NameCensus.

UK surname

Chesworth

An English surname derived from a medieval placename referring to a village near running water.

In the 1881 census there were 671 people recorded with the Chesworth surname, ranking it #5,378 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,164, ranked #5,074, up from #5,378 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Winwick, Manchester and Chester St John the Baptist, St Mary-on-the-Hill, St Olave, St Michael, Spittle Boughton, Chester Ca. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gwynedd, Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Chesworth is 1,217 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 73.5%.

1881 census count

671

Ranked #5,378

Modern count

1,164

2016, ranked #5,074

Peak year

2014

1,217 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Chesworth had 671 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,378 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,164 in 2016, ranked #5,074.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,032 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Chesworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Chesworth surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Chesworth 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 419 #5,808
1861 historical 545 #4,820
1881 historical 671 #5,378
1891 historical 806 #5,001
1901 historical 913 #5,087
1911 historical 1,032 #4,445
1997 modern 1,076 #5,176
1998 modern 1,168 #4,997
1999 modern 1,197 #4,938
2000 modern 1,181 #4,977
2001 modern 1,181 #4,866
2002 modern 1,210 #4,868
2003 modern 1,157 #4,959
2004 modern 1,155 #4,982
2005 modern 1,139 #4,982
2006 modern 1,134 #4,996
2007 modern 1,149 #4,989
2008 modern 1,160 #4,971
2009 modern 1,170 #5,048
2010 modern 1,191 #5,080
2011 modern 1,197 #4,991
2012 modern 1,188 #4,952
2013 modern 1,202 #4,973
2014 modern 1,217 #4,953
2015 modern 1,206 #4,948
2016 modern 1,164 #5,074

Geography

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Where Chesworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Winwick, Manchester, Chester St John the Baptist, St Mary-on-the-Hill, St Olave, St Michael, Spittle Boughton, Chester Ca, Prescot and Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gwynedd, Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East and St. Helens. 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 Winwick Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Chester St John the Baptist, St Mary-on-the-Hill, St Olave, St Michael, Spittle Boughton, Chester Ca Cheshire
4 Prescot Lancashire
5 Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gwynedd 017 Gwynedd
2 Cheshire West and Chester 031 Cheshire West and Chester
3 Cheshire East 048 Cheshire East
4 St. Helens 006 St. Helens
5 Cheshire West and Chester 044 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Chesworth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Chesworth

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

Small Town Suburbia

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Chesworth is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Chesworth is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Chesworth

The surname Chesworth is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Cheshire, which was once known as the County Palatine of Chester. The name is derived from the Old English words "cese" meaning cheese and "worth" meaning farm or enclosure, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been cheese makers or lived on a dairy farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chesworth can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Cheseworth." This spelling variation indicates that the name was likely pronounced differently in its early days. The Hundredorum Rolls were a series of administrative records compiled in England during the 13th century, which documented the names of landowners and prominent individuals.

During the 14th century, the name Chesworth started appearing in various parish records and tax rolls across Cheshire and neighboring counties. One notable example is John Chesworth, who was recorded as a landowner in the village of Nantwich, Cheshire, in the year 1327.

In the 15th century, the name Chesworth gained recognition through the exploits of Sir Thomas Chesworth, a knight who fought alongside King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Sir Thomas Chesworth was born in Cheshire around 1380 and is believed to have been rewarded with land and titles for his bravery on the battlefield.

Another notable figure in the history of the Chesworth surname is Elizabeth Chesworth, who lived in the 16th century and is recorded as one of the first female landowners in the village of Malpas, Cheshire. She was born in 1525 and inherited a substantial estate from her father, which was highly unusual for women of that era.

In the 17th century, the Chesworth surname spread beyond Cheshire as families migrated to other parts of England and Wales. One significant figure from this period was Reverend John Chesworth, who was born in 1623 and served as the vicar of St. Peter's Church in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, from 1658 until his death in 1689.

As the centuries passed, the Chesworth surname continued to appear across various historical records, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including agriculture, religion, military service, and local governance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Chesworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Chesworth 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. Lancashire leads with 284 Chesworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.66x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 284 3.66x
Cheshire 214 14.83x
Staffordshire 114 5.17x
Flintshire 12 6.83x
Yorkshire 12 0.19x
Shropshire 11 1.95x
Surrey 7 0.22x
Hertfordshire 5 1.11x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.45x
Denbighshire 2 0.81x
Hampshire 2 0.15x
Middlesex 2 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Prescot in Lancashire leads with 51 Chesworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 363.51x.

Place Total Index
Prescot 51 363.51x
Parr 26 93.69x
Stoke Upon Trent 26 11.11x
Nantwich 23 137.23x
Toxteth Park 22 8.38x
Great Boughton 19 382.29x
Marburywith Quoisley 19 1258.28x
Sedgley 19 23.19x
Eccleston In Prescot 17 43.67x
Burslem 15 23.73x
Gorton 15 20.58x
Macclesfield 15 23.39x
Haydock 14 104.79x
Kirkdale 14 10.73x
Willaston In Wirral 14 1359.22x
Salford 13 5.70x
Chorlton On Medlock 12 9.74x
Audley Talk O Th Hill 10 251.89x
Stone 10 35.44x
Great Bolton 9 8.76x
Hampton Bickley 9 535.71x
Malpas 9 422.54x
Pendleton In Salford 9 9.74x
Trentham 9 47.97x
West Derby 9 3.97x
Whitchurch 9 82.12x
Birkenhead 8 6.96x
Huddersfield 8 8.48x
Hulme 8 4.94x
Chester St John Baptist 7 27.00x
Chester St Oswald 7 26.80x
Dukinfield 7 10.50x
Rixton With Glazebrook 7 355.33x
West Bromwich 7 5.54x
Ashton In Makerfield 6 27.17x
Butley 6 487.80x
Hanmer 6 441.18x
Monks Coppenhall 6 11.02x
Rainhill 6 120.72x
Allostock 5 446.43x
Audley 5 22.90x
Barton Upon Irwell 5 8.56x
Chester St Mary On Hill 5 40.39x
Liverpool 5 1.06x
Manchester 5 1.43x
Sale 5 28.25x
St Albans 5 54.17x
Acton In Nantwich 4 701.75x
Battersea 4 1.66x
Hawarden 4 28.99x
Heaton Norris 4 9.06x
Radcliffe 4 10.70x
Radford 4 8.94x
Stretford 4 9.37x
Warrington 4 4.35x
Wolstanton Knutton 4 29.70x
Burland 3 204.08x
Chester Holy Trinity 3 44.38x
Church Hulme 3 202.70x
Colwich 3 57.25x
Little Budworth 3 247.93x
Openshaw 3 8.26x
Rusholme 3 14.50x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 2.28x
Wolstanton 3 4.48x
Brinnington 2 14.84x
Broxton 2 170.94x
Chelford 2 285.71x
Chrtltn Cdngtn Nwtn 2 173.91x
Gresford Gwersyllt 2 26.11x
Hurdsfield 2 22.52x
Leftwich 2 31.20x
Lower Bebington 2 23.34x
Moulton Eaton In 2 165.29x
Newton In Ashton Under 2 14.04x
Sculcoates 2 1.95x
Sheffield 2 0.97x
Tranmere 2 3.77x
High Leigh 1 52.63x
Layton With Warbreck 1 3.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 53
Elizabeth 29
Ann 28
Sarah 27
Ellen 19
Jane 14
Martha 14
Hannah 13
Alice 12
Eliza 11
Emma 11
Margaret 10
Annie 9
Anne 5
Emily 5
Harriet 5
Ada 3
Frances 3
Henrietta 3
Maria 3
Phoebe 3
Betsy 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Esther 2
Florence 2
Letiza 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Mgt. 2
Rebecca 2
Rose 2
Barbara 1
Cath. 1
Cathe. 1
Cathrine 1
Christina 1
Elinor 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Emmie 1
Kate 1
Lilian 1
Lilley 1
Lillian 1
Lilly 1
Maggie 1
Tabitha 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 49
William 45
George 35
Thomas 33
James 24
Joseph 14
Charles 10
Edward 10
Alfred 9
Samuel 7
Arthur 6
Albert 5
Edwin 5
Henry 5
Peter 5
Richard 5
Robert 5
Frank 4
Thos. 4
Ellis 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Hugh 3
Anthony 2
Herbert 2
Jabez 2
Stephen 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Arther 1
Bertram 1
Clement 1
Collin 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Edwd. 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Isaac 1
Joshua 1
Leonard 1
Paul 1
Robt. 1
Roland 1
Sam 1
Stanley 1
Tom 1
Vincent 1

FAQ

Chesworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Chesworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 671 people were recorded with the Chesworth surname. That placed it at #5,378 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Chesworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,164 in 2016. That gives Chesworth a modern rank of #5,074.

What does the Chesworth surname mean?

An English surname derived from a medieval placename referring to a village near running water.

What does the Chesworth map show?

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