NameCensus.

UK surname

Charters

A locational surname derived from places named with the Old English word "certa" meaning "charters" or "deeds."

In the 1881 census there were 817 people recorded with the Charters surname, ranking it #4,581 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,267, ranked #4,723, down from #4,581 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edmonton, Edinburgh and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale and North Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Charters is 1,301 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 55.1%.

1881 census count

817

Ranked #4,581

Modern count

1,267

2016, ranked #4,723

Peak year

1999

1,301 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Charters had 817 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,581 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,267 in 2016, ranked #4,723.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,029 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Charters surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Charters surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Charters 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 602 #4,265
1861 historical 530 #4,954
1881 historical 817 #4,581
1891 historical 860 #4,765
1901 historical 1,029 #4,643
1911 historical 928 #4,836
1997 modern 1,223 #4,639
1998 modern 1,265 #4,679
1999 modern 1,301 #4,597
2000 modern 1,282 #4,637
2001 modern 1,265 #4,598
2002 modern 1,283 #4,626
2003 modern 1,244 #4,656
2004 modern 1,236 #4,683
2005 modern 1,220 #4,687
2006 modern 1,211 #4,739
2007 modern 1,244 #4,676
2008 modern 1,233 #4,735
2009 modern 1,260 #4,750
2010 modern 1,292 #4,732
2011 modern 1,294 #4,664
2012 modern 1,273 #4,660
2013 modern 1,278 #4,728
2014 modern 1,285 #4,728
2015 modern 1,254 #4,789
2016 modern 1,267 #4,723

Geography

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Where Charters' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edmonton, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale and North Tyneside. 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 Edmonton Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 003 Allerdale
2 Allerdale 001 Allerdale
3 Allerdale 004 Allerdale
4 North Tyneside 023 North Tyneside
5 Allerdale 005 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Charters

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Charters

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Charters 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

Charters is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Charters

The surname Charters originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "chartre," meaning a charter or deed. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in the legal profession or worked as scribes or clerks responsible for drafting and recording official documents.

The name Charters is believed to have first appeared in the county of Hertfordshire, England, where it was closely associated with the town of Charters. This place name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ceart" and "hyrst," which together mean "a wood on open ground."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Charters surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were medieval census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. In these records, a man named Adam de Chartres is mentioned as a resident of Hertfordshire.

During the 14th century, the Charters family held estates in the village of Charters Calverley in Yorkshire. A notable member of this family was Sir William Charters, a renowned knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Hundred Years' War against France. Sir William Charters was born around 1320 and died in 1384.

Another notable figure associated with the Charters surname is John Charters, a 16th-century English merchant and explorer. He is credited with being one of the first Englishmen to establish trade relations with Russia and is believed to have been part of the expedition led by Richard Chancellor, which reached the White Sea in 1553.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Charters family settled in Scotland, where they became prominent landowners in the county of Berwickshire. One member of this Scottish branch was Sir John Charters (1649-1724), who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh and played a significant role in the negotiations leading to the Acts of Union in 1707, which united the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland.

During the 18th century, the Charters surname gained further prominence with the birth of Samuel Charters (1742-1825), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He later became an influential figure in the development of the Royal Navy's gunnery training program.

Throughout its history, the Charters surname has also been associated with various spelling variations, such as Charteris, Chartres, and Charters-Calverley, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Charters families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Charters 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. Middlesex leads with 116 Charters' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.45x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 116 1.45x
Cumberland 95 13.83x
Lancashire 92 0.97x
Kirkcudbrightshire 74 64.06x
Durham 48 2.02x
Lanarkshire 44 1.71x
Roxburghshire 38 26.29x
Midlothian 33 3.09x
Northumberland 32 2.70x
Yorkshire 30 0.38x
Dumfriesshire 27 15.32x
Devon 26 1.57x
Renfrewshire 20 3.23x
Selkirkshire 18 24.93x
Essex 16 1.02x
Leicestershire 16 1.81x
West Lothian 13 10.82x
Warwickshire 12 0.60x
Cheshire 10 0.57x
Kent 10 0.37x
Lincolnshire 9 0.71x
Hampshire 7 0.43x
Surrey 6 0.15x
Flintshire 5 2.33x
Berwickshire 4 4.14x
Somerset 4 0.31x
Norfolk 3 0.24x
Wigtownshire 3 2.83x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.40x
Royal Navy 2 2.10x
Fife 1 0.21x
Shropshire 1 0.15x
Worcestershire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 36 Charters' recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.39x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 36 10.39x
Plymouth St Andrew 21 16.41x
Barony 20 3.06x
Islington London 19 2.46x
Hawick 16 49.46x
Leicester St Mary 16 22.38x
Allhallows 13 643.56x
Gateshead 13 7.31x
Caldewgate 12 31.88x
Everton 12 3.98x
Galashiels 12 44.96x
Kirkdale 12 7.53x
Poplar London 12 7.97x
St Cuthbert W O 12 35.83x
Uphall 12 90.84x
Urr 12 79.84x
Jedburgh 11 77.63x
Kelton 11 115.91x
Hackney London 10 2.24x
Irongray 10 467.29x
Lesmahagow 10 36.64x
Shoreditch London 10 2.89x
Berwick Upon Tweed 9 35.77x
Birkenhead 9 6.41x
Castleton 9 144.93x
Cowpen 9 32.92x
Kells 9 339.62x
Liverpool 9 1.57x
Bexley 8 33.24x
Neilston 8 25.77x
Ormskirk 8 44.15x
Seaton 8 99.88x
West Derby 8 2.89x
West Greenock 8 7.21x
West Ham 8 2.30x
Bow London 7 6.89x
Dumfries 7 40.25x
Edinburgh Trinity 7 203.49x
Holy Trinity 7 3.68x
Oulton 7 693.07x
South Leith 7 5.82x
Southwick 7 31.14x
Thropton 7 958.90x
Troqueer 7 46.20x
Twynholm 7 378.38x
Bentham 6 99.50x
Colvend 6 171.43x
Dearham 6 66.23x
East Ham 6 20.53x
Falsgrave 6 51.50x
Lea Ashton Ingol 6 95.54x
Leamington Priors 6 12.12x
Penpont 6 185.19x
Toxteth Park 6 1.87x
Westminster St Margaret 6 15.59x
Westoe 6 4.46x
Edinburgh St Georges 5 22.54x
Flint 5 41.05x
Govan 5 0.78x
Helmington Row 5 45.21x
Holmside 5 85.47x
Melrose 5 27.52x
Monkwearmouth 5 22.01x
Portsea 5 1.56x
Stow 5 90.91x
Torpenhow Whitrigg 5 657.89x
Broughton In Salford 4 4.62x
Clee With Weelsby 4 14.32x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 0.93x
Embleton 4 421.05x
Gorton 4 4.49x
Hamilton 4 5.56x
Keswick 4 45.56x
Mile End Old Town London 4 2.36x
Penrith 4 15.76x
Plymouth Charles The 4 5.47x
Sanquhar 4 64.62x
Tongland 4 176.99x
Walcot 4 5.85x
Bishopwearmouth 3 1.47x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 40
Elizabeth 21
Jane 19
Margaret 18
Ellen 14
Sarah 11
Alice 10
Eliza 10
Isabella 10
Ann 9
Annie 7
Emma 7
Catherine 5
Jessie 5
Caroline 4
Hannah 4
Louisa 3
Lucy 3
Margt. 3
Rosina 3
Agnes 2
Cathne. 2
Clara 2
Cora 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Flora 2
Florence 2
Rachel 2
Rebecca 2
Anne 1
Barbara 1
Beatrice 1
Betsy 1
Catharine 1
Clare 1
Daisy 1
Deborah 1
Dorothea 1
Dulcibella 1
Edith 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Geraldine 1
Gertrude 1
Gordon 1
Janet 1
Joanna 1
Josephine 1
Wilhelmina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 50
William 26
Thomas 22
James 20
George 14
Henry 14
Joseph 14
Charles 12
Robert 12
Alfred 9
Edward 5
Samuel 5
Thos. 4
Alexander 3
Arthur 3
Edwin 3
Lewis 3
Richard 3
Robt. 3
Albert 2
Benjamin 2
Chas. 2
Ernest 2
Francis 2
Hugh 2
Joshua 2
Walter 2
Daniel 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
G. 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
Hubert 1
Hy.I. 1
Isaac 1
J.J. 1
Jno.H. 1
Maurice 1
Michael 1
Nixon 1
Peter 1
Ritson 1
Sidney 1
Thoma 1
Thos.G. 1
Tindal 1
W. 1
Washington 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Charters surname: questions and answers

How common was the Charters surname in 1881?

In 1881, 817 people were recorded with the Charters surname. That placed it at #4,581 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Charters surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,267 in 2016. That gives Charters a modern rank of #4,723.

What does the Charters surname mean?

A locational surname derived from places named with the Old English word "certa" meaning "charters" or "deeds."

What does the Charters map show?

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