NameCensus.

UK surname

Dorset

An English surname indicating ancestral origin from the county of Dorset.

In the 1881 census there were 155 people recorded with the Dorset surname, ranking it #15,174 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 115, ranked #28,348, down from #15,174 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Leonard Shoreditch, Paddington and Chilton with Easington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Uttlesford, The Vale of Glamorgan and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dorset is 190 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 25.8%.

1881 census count

155

Ranked #15,174

Modern count

115

2016, ranked #28,348

Peak year

1851

190 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dorset had 155 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,174 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 115 in 2016, ranked #28,348.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 190 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Dorset surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dorset surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dorset 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 190 #10,852
1861 historical 180 #13,057
1881 historical 155 #15,174
1891 historical 161 #17,473
1901 historical 149 #18,146
1911 historical 149 #17,937
1997 modern 100 #26,901
1998 modern 100 #27,619
1999 modern 103 #27,305
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 107 #26,328
2002 modern 106 #26,985
2003 modern 96 #28,381
2004 modern 95 #28,746
2005 modern 90 #29,527
2006 modern 101 #28,125
2007 modern 106 #27,722
2008 modern 103 #28,519
2009 modern 117 #26,927
2010 modern 118 #27,404
2011 modern 108 #28,811
2012 modern 112 #28,174
2013 modern 113 #28,502
2014 modern 117 #28,109
2015 modern 115 #28,319
2016 modern 115 #28,348

Geography

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Where Dorsets are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Leonard Shoreditch, Paddington, Chilton with Easington, St Pancras and Thame. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Uttlesford, The Vale of Glamorgan, Sheffield and Rotherham. 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 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
2 Paddington London (West Districts)
3 Chilton with Easington Oxfordshire
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Thame Oxfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Uttlesford 006 Uttlesford
2 The Vale of Glamorgan 013 Vale of Glamorgan
3 Sheffield 064 Sheffield
4 The Vale of Glamorgan 007 Vale of Glamorgan
5 Rotherham 007 Rotherham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dorset

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dorset

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Dorset surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dorset household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Dorset is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dorset 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

Dorset falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Dorset

Dorset is an English surname that originates from the county of Dorset in South West England. The name is derived from the Old English words "dor" meaning a door or gateway, and "saetan" meaning to sit or dwell, referring to the area's location as a gateway to the region.

The surname can be traced back to the 11th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Robertus de Dorsete" in the county of Dorset. This suggests that the name was likely adopted as a locational surname by individuals who hailed from or lived in the Dorset area during the Norman period.

In the 13th century, the surname was also documented in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of 1199, which listed a "Robertus de Dorsete" as a landowner. The spelling of the name varied over time, with variations like "Dorssett," "Dorsete," and "Dorcestre" appearing in different historical documents.

Notable individuals with the surname Dorset include Sir Thomas Dorset (c. 1393-1457), who was a Member of Parliament for Dorset during the reign of Henry VI and served as High Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset. Another prominent figure was Edward Dorset (1536-1609), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Sir Michael Dorset (1617-1667) was a British naval officer who served as a Captain in the Royal Navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. Edward Dorset (1674-1756) was an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1729 until his death.

In more recent history, Sir Humphrey Dorset (1915-1994) was a British civil servant who served as the Head of the Home Civil Service from 1973 to 1983, playing a significant role in the restructuring of the Civil Service during that period.

These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the surname Dorset throughout history, highlighting its deep roots in the English county of the same name and its long-standing presence in various walks of life.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dorset families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dorset 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. Middlesex leads with 50 Dorsets recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.33x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 50 3.33x
Surrey 25 3.42x
Essex 11 3.71x
Lancashire 9 0.50x
Hertfordshire 8 7.73x
Shropshire 8 6.16x
Worcestershire 8 4.08x
Buckinghamshire 7 7.71x
Suffolk 6 3.28x
Yorkshire 5 0.34x
Kent 3 0.59x
Warwickshire 3 0.79x
Northamptonshire 2 1.42x
Cumberland 1 0.77x
Derbyshire 1 0.43x
Glamorgan 1 0.38x
Gloucestershire 1 0.34x
Leicestershire 1 0.60x
Midlothian 1 0.50x
Oxfordshire 1 1.08x
Somerset 1 0.41x
Staffordshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shoreditch London in Middlesex leads with 15 Dorsets recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.03x.

Place Total Index
Shoreditch London 15 23.03x
St Pancras London 13 10.75x
Epsom 11 308.12x
Stoke Upon Tern 7 1458.33x
Gorleston 6 129.03x
Lambeth 6 4.58x
Lower Mitton 6 346.82x
Barking 5 57.60x
Ware 5 168.35x
Bethnal Green London 4 6.13x
Chilton 4 2500.00x
Kensington London 4 4.79x
Ormskirk 4 117.30x
Aston 3 2.88x
Blackburn 3 6.33x
Farnham 3 52.72x
Leyton Low 3 49.75x
West Ham 3 4.58x
Acton 2 22.70x
Chelsea London 2 4.42x
Deal 2 45.77x
Dudley 2 8.39x
Irchester 2 227.27x
Islington London 2 1.37x
St Luke London 2 8.30x
Standish With Langtree 2 90.91x
Tring 2 72.46x
Upper Hallam 2 155.04x
Wycombe 2 29.54x
Bermondsey 1 2.24x
Camberwell 1 1.04x
Camerton 1 142.86x
Chesterfield 1 11.34x
Childs Ercall 1 434.78x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.24x
Fulham London 1 4.59x
Gelligaer 1 16.75x
Great Amwell 1 96.15x
Halifax 1 4.58x
Hammersmith London 1 2.70x
Hornsey 1 5.26x
Huddersfield 1 4.61x
Hungarton 1 434.78x
Kingston On Thames 1 5.69x
Mile End Old Town London 1 3.13x
Penn 1 175.44x
Rochester St Nicholas 1 62.89x
Sheffield 1 2.11x
Thame 1 59.17x
Tottenham 1 4.18x
Upper Penn 1 78.74x
Westbury On Trym 1 10.02x
Westminster St Margaret 1 13.79x
Wimbledon 1 12.17x
Windlesham 1 72.46x
Workington 1 13.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 7
Mary 6
Alice 5
Jane 5
Edith 4
Ellen 4
Kate 4
Amelia 3
Caroline 3
Eliza 3
Elizabeth 3
Annie 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Isabella 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Adalade 1
Anne 1
Charlotte 1
Ella 1
Ellie 1
Emma 1
Emmiline 1
Fanny 1
Florance 1
Harritt 1
Lillian 1
Lois 1
Lottie 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
M.A. 1
Margret 1
Martha 1
Maryan 1
Maud 1
May 1
Minnie 1
Miriam 1
Rosa 1
Ruth 1
Susana 1
Thomas 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Dorset surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dorset surname in 1881?

In 1881, 155 people were recorded with the Dorset surname. That placed it at #15,174 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dorset surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 115 in 2016. That gives Dorset a modern rank of #28,348.

What does the Dorset surname mean?

An English surname indicating ancestral origin from the county of Dorset.

What does the Dorset map show?

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