x
Stirlingshire 22 18.20x
Lanarkshire 21 1.98x
Derbyshire 19 3.70x
Perthshire 18 12.24x
Bedfordshire 15 8.84x
Surrey 13 0.81x
Lancashire 12 0.31x
Clackmannanshire 8 29.55x
Leicestershire 7 1.93x
Hampshire 6 0.89x
Kent 6 0.54x
Staffordshire 5 0.45x
Buckinghamshire 4 2.02x
Gloucestershire 4 0.62x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.96x
Middlesex 2 0.06x
Warwickshire 2 0.24x
Berkshire 1 0.41x
Cheshire 1 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Northampton Priory St in Northamptonshire leads with 22 Battisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 118.92x.

Place Total Index
Northampton Priory St 22 118.92x
Bonhill 19 134.37x
Glasgow 15 7.97x
Quinton 10 7142.86x
Brightside Bierlow 9 14.13x
Hackleton 9 2093.02x
Northampton All Sts 9 86.04x
Alfreton 8 51.31x
Bridlington 8 107.53x
Denny 8 124.42x
Logie 8 151.52x
Piddington 8 1403.51x
Alloa 7 53.31x
Croydon 7 7.90x
Northampton St Sepulchre 7 44.64x
Row 7 61.46x
Biggleswade 6 107.91x
Deptford St Paul 6 6.96x
Great Houghton 6 1621.62x
Kettering 6 48.12x
Lecropt 6 869.57x
Muiravonside 6 195.44x
Newington 6 4.96x
Stirling 6 39.37x
Tibshelf 6 238.10x
Ampthill 5 197.63x
Chesterfield 5 25.99x
Cogenhoe 5 1282.05x
Govan 5 1.91x
Little Houghton 5 877.19x
Newton 5 16.68x
Portsea 5 3.80x
Preston 5 4.81x
Stoke Upon Trent 5 4.26x
Wootton 5 543.48x
Heckmondwike 4 38.28x
Misson 4 519.48x
Stapleton 4 32.81x
Wolverton 4 97.56x
Brafield On Green 3 500.00x
Leicester St Nicholas 3 145.63x
Loughborough 3 18.19x
Northampton St Giles 3 25.55x
Blisworth 2 168.07x
Cranfield 2 122.70x
Fen Drayton 2 512.82x
Kilmadock 2 59.17x
Leamington Priors 2 9.83x
Liverpool 2 0.85x
Middlesbrough 2 4.73x
Roade 2 246.91x
Scarborough 2 6.78x
Aldershot 1 4.44x
Ardoch 1 80.65x
Argam 1 2500.00x
Balfron 1 67.11x
Barnsley 1 2.99x
Barony 1 0.37x
Bedford St Peter 1 22.68x
Braybrooke 1 250.00x
Buglawton 1 57.47x
Callander 1 41.15x
Church Brampton 1 500.00x
Croft 1 166.67x
Dollar 1 35.71x
Dumbarton 1 8.16x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 1.51x
Ecclesfield 1 4.20x
Fintry 1 217.39x
Hackney London 1 0.54x
Leicester All Sts 1 14.01x
St Pancras London 1 0.38x
Stapleford 1 27.86x
Thorpe Achurch 1 625.00x
Wargrave 1 47.39x
Willington 1 357.14x
Wombwell 1 10.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 18
John 11
Charles 8
George 7
Thomas 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
David 3
Frank 3
Harry 3
Mark 3
Samuel 3
Uriah 3
Alfred 2
Frederick 2
Jesse 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Simeon 2
Walter 2
Andrew 1
Ben 1
Benj 1
Billy 1
Charlie 1
Chas. 1
Ebenezer 1
Ed. 1
Eli 1
Ephraim 1
Fred. 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
James 1
Jno. 1
Josiah 1
Owen 1
Robert 1
Septimas 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Wm.H. 1

FAQ

Battison surname: questions and answers

How common was the Battison surname in 1881?

In 1881, 336 people were recorded with the Battison surname. That placed it at #8,996 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Battison surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 457 in 2016. That gives Battison a modern rank of #10,690.

What does the Battison surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname Battison, likely derived from a baptismal name.

What does the Battison map show?

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