NameCensus.

UK surname

Charlton

From an English place name meaning "settlement of free peasants," derived from the Old English words ceorl and tun.

In the 1881 census there were 8,568 people recorded with the Charlton surname, ranking it #492 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 12,640, ranked #509, down from #492 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Charlton is 13,003 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 47.5%.

1881 census count

8,568

Ranked #492

Modern count

12,640

2016, ranked #509

Peak year

2010

13,003 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Charlton had 8,568 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #492 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 12,640 in 2016, ranked #509.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 12,256 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Charlton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Charlton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Charlton 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 5,839 #478
1861 historical 6,189 #451
1881 historical 8,568 #492
1891 historical 9,755 #453
1901 historical 11,060 #473
1911 historical 12,256 #399
1997 modern 12,296 #500
1998 modern 12,754 #503
1999 modern 12,787 #504
2000 modern 12,652 #507
2001 modern 12,464 #501
2002 modern 12,704 #503
2003 modern 12,431 #503
2004 modern 12,442 #500
2005 modern 12,176 #507
2006 modern 12,213 #503
2007 modern 12,319 #502
2008 modern 12,407 #504
2009 modern 12,716 #505
2010 modern 13,003 #501
2011 modern 12,840 #501
2012 modern 12,516 #506
2013 modern 12,775 #508
2014 modern 12,810 #512
2015 modern 12,680 #512
2016 modern 12,640 #509

Geography

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Where Charltons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale, London parishes, Gateshead and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Allendale Northumberland
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 040 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 019 Northumberland
3 Northumberland 035 Northumberland
4 Northumberland 020 Northumberland
5 Northumberland 013 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Charlton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Charlton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Charlton, 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 Charlton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Charlton 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, Charlton 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

Charlton 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

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

Meaning and origin of Charlton

The surname Charlton is of English origin and derives from the Old English words 'ceorl' meaning a freeman, and 'tun' meaning an enclosure or settlement. It first emerged as a locational name for someone who lived in the town of Charlton.

Charlton is found in various parts of England, such as Charlton in Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Kent. The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Cerlentone' and 'Certone' in Wiltshire, and 'Cerletone' in Berkshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Charlton is Walter de Cherletun, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190. Another early record is that of William de Cherleton, who is listed in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.

Charlton became a prominent name in various parts of England, and several notable individuals bore this surname throughout history. Sir Robert Charlton (c. 1543-1628) was a wealthy English landowner and Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby. Sir Job Charlton (1614-1692) was an English judge and Speaker of the House of Commons.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Charlton surname is that of Robert Charlton, who was born in England and settled in Virginia in the 17th century. He served as a burgess in the Virginia House of Burgesses in the 1650s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Charlton include: John Charlton (1785-1854), an English naturalist and author; Henry Charlton (1834-1904), an English cricketer; Walter Charlton (1554-1617), an English Catholic priest and martyr; and Guy Charlton (born 1939), an English actor best known for his role in the television series 'Howards' Way'.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Charlton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Charlton 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. Durham leads with 2,339 Charltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.39x.

County Total Index
Durham 2,339 9.39x
Northumberland 2,129 17.10x
Yorkshire 768 0.93x
Lancashire 600 0.60x
Middlesex 553 0.66x
Kent 234 0.82x
Surrey 225 0.55x
Nottinghamshire 214 1.90x
Hampshire 128 0.75x
Warwickshire 114 0.54x
Staffordshire 107 0.38x
Lincolnshire 102 0.76x
Somerset 97 0.72x
Cumberland 90 1.25x
Berkshire 85 1.35x
Derbyshire 84 0.64x
Cheshire 73 0.40x
Leicestershire 52 0.56x
Wiltshire 52 0.70x
Buckinghamshire 40 0.79x
Essex 35 0.21x
Worcestershire 32 0.29x
Midlothian 31 0.28x
Shropshire 31 0.43x
Gloucestershire 30 0.18x
Northamptonshire 30 0.38x
Devon 23 0.13x
Lanarkshire 23 0.09x
Oxfordshire 23 0.45x
Sussex 23 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 19 0.36x
Dorset 19 0.35x
Renfrewshire 16 0.25x
Suffolk 16 0.16x
Flintshire 15 0.67x
Hertfordshire 15 0.26x
Monmouthshire 14 0.23x
Norfolk 13 0.10x
Royal Navy 11 1.10x
Dumfriesshire 9 0.49x
Roxburghshire 9 0.59x
Westmorland 9 0.49x
Glamorgan 8 0.05x
Channel Islands 7 0.28x
Anglesey 5 0.34x
Bedfordshire 5 0.12x
Isle of Man 4 0.26x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.09x
Cornwall 3 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.16x
Berwickshire 2 0.20x
Sutherland 2 0.31x
Wigtownshire 2 0.18x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.01x
Angus 1 0.01x
Fife 1 0.02x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 170 Charltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.12x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 170 9.12x
Bishopwearmouth 169 7.91x
Elswick 136 13.68x
Westoe 128 9.07x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 125 11.59x
Bedlington 111 26.69x
Allendale 107 92.67x
Tynemouth 98 14.69x
Longbenton 94 17.82x
Westgate 83 10.76x
Hexham 67 34.76x
Newcastle On Tyne St 67 10.38x
St Pancras London 63 0.94x
Islington London 62 0.76x
Ryton 59 67.43x
Hetton Le Hole 58 18.38x
Lambeth 58 0.79x
Stockton On Tees 58 4.83x
Jesmond 57 32.53x
Monkwearmouth Shore 57 11.73x
Tanfield 57 19.25x
Heworth 55 11.21x
Middlesbrough 52 4.81x
Whickham 51 22.26x
Stranton 50 5.96x
Birmingham 47 0.67x
Cowpen 47 16.39x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 47 6.32x
Darlington 46 4.78x
Great Grimsby 46 5.42x
Lamesley 46 34.32x
Medomsley 46 39.60x
Kensington London 45 0.97x
Ryton Woodside 44 141.80x
Byker 43 6.99x
Toxteth Park 42 1.25x
Brandon Byshottles 41 13.14x
Chirton 41 14.55x
Ebchester 41 106.33x
Aston 40 0.69x
Harraton 38 78.30x
St Marylebone London 38 0.85x
Prudhoe 37 42.71x
Nottingham St Mary 36 1.23x
Chopwell 35 75.64x
Holy Trinity 35 1.75x
Stoke Upon Trent 35 1.17x
Humshaugh 34 249.27x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 34 11.89x
Birtley 33 301.65x
Little Hulton 33 20.07x
Farnworth 32 5.38x
Mansfield 32 8.20x
Benwell 31 22.77x
Camberwell 30 0.56x
Haydon 30 44.05x
Manchester 30 0.67x
Morpeth 30 20.49x
Newbrough 30 135.81x
Holywell 29 45.27x
Acomb 28 92.56x
Hackney London 28 0.60x
Hedleyhope 28 64.94x
Winlaton 28 11.72x
Newbottle 27 19.86x
Tonbridge 27 2.62x
Corbridge 25 54.81x
Harborne 25 2.76x
Houghton Le Spring 25 14.52x
Southwick 25 10.60x
Monkwearmouth 24 10.07x
Stanhope 24 9.33x
Enderby 23 47.87x
Leeds 23 0.49x
St Cuthbert W O 23 6.55x
Wallsend 23 5.82x
Conside Knitsley 22 11.36x
Minster In Sheppey 22 4.65x
Newton In Ashton Under 22 12.07x
St George Hanover Square 22 1.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 732
Elizabeth 412
Jane 293
Sarah 262
Margaret 246
Ann 202
Isabella 145
Hannah 130
Annie 127
Emma 84
Alice 82
Eliza 77
Ellen 74
Emily 62
Frances 60
Catherine 59
Martha 49
Dorothy 39
Edith 39
Florence 39
Maria 35
Anne 31
Harriet 31
Louisa 30
Ada 26
Eleanor 26
Esther 25
Fanny 23
Margt. 23
Charlotte 20
Agnes 19
Amelia 19
Amy 19
Susan 19
Lucy 18
Caroline 17
Clara 17
Rebecca 17
Henrietta 16
Kate 16
Barbara 15
Margret 15
Rose 14
Elizth. 13
Jessie 13
Susannah 13
Isabel 12
Eliz. 11
Matilda 10
Minnie 10

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 585
William 562
Thomas 413
George 351
Robert 243
James 202
Joseph 167
Henry 132
Edward 130
Charles 83
Alfred 66
Richard 51
Frederick 48
Wm. 40
Arthur 39
Samuel 39
Matthew 38
Frank 34
Harry 33
Ralph 32
Anthony 31
Michael 30
Albert 25
Thos. 25
Francis 24
Walter 24
Christopher 22
Peter 17
Stephen 17
Ernest 16
Nicholas 16
Geo. 15
Isaac 15
David 12
Edwin 12
Alexander 11
Martin 11
Andrew 10
Cuthbert 10
Daniel 10
Benjamin 9
Fred 9
Herbert 9
Jacob 8
Mathew 8
Robt. 8
Fenwick 7
Hugh 7
Mark 7
Fredk. 6

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Charlton households.

FAQ

Charlton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Charlton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8,568 people were recorded with the Charlton surname. That placed it at #492 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Charlton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 12,640 in 2016. That gives Charlton a modern rank of #509.

What does the Charlton surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "settlement of free peasants," derived from the Old English words ceorl and tun.

What does the Charlton map show?

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