NameCensus.

UK surname

Carrington

A locational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Carrington, meaning "estate of Cara's people."

In the 1881 census there were 3,134 people recorded with the Carrington surname, ranking it #1,437 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,253, ranked #1,287, up from #1,437 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include High Peak, Bolsover and Flintshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Carrington is 5,413 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.6%.

1881 census count

3,134

Ranked #1,437

Modern count

5,253

2016, ranked #1,287

Peak year

2010

5,413 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Carrington had 3,134 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,437 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,253 in 2016, ranked #1,287.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,351 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Carrington surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Carrington surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Carrington 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 1,788 #1,613
1861 historical 1,877 #1,539
1881 historical 3,134 #1,437
1891 historical 3,226 #1,472
1901 historical 3,929 #1,436
1911 historical 4,351 #1,191
1997 modern 5,124 #1,274
1998 modern 5,259 #1,290
1999 modern 5,326 #1,288
2000 modern 5,347 #1,276
2001 modern 5,250 #1,267
2002 modern 5,332 #1,273
2003 modern 5,140 #1,289
2004 modern 5,180 #1,276
2005 modern 5,084 #1,284
2006 modern 5,112 #1,276
2007 modern 5,133 #1,286
2008 modern 5,143 #1,292
2009 modern 5,308 #1,285
2010 modern 5,413 #1,288
2011 modern 5,282 #1,299
2012 modern 5,221 #1,289
2013 modern 5,362 #1,272
2014 modern 5,389 #1,276
2015 modern 5,282 #1,288
2016 modern 5,253 #1,287

Geography

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Where Carringtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Manchester and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to High Peak, Bolsover, Flintshire, North Lincolnshire and Amber Valley. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 High Peak 013 High Peak
2 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
3 Flintshire 004 Flintshire
4 North Lincolnshire 020 North Lincolnshire
5 Amber Valley 008 Amber Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Carrington

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Carrington

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Carrington is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Carrington 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

Carrington falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Carrington

The surname Carrington has its origins in England, first appearing in historical records during the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'cær' meaning rock or tor, and 'ing' meaning a meadow or enclosure, combined to form a place name meaning 'the enclosure by the rocks or rocky place'.

This surname is closely associated with the town of Carrington in Nottinghamshire, where it is thought to have originated as a territorial name for someone who lived near this location. The earliest known record of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mentions a William de Carrington.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Carrington is referred to as 'Cauringa'. This further supports the theory that the surname evolved from this place name over time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Carrington surname was Sir John Carrington, who lived from around 1240 to 1300. He was a prominent landowner and knight in Nottinghamshire during the reign of King Edward I.

Another notable figure was Thomas Carrington, born in 1551, who was an English politician and Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the surname gained prominence with Lord Carrington, also known as Charles Robert Wynn-Carrington (1675-1738), who was an English nobleman and politician. He served as a member of the House of Commons and held the title of Baron Carrington of Bulcot Lodge.

During the 19th century, Sir Codrington Edmund Carrington (1808-1886) was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of New South Wales in Australia from 1855 to 1861.

Another notable figure was Dora Carrington (1893-1932), an English painter and decorative artist associated with the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of writers, artists and intellectuals in London.

Other historical references to the Carrington name include various places and landmarks, such as Carrington Castle in Midlothian, Scotland, and the town of Carrington in North Dakota, United States, which was named after Lord Carrington in the 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Carrington families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Carrington 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. Lancashire leads with 384 Carringtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.05x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 384 1.05x
Middlesex 365 1.19x
Derbyshire 317 6.58x
Essex 210 3.46x
Yorkshire 204 0.67x
Surrey 190 1.27x
Staffordshire 182 1.75x
Nottinghamshire 168 4.05x
Cheshire 139 2.05x
Lincolnshire 121 2.46x
Warwickshire 108 1.39x
Bedfordshire 101 6.34x
Denbighshire 61 5.25x
Suffolk 61 1.63x
Northamptonshire 56 1.93x
Kent 54 0.51x
Sussex 49 0.94x
Cambridgeshire 44 2.26x
Hertfordshire 41 1.93x
Norfolk 33 0.70x
Worcestershire 33 0.82x
Leicestershire 29 0.85x
Devon 26 0.41x
Flintshire 25 3.02x
Gloucestershire 20 0.33x
Shropshire 18 0.68x
Channel Islands 16 1.75x
Durham 15 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 14 2.29x
Hampshire 13 0.21x
Berkshire 11 0.48x
Somerset 8 0.16x
Anglesey 5 0.92x
Northumberland 5 0.11x
Herefordshire 4 0.32x
Perthshire 4 0.29x
Monmouthshire 3 0.13x
Royal Navy 3 0.82x
Wiltshire 3 0.11x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.16x
Cornwall 2 0.06x
Brecknockshire 1 0.16x
Cumberland 1 0.04x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Isle of Man 1 0.18x
Merionethshire 1 0.18x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.10x
Renfrewshire 1 0.04x
Rutland 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 48 Carringtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.25x.

Place Total Index
Aston 48 2.25x
Nottingham St Mary 47 4.38x
Camberwell 43 2.19x
Stockport 41 11.73x
Tottenham 41 8.36x
Great Clacton 38 183.75x
Riseley 38 376.61x
Bersham 34 68.56x
Paddington London 33 2.92x
Birmingham 32 1.24x
Luton 31 11.24x
Harwich St Nicholas 30 63.94x
Brimington 28 76.52x
Hackney London 26 1.51x
Great Grimsby 25 8.00x
Newington 25 2.20x
Chorlton On Medlock 24 4.14x
Holy Trinity 24 3.27x
Liverpool 24 1.08x
Manchester 24 1.46x
Brighton 23 2.20x
Chinley Bugsworth 23 181.67x
Hunslet 22 4.63x
Kingswinford 22 5.83x
Lambeth 22 0.82x
Wolverhampton 22 2.75x
Islington London 21 0.70x
Smalley 21 244.47x
Walsall Foreign 21 3.91x
Ashton Under Lyne 20 2.51x
Chesterfield 20 11.07x
Radcliffe 20 11.36x
Chapel En Le Frith 19 43.19x
Glossop Dale 19 8.42x
Heanor 19 26.37x
Ecclesall Bierlow 18 2.90x
Kensington London 18 1.05x
Bermondsey 17 1.86x
Sheffield 17 1.75x
Alfreton 16 10.93x
Ipswich St Margaret 16 12.58x
Shoreditch London 16 1.20x
Adlington 15 43.86x
Halkin 15 103.45x
Stretford 15 7.47x
Broughton In Salford 14 4.19x
Church Eaton 14 200.57x
Derby St Werburgh 14 5.03x
Disley Stanley 14 40.02x
Hemel Hempstead 14 14.65x
Pentrich 14 51.62x
Bakewell 13 49.32x
Bethnal Green London 13 0.97x
Enfield 13 6.44x
Great Little Marsden 13 7.77x
Southwark St George Martyr 13 2.10x
West Ham 13 0.97x
Clee With Weelsby 12 11.14x
Greasley 12 12.82x
St Pancras London 12 0.48x
Ardwick 11 3.34x
Battersea 11 0.97x
Bromley London 11 1.62x
Donington 11 263.79x
Dudley 11 2.25x
Edale 11 311.61x
Leicester St Margaret 11 1.32x
Mile End Old Town London 11 1.68x
Minera 11 69.84x
Northowram 11 5.14x
Potton 11 52.01x
Ramsey 11 22.49x
Southwick 11 40.09x
Tipton 11 3.46x
Westminster St Margaret 11 7.41x
Whitechapel London 11 3.63x
Wigan 11 2.16x
Wisbech St Peter 11 11.25x
Woolwich 11 2.84x
Penketh 10 76.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 214
Elizabeth 120
Sarah 118
Eliza 69
Emma 62
Ann 58
Ellen 57
Alice 51
Emily 51
Jane 48
Annie 41
Martha 37
Maria 24
Harriet 22
Hannah 21
Charlotte 19
Florence 19
Ada 18
Louisa 17
Caroline 16
Margaret 15
Susan 15
Edith 14
Esther 12
Frances 12
Catherine 11
Fanny 11
Kate 11
Lucy 11
Amelia 10
Eleanor 10
Harriett 10
Lydia 10
Anne 9
Clara 9
Amy 8
Gertrude 8
Matilda 8
Rose 8
Ruth 8
Agnes 7
Anna 7
Bertha 7
Betsy 7
Lilly 7
Sophia 7
Jessie 6
Julia 6
Rebecca 6
Rosa 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 192
John 187
George 122
Thomas 86
James 80
Charles 61
Henry 57
Joseph 45
Arthur 40
Samuel 40
Robert 37
Edward 33
Alfred 32
Richard 32
Frederick 31
Albert 23
Harry 20
Walter 20
Herbert 17
Wm. 13
David 12
Francis 11
Thos. 10
Benjamin 9
Ernest 9
Frank 9
Edwin 7
Geo. 7
Elijah 6
Fredk. 6
Anthony 5
Daniel 5
Fred 5
Fredrick 5
Jonathan 5
Leonard 5
Percy 5
Tom 5
Edmund 4
Harold 4
Moses 4
Peter 4
Ralph 4
Stephen 4
Douglas 3
Frederic 3
G. 3
Isaac 3
Sam 3
Sidney 3

FAQ

Carrington surname: questions and answers

How common was the Carrington surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,134 people were recorded with the Carrington surname. That placed it at #1,437 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Carrington surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,253 in 2016. That gives Carrington a modern rank of #1,287.

What does the Carrington surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Carrington, meaning "estate of Cara's people."

What does the Carrington map show?

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