NameCensus.

UK surname

Cawson

In the 1881 census there were 154 people recorded with the Cawson surname, ranking it #15,259 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 187, ranked #20,488, down from #15,259 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, County Durham and Chelmsford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cawson is 266 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.4%.

1881 census count

154

Ranked #15,259

Modern count

187

2016, ranked #20,488

Peak year

1911

266 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cawson had 154 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,259 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016, ranked #20,488.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 266 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Cawson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cawson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cawson 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 107 #16,402
1861 historical 217 #11,220
1881 historical 154 #15,259
1891 historical 257 #12,476
1901 historical 227 #13,970
1911 historical 266 #12,395
1997 modern 215 #16,844
1998 modern 216 #17,257
1999 modern 215 #17,425
2000 modern 215 #17,388
2001 modern 204 #17,736
2002 modern 197 #18,474
2003 modern 193 #18,501
2004 modern 197 #18,368
2005 modern 182 #19,259
2006 modern 175 #19,850
2007 modern 177 #19,965
2008 modern 185 #19,589
2009 modern 185 #20,010
2010 modern 187 #20,309
2011 modern 207 #18,841
2012 modern 192 #19,730
2013 modern 180 #20,954
2014 modern 177 #21,340
2015 modern 180 #20,997
2016 modern 187 #20,488

Geography

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Where Cawsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, London parishes, Manchester, Bradford and Snaith. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, County Durham, Chelmsford, North Somerset and Carlisle. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Snaith Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 002 Liverpool
2 County Durham 015 County Durham
3 Chelmsford 021 Chelmsford
4 North Somerset 022 North Somerset
5 Carlisle 007 Carlisle

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cawson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cawson

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Cawson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cawson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cawson 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

Cawson is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cawson falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Cawson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cawson 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 52 Cawsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.49x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 52 3.49x
Lancashire 48 2.69x
Surrey 18 2.46x
Durham 11 2.46x
Hampshire 7 2.27x
Leicestershire 5 3.00x
Middlesex 3 0.20x
Gloucestershire 2 0.68x
Staffordshire 2 0.39x
Cheshire 1 0.30x
Devon 1 0.32x
Glamorgan 1 0.38x
Lanarkshire 1 0.21x
Northumberland 1 0.45x
Perthshire 1 1.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bramley In Bramley in Yorkshire leads with 14 Cawsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 245.61x.

Place Total Index
Bramley In Bramley 14 245.61x
Calverley Cum Farsley 11 260.05x
Hook 8 244.65x
Newton 8 58.22x
Over Darwen 7 49.16x
Saddleworth 7 60.98x
Aldershot 6 58.20x
Bradford 6 71.94x
Croydon 6 14.77x
Lamesley 6 248.96x
Camberwell 5 5.21x
Goole 5 200.80x
Urpeth 5 574.71x
West Derby 5 9.59x
Ash Normandy 4 404.04x
Broughton In Salford 4 24.54x
Eccleshill 4 110.50x
Kirkdale 4 13.34x
Pendleton In Salford 4 18.83x
Ashton With Stodday 3 4285.71x
Hackney London 3 3.56x
Worplesdon 3 340.91x
Buckminster 2 1538.46x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 2 37.11x
Liverpool 2 1.85x
Salford 2 3.81x
Toxteth Park 2 3.31x
Askham Bryan 1 625.00x
Belgrave 1 26.60x
Birkenhead 1 3.78x
Govan 1 0.83x
Great Claybrooke 1 454.55x
Holy Trinity 1 2.79x
Hopwood 1 42.92x
Leeds 1 1.19x
Leicester St Mary 1 7.43x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 7.49x
Perth Middle Church 1 39.37x
Plymouth Charles The 1 7.26x
Roath 1 8.42x
Stockbridge 1 222.22x
Wolstanton 1 6.49x
Wolverhampton 1 2.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 7
Jane 5
Sarah 4
Annie 3
Emma 3
Fanny 3
Alice 2
Clara 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Francis 2
Hannah 2
Jessie 2
Margaret 2
Phoebe 2
Rose 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Janet 1
Kate 1
Maria 1
Rosehannah 1
Trepina 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 15
John 8
George 7
Albert 4
Edward 3
James 3
Sidney 3
Thomas 3
Aaron 2
Arthur 2
David 2
Gabriel 2
Henry 2
Isaac 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Sam 2
Benjamin 1
Broadbent 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Harold 1
Harryt 1
Moses 1
Patrick 1
Samuel 1
Thompson 1
Thos.F. 1
Tommy 1

FAQ

Cawson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cawson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 154 people were recorded with the Cawson surname. That placed it at #15,259 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cawson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016. That gives Cawson a modern rank of #20,488.

What does the Cawson map show?

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