NameCensus.

UK surname

Catley

An English surname derived from the Old English words "catt" meaning cat and "ley" meaning meadow or clearing.

In the 1881 census there were 646 people recorded with the Catley surname, ranking it #5,519 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 892, ranked #6,340, down from #5,519 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mendip, South Cambridgeshire and North Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Catley is 990 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.1%.

1881 census count

646

Ranked #5,519

Modern count

892

2016, ranked #6,340

Peak year

1999

990 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Catley had 646 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,519 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 892 in 2016, ranked #6,340.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 850 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Catley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Catley surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Catley 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 473 #5,259
1861 historical 446 #5,796
1881 historical 646 #5,519
1891 historical 668 #5,829
1901 historical 742 #5,991
1911 historical 850 #5,222
1997 modern 924 #5,846
1998 modern 960 #5,857
1999 modern 990 #5,759
2000 modern 976 #5,809
2001 modern 963 #5,762
2002 modern 969 #5,830
2003 modern 956 #5,809
2004 modern 964 #5,772
2005 modern 915 #5,950
2006 modern 878 #6,149
2007 modern 876 #6,221
2008 modern 867 #6,315
2009 modern 880 #6,381
2010 modern 910 #6,335
2011 modern 873 #6,479
2012 modern 839 #6,595
2013 modern 875 #6,490
2014 modern 891 #6,425
2015 modern 888 #6,383
2016 modern 892 #6,340

Geography

Back to top

Where Catleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Chilcompton and Anstey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mendip, South Cambridgeshire, North Lincolnshire and Worthing. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire
4 Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Chilcompton Somerset
5 Anstey Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mendip 009 Mendip
2 South Cambridgeshire 018 South Cambridgeshire
3 North Lincolnshire 020 North Lincolnshire
4 North Lincolnshire 001 North Lincolnshire
5 Worthing 011 Worthing

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Catley

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Catley

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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Catley 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

Catley 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

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

Meaning and origin of Catley

The surname Catley originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Catley in Lincolnshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Cateleia". The name is thought to come from the Old English words "catt" meaning cat and "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Catley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1170, where a certain William de Cateley is mentioned. The suffix "de" indicates that he was of or from the place called Catley.

In the 13th century, a Thomas de Cateley is documented in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1284. The Catley surname also appears in various tax records and parish registers throughout the medieval and early modern periods, with various spellings such as Cateley, Catlie, and Catly.

Notable individuals with the surname Catley include John Catley, a 16th-century English churchman who served as the Dean of Norwich from 1568 to 1572. Another notable figure was Sir Crisp Catley, a 17th-century English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1645 to 1648.

In the 18th century, there was a celebrated English actress named Ann Catley, born in 1745, who performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden. She was known for her roles in comic operas and was a favorite of King George III.

Other notable Catleys include Robert Catley, an English composer and organist born in 1758, and Samuel Catley, a 19th-century English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club between 1835 and 1847.

The Catley surname has also been found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Norfolk, where the name is believed to have originated from the place name Catley.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Catley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Catley 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 149 Catleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.40x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 149 2.40x
Somerset 93 9.21x
Middlesex 69 1.10x
Lincolnshire 64 6.38x
Hertfordshire 40 9.25x
Essex 34 2.75x
Lancashire 32 0.43x
Surrey 28 0.92x
Nottinghamshire 20 2.37x
Cambridgeshire 18 4.53x
Northamptonshire 16 2.71x
Monmouthshire 15 3.31x
Gloucestershire 10 0.81x
Warwickshire 10 0.63x
Durham 7 0.38x
Buckinghamshire 6 1.58x
Wiltshire 6 1.08x
Berkshire 5 1.06x
Devon 5 0.38x
Kent 5 0.23x
Cheshire 3 0.22x
Cumberland 1 0.19x
Derbyshire 1 0.10x
Leicestershire 1 0.14x
Royal Navy 1 1.34x
Staffordshire 1 0.05x
Suffolk 1 0.13x
Sussex 1 0.09x
Worcestershire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Anstey in Hertfordshire leads with 27 Catleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3176.47x.

Place Total Index
Anstey 27 3176.47x
Writhlington 25 2840.91x
Newark Upon Trent 19 62.52x
East Ardsley 18 334.57x
Cucklington 15 2586.21x
York St Mary 15 58.28x
Midsomer Norton 14 147.21x
St George Hanover Square 11 9.95x
West Ham 11 4.02x
Garforth 10 210.08x
Goxhill 10 404.86x
Halstead 10 69.25x
Lambeth 10 1.83x
Melbourn 10 258.40x
Peterborough 10 23.41x
Rotherham 10 28.54x
Scarborough 10 17.71x
Clifton 9 14.47x
Leeds 9 2.56x
Wootton 9 720.00x
Aston 8 1.84x
Clerkenwell London 8 5.40x
Meesden 8 1951.22x
Mynyddyslwyn 8 44.72x
Newington 8 3.45x
Oldham 8 3.33x
Ratcliffe London 8 23.09x
Bedwellty 7 8.74x
Bromley London 7 5.07x
Clee With Weelsby 7 31.88x
Nether Hallam 7 8.32x
Stoke Lane 7 486.11x
Barton Le Willows 6 1071.43x
Chesham 6 42.95x
Droylsden 6 24.71x
Northampton All Sts 6 29.97x
Pilton 6 248.96x
Sawston 6 156.66x
Stisted 6 375.00x
Stranton 6 9.55x
Aberford 5 357.14x
Badgworth 5 833.33x
Bury 5 5.88x
Camberwell 5 1.25x
Deptford St Paul 5 3.03x
Holy Trinity 5 3.34x
Mile End Old Town London 5 3.75x
Nettleton 5 485.44x
West Derby 5 2.30x
Willoughton 5 446.43x
York St Lawrence 5 77.16x
Arkesden 4 444.44x
Foston On Wolds 4 645.16x
Frome 4 16.56x
Hackney London 4 1.14x
Keelby 4 251.57x
Kimberworth 4 11.59x
Newington 4 23.36x
St Luke London 4 3.98x
Walcot 4 7.44x
Barnetby Le Wold 3 164.84x
Devizes St James 3 40.71x
Doncaster 3 6.61x
Ecclesall Bierlow 3 2.37x
Gainsborough 3 12.69x
Gate Fulford 3 20.68x
Ludford Parva 3 410.96x
Lytham 3 26.41x
Owston 3 105.26x
Paddington London 3 1.30x
Portishead 3 40.00x
Reading St Mary 3 7.96x
Shoreditch London 3 1.10x
St Michael Lincoln 3 110.29x
Wakefield 3 6.29x
Wedmore 3 45.66x
York St George 3 61.22x
Birmingham 2 0.38x
Great Grimsby 2 3.14x
Newton Abbot St Nicholas 2 74.91x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Catley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Catley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 646 people were recorded with the Catley surname. That placed it at #5,519 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Catley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 892 in 2016. That gives Catley a modern rank of #6,340.

What does the Catley surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English words "catt" meaning cat and "ley" meaning meadow or clearing.

What does the Catley map show?

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