NameCensus.

UK surname

Charleson

Originally an English surname derived from a locational name, referring to someone from Charlton.

In the 1881 census there were 214 people recorded with the Charleson surname, ranking it #12,284 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 144, ranked #24,390, down from #12,284 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Fetlar and Yell, Wick and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Guildford, Banchory-Devenick and Findon and North Mainland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Charleson is 261 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.7%.

1881 census count

214

Ranked #12,284

Modern count

144

2016, ranked #24,390

Peak year

1901

261 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Charleson had 214 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,284 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016, ranked #24,390.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 261 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Charleson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Charleson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Charleson 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 108 #16,308
1861 historical 219 #11,124
1881 historical 214 #12,284
1891 historical 232 #13,429
1901 historical 261 #12,775
1911 historical 128 #19,664
1997 modern 123 #23,792
1998 modern 131 #23,495
1999 modern 133 #23,487
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 139 #22,541
2002 modern 132 #23,680
2003 modern 128 #23,890
2004 modern 139 #22,891
2005 modern 124 #24,529
2006 modern 130 #24,053
2007 modern 140 #23,231
2008 modern 145 #22,929
2009 modern 148 #23,141
2010 modern 156 #22,886
2011 modern 156 #22,690
2012 modern 151 #23,166
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 138 #25,218
2015 modern 144 #24,369
2016 modern 144 #24,390

Geography

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Where Charlesons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Fetlar and Yell, Wick, Gateshead, Walls and Sandness and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Guildford, Banchory-Devenick and Findon, North Mainland, Rossendale and Crieff North. 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 Fetlar and Yell Shetland
2 Wick Caithness
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Walls and Sandness Shetland
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Guildford 015 Guildford
2 Banchory-Devenick and Findon Aberdeenshire
3 North Mainland Shetland Islands
4 Rossendale 001 Rossendale
5 Crieff North Perth and Kinross

Forenames

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First names often paired with Charleson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Charleson

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Charleson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Charleson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Charleson is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Charleson is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Charleson 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 Charleson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Charleson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Charleson

The surname Charleson has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Cedric", meaning "churl" or "peasant". The name was commonly found in early English records and was often spelled as "Cerdic", "Chardic", or "Charlic".

The earliest known record of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cerdic" in the county of Somerset. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 12th century, the name evolved into the more recognizable form of "Charleson". This was likely due to the influence of the Norman-French language, which added the "-son" suffix, meaning "son of".

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Charleson was Robert Charleson, a prominent landowner in Northumberland, England, who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir John Charleson, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III in the 14th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Charleson family established itself in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. In 1623, Thomas Charleson was born in Yorkshire and later became a renowned playwright and poet during the Restoration period.

In the 18th century, the Charleson surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable figure from this era was William Charleson, a Scottish merchant and explorer who traveled extensively in the West Indies and North America between 1750 and 1780.

As the British Empire expanded, the Charleson name was carried to various parts of the world. In the 19th century, John Charleson (1798-1876) was a prominent settler in South Africa and played a key role in the development of the Cape Colony.

Throughout history, the Charleson surname has been associated with various place names, including Charlestown in Cornwall, England, and Charlestonville in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. These places likely derived their names from individuals bearing the Charleson surname who were once landowners or influential figures in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Charleson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Charleson 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. Shetland leads with 55 Charlesons recorded in 1881 and an index of 257.97x.

County Total Index
Shetland 55 257.97x
Caithness 44 153.95x
Lancashire 41 1.66x
Midlothian 22 7.87x
Durham 15 2.42x
Morayshire 15 46.25x
Dunbartonshire 8 14.26x
Inverness-shire 6 9.62x
Argyllshire 2 3.44x
Fife 1 0.81x
Middlesex 1 0.05x
Nairnshire 1 15.70x
Orkney 1 4.36x
Staffordshire 1 0.14x
Westmorland 1 2.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wick in Caithness leads with 22 Charlesons recorded in 1881 and an index of 238.35x.

Place Total Index
Wick 22 238.35x
Northmavine 16 987.65x
Forres 15 439.88x
Westoe 15 42.61x
Walls 13 1262.14x
South Leith 12 38.13x
Farnworth 11 74.12x
Sandsting Aitsting 11 569.95x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 8.00x
Thurso 9 201.79x
Kirkintilloch 8 104.99x
Yell Mid 8 1142.86x
Chorley 7 50.36x
Kirkdale 6 14.40x
Dunnet 5 434.78x
Halkirk 4 207.25x
Toxteth Park 4 4.77x
Eccleston In Prescot 3 24.14x
Kirkhill 3 283.02x
North Yell 3 508.47x
Olrig 3 209.79x
Salford 3 4.12x
Unst 3 192.31x
Urquhart Glenmoriston 3 170.45x
Atherton 2 22.17x
Campbeltown 2 28.53x
Little Bolton 2 6.28x
Newton 2 10.48x
Canisbay 1 53.19x
Cawdor 1 128.21x
Dalgety 1 106.38x
Hindley 1 9.47x
Leith South 1 263.16x
Long Sleddale 1 1000.00x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.72x
Walls Flotta 1 92.59x
Whiteness Weisdale 1 156.25x
Wolstanton 1 4.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Jane 3
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Isabella 2
Margaret 2
Ann 1
Betsy 1
Blanche 1
Bridget 1
Elizabeth 1
Laura 1
Margery 1
Martha 1
Rebekah 1
Wilhelmina 1
Wilmina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
Alexander 3
Andrew 3
Edward 3
Richard 3
Thomas 3
James 2
Peter 2
Charles 1
Chas. 1
John 1
Joseph 1
Murdock 1
Oliver 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Charleson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Charleson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 214 people were recorded with the Charleson surname. That placed it at #12,284 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Charleson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016. That gives Charleson a modern rank of #24,390.

What does the Charleson surname mean?

Originally an English surname derived from a locational name, referring to someone from Charlton.

What does the Charleson map show?

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