NameCensus.

UK surname

Earlam

In the 1881 census there were 198 people recorded with the Earlam surname, ranking it #12,922 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 316, ranked #14,227, down from #12,922 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Stockport and Wilmslow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester and Trafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Earlam is 351 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.6%.

1881 census count

198

Ranked #12,922

Modern count

316

2016, ranked #14,227

Peak year

2010

351 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Earlam had 198 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,922 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 316 in 2016, ranked #14,227.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 330 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Earlam surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Earlam surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Earlam 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 68 #21,302
1861 historical 115 #18,880
1881 historical 198 #12,922
1891 historical 260 #12,367
1901 historical 254 #13,005
1911 historical 330 #10,669
1997 modern 306 #13,353
1998 modern 322 #13,248
1999 modern 321 #13,362
2000 modern 331 #13,045
2001 modern 324 #13,062
2002 modern 344 #12,777
2003 modern 339 #12,714
2004 modern 340 #12,707
2005 modern 339 #12,668
2006 modern 332 #12,970
2007 modern 333 #13,062
2008 modern 337 #13,068
2009 modern 337 #13,318
2010 modern 351 #13,220
2011 modern 343 #13,277
2012 modern 328 #13,625
2013 modern 332 #13,713
2014 modern 333 #13,770
2015 modern 328 #13,840
2016 modern 316 #14,227

Geography

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Where Earlams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Stockport, Wilmslow and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester, Trafford and Worcester. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Stockport Cheshire
3 Wilmslow Cheshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Manchester Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wirral 028 Wirral
2 Cheshire West and Chester 027 Cheshire West and Chester
3 Trafford 017 Trafford
4 Cheshire West and Chester 008 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Worcester 005 Worcester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Earlam

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Earlam

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Earlam surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Earlam 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Earlam 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

Earlam is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Earlam 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 Earlam 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 Earlam, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Earlam families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Earlam 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 137 Earlams recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.46x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 137 32.46x
Lancashire 40 1.76x
Derbyshire 7 2.34x
Glamorgan 6 1.80x
Devon 2 0.50x
Middlesex 2 0.10x
Shropshire 1 0.61x
Staffordshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Woodford in Cheshire leads with 21 Earlams recorded in 1881 and an index of 8750.00x.

Place Total Index
Woodford 21 8750.00x
Stockport 12 55.25x
Macclesfield 10 53.30x
Parr 9 110.84x
Bredbury 8 327.87x
Pownall Fee 8 423.28x
Toxteth Park 8 10.41x
Altrincham 7 94.98x
Christleton Littleton 7 1147.54x
Runcorn 7 71.94x
Hyde 6 48.19x
Llanwonno 6 50.17x
Bosley 5 1923.08x
Didsbury 5 166.11x
Eccleston In Prescot 5 43.90x
Frodsham 5 306.75x
Great Warford 5 2173.91x
Norbury 5 510.20x
Stayley 5 103.73x
Thelwall 5 1562.50x
Ardwick 4 19.55x
Bramhall 4 228.57x
Mellor 4 493.83x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 4 106.38x
Beard Ollerset Whitle 3 152.28x
Heaton Norris 3 23.24x
Liverpool 3 2.18x
Peover Superior 3 750.00x
Wincham 3 384.62x
Crediton 2 53.05x
Abbots Bromley 1 104.17x
Castle Northwich 1 71.43x
Chelford 1 500.00x
Davenham 1 263.16x
Ellesmere 1 35.21x
Fulshaw 1 128.21x
Hammersmith London 1 2.12x
Hartford 1 105.26x
Manchester 1 0.98x
Northenden 1 129.87x
Over Alderley 1 384.62x
Salford 1 1.50x
St Marylebone London 1 0.98x
Stretford 1 8.01x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Earlam surname: questions and answers

How common was the Earlam surname in 1881?

In 1881, 198 people were recorded with the Earlam surname. That placed it at #12,922 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Earlam surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 316 in 2016. That gives Earlam a modern rank of #14,227.

What does the Earlam map show?

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