NameCensus.

UK surname

Coslett

A surname originating from the medieval French term "coselet", referring to a short outer garment.

In the 1881 census there were 136 people recorded with the Coslett surname, ranking it #16,433 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 243, ranked #17,131, down from #16,433 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Sedgley and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carmarthenshire, Torfaen and The Vale of Glamorgan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Coslett is 249 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 78.7%.

1881 census count

136

Ranked #16,433

Modern count

243

2016, ranked #17,131

Peak year

1999

249 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Coslett had 136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,433 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016, ranked #17,131.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 197 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Coslett surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Coslett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Coslett 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 88 #18,569
1861 historical 113 #19,151
1881 historical 136 #16,433
1891 historical 166 #17,077
1901 historical 193 #15,469
1911 historical 197 #15,101
1997 modern 235 #15,895
1998 modern 248 #15,772
1999 modern 249 #15,844
2000 modern 232 #16,562
2001 modern 232 #16,314
2002 modern 242 #16,186
2003 modern 236 #16,236
2004 modern 236 #16,335
2005 modern 224 #16,876
2006 modern 234 #16,493
2007 modern 238 #16,505
2008 modern 237 #16,688
2009 modern 243 #16,742
2010 modern 241 #17,186
2011 modern 234 #17,383
2012 modern 234 #17,291
2013 modern 234 #17,556
2014 modern 243 #17,232
2015 modern 243 #17,141
2016 modern 243 #17,131

Geography

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Where Cosletts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Sedgley, Toxteth Park, Aberdare and Bedwelty. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carmarthenshire, Torfaen and The Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Sedgley Staffordshire
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Aberdare Glamorganshire
5 Bedwelty Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carmarthenshire 019 Carmarthenshire
2 Torfaen 001 Torfaen
3 Carmarthenshire 024 Carmarthenshire
4 The Vale of Glamorgan 008 Vale of Glamorgan
5 Torfaen 003 Torfaen

Forenames

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First names often paired with Coslett

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Coslett

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

Established but Challenged

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Coslett 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

Coslett 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

Coslett falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Coslett is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Coslett

The surname Coslett has its origins in England, with records indicating it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cos" meaning a small house or cottage, and "lette" meaning a meadow or pasture. This suggests the name may have been given to someone who lived near a cottage in a meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, which mention a John Coslet. The surname also appears in various spellings such as Coslette, Coslett, and Cozlette in various medieval records from counties like Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire.

In the 16th century, the Coslett name is found in the parish records of Blockley, Worcestershire, where a William Coslett was recorded in 1565. Around the same time, the name appears in the Wills and Administrations records of the Diocese of Worcester, with a Thomas Coslette mentioned in 1588.

A notable Coslett from history is John Coslett, a yeoman farmer who lived in the village of Brockhampton, Gloucestershire, in the late 16th century. He is mentioned in the Gloucestershire Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1598.

In the 17th century, the Coslett name can be found in the records of the Parish Church of St. Mary in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. An entry from 1636 mentions the baptism of John Coslett, son of Thomas and Joane Coslett.

Another historical figure with the Coslett surname is Edward Coslett, a merchant who lived in Bristol in the late 17th century. He is recorded in the Bristol Apprentice Book of 1681, which documented apprenticeships in the city.

As the surname spread across England, it also appeared in various place names, such as Coslett's Green in Worcestershire and Coslett's Farm in Oxfordshire, both of which likely derived from families with the Coslett name living in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Coslett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Coslett 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. Glamorgan leads with 54 Cosletts recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.38x.

County Total Index
Glamorgan 54 23.38x
Lancashire 22 1.40x
Gloucestershire 16 6.15x
Middlesex 16 1.21x
Monmouthshire 12 12.51x
Staffordshire 8 1.79x
Carmarthenshire 4 7.15x
Surrey 3 0.46x
Devon 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cardiff St John in Glamorgan leads with 12 Cosletts recorded in 1881 and an index of 159.15x.

Place Total Index
Cardiff St John 12 159.15x
St Pancras London 11 10.30x
Aberdare 9 56.75x
Llandilo Talybont 9 743.80x
Sedgley 8 48.11x
Toxteth Park 8 15.01x
Westbury On Severn East 8 136.05x
Eglwysilan 7 174.56x
West Dean 7 165.48x
Everton 6 11.96x
Mynyddyslwyn 6 158.73x
West Derby 6 13.03x
Llanishen 5 2380.95x
Cardiff St Fagan 4 1818.18x
Llantrisant 4 68.73x
Bettws 3 375.00x
Long Ditton 3 283.02x
St George Hanover Square 3 12.84x
St Woollos 2 18.69x
Trevethin 2 22.08x
Bedwellty 1 5.91x
Briton Ferry 1 36.23x
Cheltenham 1 4.98x
Devonport 1 31.55x
Islington London 1 0.78x
Kirkdale 1 3.78x
Llanelly 1 7.94x
Llanover 1 30.49x
Shoreditch London 1 1.74x
Swansea Town 1 5.28x
Walton On Hill 1 11.72x
Whitchurch 1 80.00x
Ystradyfodwg 1 4.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Sarah 8
Margaret 4
Ann 3
Annie 3
Elizabeth 3
Jane 2
Jessie 2
Sydney 2
Adelaide 1
Adeliade 1
Anne 1
Cecilia 1
David 1
Elizth. 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
H.Jane 1
Hannah 1
Infant 1
Joan 1
Joanna 1
Louisa 1
Loveday 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Miriam 1
Myra 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 8
Thomas 7
Edward 5
Joseph 4
George 3
Henry 3
Stephen 2
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Coslett 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Edgar 1
Edmond 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Harry 1
Hedley 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Idris 1
Isaac 1
James 1
Job 1
Judah 1
Lewis 1
Lucius 1
Robert 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Taliesin 1
Walter 1
Wiliam 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Coslett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Coslett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 136 people were recorded with the Coslett surname. That placed it at #16,433 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Coslett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016. That gives Coslett a modern rank of #17,131.

What does the Coslett surname mean?

A surname originating from the medieval French term "coselet", referring to a short outer garment.

What does the Coslett map show?

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