NameCensus.

UK surname

Bedson

English habitational name for someone from a place called Bedson.

In the 1881 census there were 352 people recorded with the Bedson surname, ranking it #8,718 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 539, ranked #9,438, down from #8,718 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, Burslem and Madeley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cheshire East and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bedson is 603 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.1%.

1881 census count

352

Ranked #8,718

Modern count

539

2016, ranked #9,438

Peak year

1998

603 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bedson had 352 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,718 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 539 in 2016, ranked #9,438.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 534 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Bedson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bedson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bedson 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 275 #8,150
1861 historical 340 #7,497
1881 historical 352 #8,718
1891 historical 417 #8,579
1901 historical 471 #8,420
1911 historical 534 #7,458
1997 modern 489 #9,453
1998 modern 603 #8,365
1999 modern 581 #8,622
2000 modern 566 #8,744
2001 modern 559 #8,699
2002 modern 564 #8,811
2003 modern 558 #8,740
2004 modern 551 #8,845
2005 modern 551 #8,767
2006 modern 543 #8,903
2007 modern 554 #8,854
2008 modern 557 #8,876
2009 modern 562 #9,013
2010 modern 576 #9,036
2011 modern 571 #9,002
2012 modern 535 #9,375
2013 modern 542 #9,446
2014 modern 546 #9,446
2015 modern 547 #9,353
2016 modern 539 #9,438

Geography

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Where Bedsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, Burslem, Madeley, Coppenhall and Audley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cheshire East and Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 Burslem Staffordshire
3 Madeley Staffordshire
4 Coppenhall Cheshire
5 Audley Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle-under-Lyme 013 Newcastle-under-Lyme
2 Cheshire East 039 Cheshire East
3 Cheshire East 049 Cheshire East
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 012 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Newcastle-under-Lyme 010 Newcastle-under-Lyme

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bedson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bedson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bedson, 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 Bedson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bedson 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bedson 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

Bedson 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

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

Meaning and origin of Bedson

The surname Bedson is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bed," referring to a bedstead or bed, combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," indicating "son of." This suggests that the name originally identified an individual whose father or ancestor was associated with the trade or occupation of bed-making or bed-selling.

Bedson is a locational surname, meaning it likely originated from a specific place name where the earliest bearers of the name resided. One theory suggests it may have originated from the village of Bedson, located in the county of Durham, England. However, historical records of this specific place name are scarce, and its connection to the surname remains uncertain.

The earliest recorded instances of the Bedson surname can be found in various medieval documents and registers from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable early bearer of the name was John Bedson, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, England, in 1275.

Another historical reference to the Bedson name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1379, which recorded a William Bedson as a taxpayer in the region. This suggests that the name was well-established in northern England by the late medieval period.

One notable individual bearing the Bedson surname was Sir Thomas Bedson (1582-1649), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Ripon in Yorkshire during the reign of King Charles I. He played a significant role in the events leading up to the English Civil War.

Another individual of note was John Bedson (1753-1824), a renowned clockmaker from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, who was highly regarded for his craftsmanship and innovations in the field of horology during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

In the 19th century, William Bedson (1819-1892) was a prominent figure in the field of education. He served as the headmaster of the Newcastle Royal Grammar School from 1855 to 1892, during which time he made significant contributions to the school's growth and development.

The Bedson surname also has connections to the literary world. Edward Bedson (1874-1938) was an English author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories, including the well-received work "The Loves of John Plattin" (1908).

It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the Bedson surname have been observed throughout history, including Betson, Bettson, and Bedison, among others. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, phonetic adaptations, and the inconsistencies in record-keeping practices during earlier periods.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bedson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bedson 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. Staffordshire leads with 203 Bedsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.42x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 203 17.42x
Cheshire 96 12.59x
Lancashire 27 0.66x
Surrey 11 0.65x
Warwickshire 9 1.03x
Leicestershire 2 0.52x
Oxfordshire 2 0.94x
Flintshire 1 1.08x
Hampshire 1 0.14x
Kent 1 0.08x
Middlesex 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. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 60 Bedsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 48.54x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 60 48.54x
Madeley 41 1408.93x
Audley Talk O Th Hill 16 761.90x
Great Neston 16 634.92x
Alsager 15 789.47x
Burslem 13 38.93x
Tranmere 13 46.41x
Lambeth 11 3.65x
Wolstanton Knutton 10 140.45x
Betley 9 927.84x
Birmingham 9 3.10x
Newcastle Under Lyme 9 43.65x
Thurstaston 9 5000.00x
Monks Coppenhall 8 27.82x
Wistaston 8 1666.67x
Castle Church 7 99.86x
Eastham 7 686.27x
Gorton 6 15.58x
Marple 6 114.72x
Trentham 6 60.54x
Wolstanton 6 16.95x
Audley 5 43.37x
Hyde 5 22.23x
Wigan 5 8.73x
Wolstanton Chatterly 5 416.67x
Hatherton 4 800.00x
Liverpool 4 1.61x
Puddington 4 2105.26x
Salford 4 3.32x
Wolstanton Chesterton 4 67.11x
Farnworth 3 12.22x
Sedgley 3 6.93x
Eccleston In Prescot 2 9.72x
Frowlesworth 2 800.00x
Oldham 2 1.51x
Oxford St Giles 2 19.67x
Stapeley 2 281.69x
Aldershot 1 4.22x
Burton Extra 1 14.97x
Greenwich 1 1.82x
Hatherton 1 263.16x
Hough 1 303.03x
Leek Lowe 1 6.45x
Little Sutton 1 98.04x
Milwich 1 153.85x
Mucklestone 1 89.29x
Northop 1 30.40x
St Pancras London 1 0.36x
Whittington 1 42.02x
Wuerdle Wardle 1 8.04x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 26
William 26
Thomas 16
George 15
James 14
Joseph 9
Samuel 9
Charles 8
Henry 7
Frederick 6
Edward 5
Alfred 4
Peter 3
Arthur 2
Eaton 2
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Geo. 2
Harry 2
Jos. 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Charles. 1
Cornelius 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Frederic 1
Jame 1
Jas.Sam. 1
Jesse 1
Jessie 1
Luther 1
Maria 1
Mathew 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Bedson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bedson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 352 people were recorded with the Bedson surname. That placed it at #8,718 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bedson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 539 in 2016. That gives Bedson a modern rank of #9,438.

What does the Bedson surname mean?

English habitational name for someone from a place called Bedson.

What does the Bedson map show?

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