NameCensus.

UK surname

Coulton

A locational surname derived from places in England called Colton or Cowlton.

In the 1881 census there were 1,050 people recorded with the Coulton surname, ranking it #3,754 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,235, ranked #4,833, down from #3,754 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Bingley and Tarleton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley, Lancaster and West Lancashire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Coulton is 1,612 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.6%.

1881 census count

1,050

Ranked #3,754

Modern count

1,235

2016, ranked #4,833

Peak year

1911

1,612 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Coulton had 1,050 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,754 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,235 in 2016, ranked #4,833.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,612 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Coulton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Coulton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Coulton 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 559 #4,537
1861 historical 555 #4,747
1881 historical 1,050 #3,754
1891 historical 1,213 #3,540
1901 historical 1,344 #3,728
1911 historical 1,612 #3,015
1997 modern 1,253 #4,547
1998 modern 1,303 #4,559
1999 modern 1,303 #4,592
2000 modern 1,282 #4,637
2001 modern 1,263 #4,607
2002 modern 1,284 #4,621
2003 modern 1,281 #4,540
2004 modern 1,259 #4,616
2005 modern 1,205 #4,742
2006 modern 1,237 #4,654
2007 modern 1,232 #4,717
2008 modern 1,225 #4,766
2009 modern 1,258 #4,757
2010 modern 1,304 #4,693
2011 modern 1,297 #4,652
2012 modern 1,248 #4,754
2013 modern 1,257 #4,797
2014 modern 1,261 #4,817
2015 modern 1,256 #4,779
2016 modern 1,235 #4,833

Geography

Back to top

Where Coultons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Bingley, Tarleton, Hesketh with Becconsall and St Werburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chorley, Lancaster and West Lancashire. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Tarleton Lancashire
4 Hesketh with Becconsall Lancashire
5 St Werburgh Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chorley 007 Chorley
2 Lancaster 020 Lancaster
3 Lancaster 017 Lancaster
4 West Lancashire 002 West Lancashire
5 Lancaster 011 Lancaster

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Coulton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Coulton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Coulton, 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 Coulton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Coulton 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Coulton 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

Coulton 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

Coulton 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 Coulton is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Coulton

The surname Coulton originates from England and is believed to have derived from a place name in the county of Lancashire. It is thought to be a locational surname, referring to someone who came from or lived near the town of Coulton, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Colton".

The name Coulton is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "col" meaning "charcoal" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement". This suggests that the original place name may have referred to a settlement or farm where charcoal production took place.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Coulton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, which mention a person named William de Coulton. The surname also appears in various other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls and the Feet of Fines.

During the medieval period, the spelling of the surname varied, with some examples including Colton, Coulton, and Colleton. This was common for many surnames at the time, as spelling was not standardized.

One notable individual with the surname Coulton was Sir John Coulton (c. 1335-1399), who served as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Sheriff of Kent in the late 14th century. Another was Richard Coulton (c. 1480-1550), a prominent Catholic scholar and theologian during the English Reformation.

In the 17th century, Roger Coulton (1603-1687) was a noted English clergyman and author, best known for his work "The Perfect Pharisee Under Monkish Holiness". Later, William Coulton (1760-1836) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London.

Another individual of note was Sir John Coulton (1804-1876), a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and was awarded the Order of the Bath for his military service.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Coulton, which has its origins as a locational surname referring to a place in Lancashire, England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Coulton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Coulton 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 285 Coultons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.34x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 285 2.34x
Yorkshire 264 2.60x
Derbyshire 87 5.42x
Middlesex 60 0.59x
Devon 40 1.87x
Durham 40 1.31x
Leicestershire 30 2.64x
Northamptonshire 25 2.59x
Warwickshire 25 0.97x
Staffordshire 23 0.66x
Surrey 22 0.44x
Suffolk 18 1.44x
Berkshire 17 2.21x
Lincolnshire 17 1.04x
Nottinghamshire 17 1.23x
Westmorland 14 6.21x
Kent 11 0.31x
Norfolk 10 0.63x
Cumberland 8 0.91x
Northumberland 5 0.33x
Cheshire 4 0.18x
Hampshire 4 0.19x
Shropshire 4 0.45x
Gloucestershire 3 0.15x
Hertfordshire 3 0.42x
Oxfordshire 3 0.47x
Worcestershire 3 0.22x
Brecknockshire 2 0.98x
Essex 2 0.10x
Lanarkshire 2 0.06x
Isle of Man 1 0.53x
Somerset 1 0.06x
Wiltshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tarleton in Lancashire leads with 50 Coultons recorded in 1881 and an index of 747.38x.

Place Total Index
Tarleton 50 747.38x
Bingley 42 64.92x
Keighley 28 25.86x
Manningham 22 17.58x
Bowling 18 17.89x
Stapenhill 17 71.16x
Brightside Bierlow 16 8.03x
Bradford 15 6.10x
North Meols 14 11.76x
St Pancras London 14 1.70x
Aston 13 1.83x
Hesketh Cum Becconsall 12 394.74x
Reading St Giles 12 15.89x
Wilsden 12 115.05x
Ashby De La Zouch 11 41.75x
Birmingham 11 1.28x
Hulme 11 4.33x
Rumworth 11 63.25x
Stranton 11 10.71x
Winshill 11 107.53x
Chilcote 10 3030.30x
Idle 10 21.23x
Barrow In Furness 9 5.44x
Burton Upon Trent 9 11.12x
Church Gresley 9 35.24x
Derby St Peter 9 17.61x
Rougham 9 314.69x
Stretton En Le Field 9 769.23x
Appleby 8 300.75x
Bradfield St Clare 8 909.09x
Bromley London 8 3.55x
East Broughton 8 231.21x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 3.87x
Heanor 8 33.33x
Ingleton 8 139.86x
Northampton St Giles 8 21.78x
Northampton St Sepulchre 8 16.31x
Nottingham St Mary 8 2.24x
Oldham 8 2.04x
Workington 8 15.83x
Barton Le Willows 7 769.23x
Belper 7 22.49x
Dean Prior 7 630.63x
Freckleton 7 175.00x
Heckmondwike 7 21.42x
Holme 7 256.41x
Kendal 7 16.97x
Kirkby Ireleth 7 115.32x
Manchester 7 1.28x
Marton 7 86.53x
Over Darwen 7 7.20x
Pentney 7 374.33x
Preston 7 2.15x
West Derby 7 1.97x
Wombwell 7 23.63x
Burnley 6 5.86x
Clee With Weelsby 6 16.72x
Coningsby 6 127.39x
Effingham 6 291.26x
Exeter St Kerrian 6 400.00x
Hunslet 6 3.79x
Linton 6 142.18x
Salford 6 1.68x
Scarisbrick 6 42.49x
Wensley 6 530.97x
Wolsingham 6 21.58x
Brampton Bierlow 5 38.43x
Camberwell 5 0.76x
Chadderton 5 8.41x
Church 5 29.10x
Clerkenwell London 5 2.07x
Haigh 5 117.92x
Harborne 5 4.51x
Kingsbury 5 187.97x
Leyland 5 23.62x
Northampton All Sts 5 15.28x
Seals 5 125.00x
St Giles 5 26.26x
Ugborough 5 96.90x
West Broughton 5 121.65x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 93
John 68
Thomas 47
James 36
George 34
Henry 17
Richard 14
Joseph 13
Robert 13
Charles 12
Samuel 11
Arthur 10
Edward 10
Walter 10
Ernest 7
Alfred 6
Herbert 6
Isaac 6
Albert 5
Frederick 5
Harry 5
Francis 4
Jonas 4
Peter 4
Benjamin 3
David 3
Fredrick 3
Thos. 3
Amos 2
Chas. 2
Daniel 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Hallam 2
Hugh 2
Jabez 2
Jas. 2
Moses 2
Reginald 2
W.R. 2
Wm. 2
Christopher 1
Clement 1
Ellis 1
Ellison 1
Ephraim 1
Frances 1
Fred 1
Jack 1
Wm.Thos.Manning 1

FAQ

Coulton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Coulton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,050 people were recorded with the Coulton surname. That placed it at #3,754 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Coulton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,235 in 2016. That gives Coulton a modern rank of #4,833.

What does the Coulton surname mean?

A locational surname derived from places in England called Colton or Cowlton.

What does the Coulton map show?

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