NameCensus.

UK surname

Cust

A surname originating from the Germanic word 'cust' meaning guardian or sentry.

In the 1881 census there were 69 people recorded with the Cust surname, ranking it #23,816 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 118, ranked #27,873, down from #23,816 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Bonhill and St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Derbyshire Dales, East Riding of Yorkshire and Kensington and Chelsea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cust is 127 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 71.0%.

1881 census count

69

Ranked #23,816

Modern count

118

2016, ranked #27,873

Peak year

2014

127 bearers

Map years

4

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cust had 69 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,816 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 118 in 2016, ranked #27,873.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 110 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cust surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cust surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cust 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 59 #22,756
1861 historical 71 #24,765
1881 historical 69 #23,816
1891 historical 110 #22,557
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 94 #23,391
1997 modern 117 #24,553
1998 modern 117 #25,190
1999 modern 115 #25,620
2000 modern 113 #25,843
2001 modern 106 #26,468
2002 modern 108 #26,698
2003 modern 107 #26,617
2004 modern 102 #27,637
2005 modern 95 #28,817
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 101 #28,505
2008 modern 102 #28,664
2009 modern 105 #28,815
2010 modern 119 #27,250
2011 modern 114 #27,784
2012 modern 115 #27,717
2013 modern 118 #27,686
2014 modern 127 #26,634
2015 modern 119 #27,684
2016 modern 118 #27,873

Geography

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Where Custs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Bonhill, St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace and Warsill, Ripon (Newby-with-Mulwith, Ripon). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Derbyshire Dales, East Riding of Yorkshire, Kensington and Chelsea, Leeds and Selby. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Bonhill Dunbarton
4 St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace London (West Districts)
5 Warsill, Ripon (Newby-with-Mulwith, Ripon) Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Derbyshire Dales 008 Derbyshire Dales
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 042 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 Kensington and Chelsea 006 Kensington and Chelsea
4 Leeds 072 Leeds
5 Selby 010 Selby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cust

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cust

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Cust surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cust 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Cust is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Cust 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

Cust falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cust 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 Cust, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cust

The surname CUST is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "coste" meaning "rib" or "side". It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name or nickname for someone who lived near a hillside or slope.

The earliest recorded use of the surname CUST dates back to the 13th century in East Anglia, England. An early bearer of the name was John Cust, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273.

In the late 13th century, the name CUST appeared in various forms, such as Coste, Couste, and Couste, reflecting the evolution of spelling over time. One notable early bearer was William Cust, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327.

During the 14th century, the surname CUST began to spread beyond East Anglia to other parts of England. In 1379, a John Cust was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, indicating the name's presence in northern England.

The CUST surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Cust (1718-1770), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Grantham. His son, Brownlow Cust (1744-1805), was also a politician and served as Lord Brownlow.

Another prominent bearer of the CUST name was Sir Edward Cust (1794-1878), a British Army officer and Member of Parliament for Grantham and Stamford. He was also the father of Henry John Cockayne Cust (1835-1904), a notable genealogist and historian.

In the 19th century, the CUST surname was further elevated by Robert Needham Cust (1821-1909), a renowned linguist and orientalist who made significant contributions to the study of Indian languages and culture.

The CUST name has also been associated with various places throughout England, such as Cust Hill in Norfolk and Cust Farm in Suffolk. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the CUST surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cust families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cust 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. Yorkshire leads with 18 Custs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.62x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 18 2.62x
Middlesex 13 1.88x
Dunbartonshire 8 42.99x
Hampshire 6 4.23x
Durham 5 2.43x
Shropshire 3 5.02x
Buckinghamshire 2 4.78x
Cambridgeshire 2 4.56x
Derbyshire 2 1.85x
Dorset 2 4.40x
Kent 2 0.85x
Royal Navy 2 24.24x
Berkshire 1 1.92x
Essex 1 0.73x
Leicestershire 1 1.30x
Lincolnshire 1 0.90x
Staffordshire 1 0.43x
Surrey 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bonhill in Dunbartonshire leads with 8 Custs recorded in 1881 and an index of 267.56x.

Place Total Index
Bonhill 8 267.56x
Ripon 6 377.36x
Kensington London 5 12.99x
St George Hanover Square 5 40.98x
Northwood 4 198.02x
Ellesmere 3 291.26x
Leeds 3 7.74x
Westoe 3 25.68x
York Minster Yard W 3 1875.00x
Eton 2 210.53x
Ripley 2 149.25x
Royal Navy 2 28.37x
Sheffield 2 9.16x
Aldershot 1 21.05x
Barnard Castle 1 98.04x
Beckenham 1 32.36x
Belton 1 222.22x
Bray 1 65.36x
Caterham 1 67.11x
Christchurch 1 32.47x
Dunkeswick 1 2500.00x
Fulham London 1 9.96x
Grantchester 1 370.37x
Great Bowden 1 142.86x
Haisthorpe 1 3333.33x
Leigh 1 208.33x
Lewisham 1 7.94x
Middlesbrough 1 11.20x
Patrck Brmptn Newton 1 833.33x
Poplar London 1 7.65x
St George Bloomsbury 1 25.19x
St Michael Cambridge 1 769.23x
Sturminster 1 227.27x
Wareham Lady St Mary 1 285.71x
Willenhall 1 22.83x
Witton Le Wear 1 172.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 3
Robert 3
Arthur 2
George 2
Henry 2
William 2
Addlebert 1
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Claude 1
Daniel 1
Edwards 1
Ernest 1
Herbert 1
Lionel 1
Mitford 1
Orlando 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Thomas 1

FAQ

Cust surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cust surname in 1881?

In 1881, 69 people were recorded with the Cust surname. That placed it at #23,816 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cust surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 118 in 2016. That gives Cust a modern rank of #27,873.

What does the Cust surname mean?

A surname originating from the Germanic word 'cust' meaning guardian or sentry.

What does the Cust map show?

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