NameCensus.

UK surname

Denson

Son of Den, derived from the given name Dennis or Denise, or a place name meaning "Dane's town."

In the 1881 census there were 349 people recorded with the Denson surname, ranking it #8,778 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 558, ranked #9,187, down from #8,778 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity, Waterbeach and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Burnley, Flintshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Denson is 581 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.9%.

1881 census count

349

Ranked #8,778

Modern count

558

2016, ranked #9,187

Peak year

2010

581 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Denson had 349 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,778 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 558 in 2016, ranked #9,187.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 566 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Denson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Denson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Denson 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 266 #8,373
1861 historical 488 #5,352
1881 historical 349 #8,778
1891 historical 566 #6,713
1901 historical 532 #7,712
1911 historical 563 #7,163
1997 modern 475 #9,676
1998 modern 549 #8,951
1999 modern 568 #8,755
2000 modern 538 #9,103
2001 modern 530 #9,055
2002 modern 559 #8,861
2003 modern 542 #8,947
2004 modern 546 #8,906
2005 modern 531 #9,034
2006 modern 543 #8,903
2007 modern 556 #8,828
2008 modern 542 #9,074
2009 modern 560 #9,042
2010 modern 581 #8,991
2011 modern 553 #9,228
2012 modern 537 #9,348
2013 modern 540 #9,483
2014 modern 566 #9,174
2015 modern 556 #9,221
2016 modern 558 #9,187

Geography

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Where Densons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity, Waterbeach, Manchester, Hawarden and Plemonstall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Burnley, Flintshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent. 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 Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity Cheshire
2 Waterbeach Cambridgeshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Hawarden Cheshire
5 Plemonstall Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Burnley 004 Burnley
2 Flintshire 002 Flintshire
3 Newcastle-under-Lyme 012 Newcastle-under-Lyme
4 Newcastle-under-Lyme 010 Newcastle-under-Lyme
5 Stoke-on-Trent 009 Stoke-on-Trent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Denson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Denson

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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, Denson 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

Denson is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Denson 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 Denson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Denson

The surname DENSON has its origins in England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dene" meaning valley or dell, and "sunu" meaning son, thus translating to "son of the valley dweller." The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears as de Dene in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273.

DENSON is a locational surname, indicating that the first bearers of this name hailed from a specific place. Records suggest that the name was initially associated with the village of Denton in Lancashire, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Dene-tun," meaning "the settlement in the valley."

In the 14th century, the name appeared as Deneson, Denneson, and Denyson in various records across counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cheshire. This variation in spelling was common during that era due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname DENSON was John Denyson, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379. Another notable figure was Richard Denson, a merchant and landowner from Nottinghamshire, who lived in the late 15th century.

During the 16th century, the name was further anglicized to its modern spelling of DENSON. Thomas Denson (1547-1615) was a respected clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Buntingford in Hertfordshire.

In the 17th century, Edward Denson (1629-1694) was a prominent English lawyer and legal writer who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1688 to 1692.

Another notable figure was Sir Robert Denson (1675-1741), a British naval officer who commanded several ships during the War of the Spanish Succession and later served as a Member of Parliament for Plymouth.

As the surname spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. William Denson (1718-1788) was a early settler in Virginia and a prominent planter in Spotsylvania County.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Denson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Denson 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. Cheshire leads with 95 Densons recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.71x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 95 12.71x
Lancashire 72 1.79x
Cambridgeshire 42 19.59x
Middlesex 36 1.06x
Durham 14 1.39x
Kent 12 1.04x
Yorkshire 9 0.27x
Flintshire 8 8.79x
Denbighshire 6 4.69x
Monmouthshire 6 2.45x
Buckinghamshire 5 2.44x
Gloucestershire 5 0.75x
Midlothian 5 1.10x
Somerset 5 0.92x
Suffolk 5 1.21x
Sussex 5 0.88x
Warwickshire 4 0.47x
Hampshire 3 0.43x
Ross-shire 2 2.15x
Staffordshire 2 0.18x
Essex 1 0.15x
Northamptonshire 1 0.31x
Oxfordshire 1 0.48x
Perthshire 1 0.66x
Surrey 1 0.06x
Worcestershire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chester St Oswald in Cheshire leads with 29 Densons recorded in 1881 and an index of 214.34x.

Place Total Index
Chester St Oswald 29 214.34x
Waterbeach 21 1200.00x
Monkwearmouth Shore 14 71.21x
Liverpool 13 5.33x
Chester Holy Trinity 11 314.29x
Saighton 11 2619.05x
Hackney London 10 5.27x
Lewisham 10 16.24x
Wicken 9 918.37x
Christleton Littleton 8 740.74x
Pickton 8 6153.85x
Chester St John Baptist 7 52.12x
Garston 7 59.07x
Salford 7 5.93x
Windle 7 30.97x
Lower Machen 6 500.00x
Manchester 6 3.32x
St Luke London 6 11.05x
St Marylebone London 6 3.32x
Chorlton Cum Hardy 5 187.97x
Eastbourne 5 19.04x
Edinburgh St Stephens 5 55.99x
Glemsford 5 172.41x
Oldham 5 3.86x
St Andrewthe Less 5 20.42x
Willingham 5 273.22x
Ardwick 4 11.04x
Beverley St Nicholas 4 145.45x
Birkenhead 4 6.72x
Broughton 4 79.52x
Chowley 4 8000.00x
Everton 4 3.12x
Hawarden Saltney 4 314.96x
Over 4 52.70x
Aston 3 1.28x
Aylesbury 3 33.08x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 3 4.80x
Chorlton On Medlock 3 4.70x
Pitminster 3 187.50x
Rhuddlan 3 37.45x
Sandbach 3 47.10x
St George In East London 3 9.42x
St Pancras London 3 1.10x
Allington 2 210.53x
Bold 2 200.00x
Buckingham 2 48.08x
Chesterton 2 30.26x
Chorlton By Backford 2 2500.00x
Deptford St Paul 2 2.25x
Holbeck 2 9.00x
Kirkdale 2 2.96x
Newcastle Under Lyme 2 9.89x
Pendlebury 2 23.58x
Stapleton 2 15.89x
Aldershot 1 4.30x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 3.13x
Bowdon 1 33.78x
Chester St Peter St 1 125.00x
Clerkenwell London 1 1.25x
Cromarty 1 40.16x
Cwm 1 208.33x
East Hanningfield 1 212.77x
Elland Cum Greetland 1 6.62x
Hammersmith London 1 1.20x
Hulme 1 1.19x
Islington London 1 0.30x
Kilmuir Easter 1 75.19x
Lambeth 1 0.34x
Littlemore 1 172.41x
Perth St Pauls 1 28.41x
Poulton 1 526.32x
Sheffield 1 0.94x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 6.83x
St George Hanover Square 1 1.68x
Tottenham 1 1.85x
Toxteth Park 1 0.74x
Upton In Chester 1 119.05x
Walcot 1 3.45x
West Buckland 1 95.24x
Worcester All Sts 1 39.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 19
Sarah 11
Ann 9
Elizabeth 9
Jane 9
Emily 8
Harriet 8
Annie 7
Susan 7
Margaret 5
Alice 4
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Hannah 4
Kate 4
Louisa 4
Clara 3
Isabella 3
A. 2
Ada 2
Anne 2
Dorothy 2
Edith 2
Gertrude 2
Lillian 2
Maria 2
Charlotte 1
Christina 1
E. 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Ellenor 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eunice 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Infant 1
Janetta 1
Joan 1
L. 1
Lizzie 1
Lucretia 1
Margret 1
Margt. 1
Martha 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 29
Thomas 18
John 16
George 10
Robert 6
Alfred 5
Edward 5
Frederick 5
James 5
Joseph 5
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Henry 4
Richard 4
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Job 2
Moses 2
Percy 2
Robt. 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Chas. 1
David 1
Earley 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Fredrick 1
Gaston 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Herbet 1
Horace 1
Hubert 1
Joe 1
Jonathan 1
Josiah 1
Levi 1
Lydney 1
Rees 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Solon 1
Sterwark 1
Thos.R. 1
Wallis 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Denson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Denson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 349 people were recorded with the Denson surname. That placed it at #8,778 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Denson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 558 in 2016. That gives Denson a modern rank of #9,187.

What does the Denson surname mean?

Son of Den, derived from the given name Dennis or Denise, or a place name meaning "Dane's town."

What does the Denson map show?

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