NameCensus.

UK surname

Dewson

In the 1881 census there were 176 people recorded with the Dewson surname, ranking it #13,930 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 211, ranked #18,904, down from #13,930 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edmonton, Tipton otherwise Tibington and Creake, South. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Lanark North East and East Hertfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dewson is 270 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.9%.

1881 census count

176

Ranked #13,930

Modern count

211

2016, ranked #18,904

Peak year

1891

270 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dewson had 176 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,930 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 211 in 2016, ranked #18,904.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 270 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dewson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dewson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dewson 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 212 #9,965
1861 historical 233 #10,501
1881 historical 176 #13,930
1891 historical 270 #12,027
1901 historical 194 #15,425
1911 historical 216 #14,240
1997 modern 213 #16,948
1998 modern 220 #17,074
1999 modern 228 #16,790
2000 modern 220 #17,138
2001 modern 210 #17,425
2002 modern 212 #17,651
2003 modern 212 #17,454
2004 modern 204 #17,992
2005 modern 208 #17,687
2006 modern 203 #18,105
2007 modern 216 #17,575
2008 modern 217 #17,693
2009 modern 222 #17,797
2010 modern 218 #18,375
2011 modern 207 #18,841
2012 modern 199 #19,280
2013 modern 210 #18,932
2014 modern 208 #19,194
2015 modern 209 #19,018
2016 modern 211 #18,904

Geography

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Where Dewsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edmonton, Tipton otherwise Tibington, Creake, South, St Mary Islington and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Lanark North East, East Hertfordshire, Southend-on-Sea and North Lincolnshire. 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 Edmonton Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Tipton otherwise Tibington Staffordshire
3 Creake, South Norfolk
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 021 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Lanark North East South Lanarkshire
3 East Hertfordshire 003 East Hertfordshire
4 Southend-on-Sea 017 Southend-on-Sea
5 North Lincolnshire 003 North Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dewson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dewson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dewson, 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 Dewson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dewson 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Dewson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dewson is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dewson falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Dewson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dewson 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. Staffordshire leads with 32 Dewsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.52x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 32 5.52x
Middlesex 29 1.69x
Warwickshire 29 6.70x
Yorkshire 23 1.35x
Norfolk 18 6.82x
Lancashire 8 0.39x
Herefordshire 7 9.94x
Durham 5 0.98x
Midlothian 5 2.17x
Anglesey 4 13.15x
Caernarfonshire 3 4.32x
Kent 3 0.51x
Cambridgeshire 2 1.84x
Somerset 2 0.72x
Cheshire 1 0.26x
Hertfordshire 1 0.85x
Huntingdonshire 1 2.93x
Merionethshire 1 3.18x
Shropshire 1 0.67x
Worcestershire 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 23 Dewsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.94x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 23 15.94x
Islington London 21 12.62x
Yeadon 15 390.63x
West Bromwich 12 36.18x
Tipton 9 50.73x
Cradley 7 679.61x
Walsall Borough 7 155.56x
South Creake 6 1000.00x
Ingoldisthorpe 5 2777.78x
Whickham 5 106.38x
Edgbaston 4 29.81x
Llangadwaladr 4 1481.48x
Moss Side 4 37.31x
Wolverhampton 4 8.98x
Edinburgh St Georges 3 62.89x
Folkestone 3 26.41x
Great Driffield 3 85.96x
Middleton On Wolds 3 810.81x
Penllech 3 2142.86x
Aston 2 1.68x
Clerkenwell London 2 4.94x
Corstorphine 2 157.48x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 2 25.25x
Lyncombe Widcombe 2 27.66x
Norwich St Giles 2 238.10x
St Anne Soho London 2 20.41x
St Marylebone London 2 2.18x
Toxteth Park 2 2.90x
Brightside Bierlow 1 3.00x
Buckworth 1 769.23x
Burnham Westgate 1 175.44x
Great Malvern 1 21.37x
Heaton Norris 1 8.63x
Helhoughton 1 500.00x
Hitchin 1 18.73x
Kensington London 1 1.05x
Mallwyd 1 129.87x
Newton In Ashton Under 1 26.74x
Newton In Makerfield 1 16.03x
Sculcoates 1 3.71x
Shrewsbury St Mary 1 17.09x
South Lynn 1 33.56x
St Pancras London 1 0.72x
Upwell 1 125.00x
Witchford 1 384.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 9
Jane 7
Sarah 7
Martha 6
Charlotte 5
Emily 4
Fanny 4
Louisa 4
Amelia 3
Annie 3
Eliza 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Dorothy 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Kate 2
Maria 2
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Deborah 1
Ester 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Laura 1
Lilly 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Metilda 1
Mira 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
Thomas 8
George 7
William 7
Alfred 4
Charles 4
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Henry 3
Robert 3
James 2
Pelham 2
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Benjamin 1
Edwin 1
Fredrick 1
Gilbert 1
Gustavus 1
Horace 1
Job 1
Mark 1
Norman 1
Philip 1
R.J. 1
Richard 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Wm.Thos. 1

FAQ

Dewson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dewson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 176 people were recorded with the Dewson surname. That placed it at #13,930 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dewson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 211 in 2016. That gives Dewson a modern rank of #18,904.

What does the Dewson map show?

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