NameCensus.

UK surname

Cawsey

In the 1881 census there were 232 people recorded with the Cawsey surname, ranking it #11,677 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 299, ranked #14,770, down from #11,677 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton and Bideford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torridge, Cheltenham and North Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cawsey is 342 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.9%.

1881 census count

232

Ranked #11,677

Modern count

299

2016, ranked #14,770

Peak year

2000

342 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cawsey had 232 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,677 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 299 in 2016, ranked #14,770.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 334 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Cawsey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cawsey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cawsey 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 161 #12,288
1861 historical 124 #17,797
1881 historical 232 #11,677
1891 historical 244 #12,983
1901 historical 257 #12,898
1911 historical 334 #10,608
1997 modern 324 #12,859
1998 modern 323 #13,211
1999 modern 328 #13,183
2000 modern 342 #12,771
2001 modern 327 #12,970
2002 modern 301 #13,962
2003 modern 304 #13,685
2004 modern 307 #13,685
2005 modern 299 #13,877
2006 modern 296 #14,030
2007 modern 302 #13,997
2008 modern 308 #13,882
2009 modern 317 #13,899
2010 modern 330 #13,786
2011 modern 324 #13,839
2012 modern 300 #14,505
2013 modern 308 #14,482
2014 modern 306 #14,647
2015 modern 305 #14,579
2016 modern 299 #14,770

Geography

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Where Cawseys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton, Bideford, Molton, South and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torridge, Cheltenham and North Devon. 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 Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton Devon
3 Bideford Devon
4 Molton, South Devon
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torridge 004 Torridge
2 Torridge 008 Torridge
3 Torridge 001 Torridge
4 Cheltenham 009 Cheltenham
5 North Devon 006 North Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cawsey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cawsey

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Cawsey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cawsey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Cawsey is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cawsey is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cawsey falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Cawsey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cawsey 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. Devon leads with 148 Cawseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.28x.

County Total Index
Devon 148 31.28x
Gloucestershire 21 4.71x
Cornwall 15 5.83x
Surrey 10 0.90x
Middlesex 8 0.35x
Durham 7 1.04x
Glamorgan 7 1.77x
Kent 6 0.77x
Caernarfonshire 5 5.44x
Hampshire 2 0.43x
Angus 1 0.47x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.38x
Royal Navy 1 3.69x
Suffolk 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Northam in Devon leads with 37 Cawseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1072.46x.

Place Total Index
Northam 37 1072.46x
Barnstaple 28 376.85x
Bideford 19 374.75x
Great Torrington 12 447.76x
South Molton 9 346.15x
St Kew 9 1046.51x
Pilton 8 512.82x
Southwark St Saviour 8 68.49x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 7 16.68x
Sutcombe 7 2187.50x
Alverdiscott 6 2857.14x
Bristol St James St Paul 6 40.38x
Bristol St Peter 6 377.36x
Little Torrington 6 1428.57x
Scilly Islands 6 1304.35x
Gateshead 5 9.88x
Kingskerswell 5 632.91x
Llanbeblig 5 53.59x
Minster In Sheppey 5 38.91x
Cardiff St John 4 30.94x
Stoke Damerel 4 12.08x
Ealing 3 14.77x
Mile End Old Town London 3 6.20x
Roath 3 16.69x
West Teignmouth 3 82.87x
Lambeth 2 1.01x
Pittington 2 105.26x
Aldershot 1 6.41x
Bicton 1 833.33x
Brent Eleigh 1 555.56x
Bristol St Augustine 1 13.91x
Dundee 1 1.27x
East Putford 1 833.33x
Exeter St Thomas The 1 20.75x
Gillingham 1 6.25x
Hubberston 1 94.34x
Paddington London 1 1.20x
Portsea 1 1.10x
Royal Navy 1 4.32x
Westbury On Trym 1 6.62x
Westleigh 1 256.41x
Westminster St James 1 4.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 16
Mary 15
Alice 5
Ellen 5
Emily 5
Annie 4
Caroline 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Frances 2
Georgeina 2
Jane 2
Jessie 2
Martha 2
Maud 2
Susan 2
Thurza 2
Angelina 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Charlotte 1
Dinah 1
Eliza.Margaret 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eugene 1
Eveline 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Hanah 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Infant 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Lenora 1
Lottie 1
Louise 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Maude 1
Mitta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 14
Robert 9
Henry 8
Thomas 8
Charles 6
George 6
Edward 5
Frederick 4
Alfred 3
Archibald 3
James 3
Arthur 2
Claude 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Joseph 2
Samuel 2
Silas 2
Albert 1
Edmund 1
Fredrick 1
Hy. 1
Norman 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Sydney 1
Waldy 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cawsey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cawsey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 232 people were recorded with the Cawsey surname. That placed it at #11,677 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cawsey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 299 in 2016. That gives Cawsey a modern rank of #14,770.

What does the Cawsey map show?

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