NameCensus.

UK surname

Ellson

An English surname derived from the given name Ellis, a Medieval diminutive of Elijah or Elias.

In the 1881 census there were 495 people recorded with the Ellson surname, ranking it #6,826 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 511, ranked #9,834, down from #6,826 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Finedon or Thingdon and Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wellingborough, East Northamptonshire and Bournemouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ellson is 635 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.2%.

1881 census count

495

Ranked #6,826

Modern count

511

2016, ranked #9,834

Peak year

1911

635 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ellson had 495 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,826 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 511 in 2016, ranked #9,834.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 635 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ellson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ellson surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ellson 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 386 #6,216
1861 historical 398 #6,441
1881 historical 495 #6,826
1891 historical 542 #6,971
1901 historical 536 #7,663
1911 historical 635 #6,547
1997 modern 561 #8,538
1998 modern 555 #8,866
1999 modern 549 #8,996
2000 modern 530 #9,211
2001 modern 517 #9,229
2002 modern 544 #9,049
2003 modern 530 #9,093
2004 modern 525 #9,184
2005 modern 500 #9,443
2006 modern 498 #9,512
2007 modern 498 #9,592
2008 modern 498 #9,664
2009 modern 490 #10,019
2010 modern 495 #10,127
2011 modern 501 #9,938
2012 modern 505 #9,787
2013 modern 507 #9,917
2014 modern 504 #10,023
2015 modern 505 #9,933
2016 modern 511 #9,834

Geography

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Where Ellsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Finedon or Thingdon, Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity, St Marylebone and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wellingborough, East Northamptonshire, Bournemouth and Cheshire West and Chester. 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 3
2 Finedon or Thingdon Northamptonshire
3 Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity Cheshire
4 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wellingborough 001 Wellingborough
2 East Northamptonshire 005 East Northamptonshire
3 Bournemouth 020 Bournemouth
4 Wellingborough 007 Wellingborough
5 Cheshire West and Chester 031 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ellson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ellson

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Ellson is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ellson 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

Ellson falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ellson

The surname ELLSON is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where it was derived from the Old English personal name "Ella" or "Elli," combined with the suffix "-son," meaning "son of."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, which mentions a person named Roger Elleson. This suggests that the surname had already been established by the 13th century.

ELLSON is also thought to have connections to various place names in England, such as Ellisfield in Hampshire and Ellesborough in Buckinghamshire. These locations may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname across different regions.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a certain John Ellyson was listed as a resident of the village of Wressle.

Notable individuals with the surname ELLSON throughout history include:

1. William Ellson (c. 1570-1640), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Principal of Jesus College, Oxford. 2. Henry Ellson (1819-1898), a British architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London. 3. Thomas Ellson (1837-1920), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. 4. Ethel Ellson (1881-1962), a British artist and illustrator best known for her watercolor paintings of landscapes and botanical subjects. 5. John Ellson (1931-2012), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1973 to 1988.

While the surname ELLSON is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the Middle Ages and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ellson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ellson 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. Leicestershire leads with 104 Ellsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.27x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 104 19.27x
Cheshire 93 8.66x
Warwickshire 58 4.72x
Surrey 57 2.40x
Middlesex 54 1.11x
Northamptonshire 47 10.27x
Derbyshire 23 3.02x
Shropshire 13 3.09x
Northumberland 9 1.24x
Lancashire 8 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 6 1.95x
Worcestershire 6 0.94x
Sussex 5 0.61x
Channel Islands 3 2.08x
Suffolk 3 0.51x
Bedfordshire 2 0.79x
Staffordshire 2 0.12x
Yorkshire 2 0.04x
Essex 1 0.10x
Hampshire 1 0.10x
Kent 1 0.06x
Royal Navy 1 1.72x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Margaret in Leicestershire leads with 22 Ellsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.72x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 22 16.72x
South Kilworth 21 3000.00x
Finedon 19 473.82x
Chester St Oswald 18 92.50x
Ripley 18 191.08x
Newington 16 8.90x
Irthlingborough 14 311.80x
Lutterworth 13 395.14x
Aston 11 3.25x
Clerkenwell London 11 9.57x
Leicester St Mary 11 25.23x
Sutton Coldfield 11 85.27x
Battersea 9 5.02x
Dunton Bassett 9 1323.53x
North Kilworth 9 1200.00x
Corley 8 1600.00x
Dodcott Cum Wilkesley 8 727.27x
Dukinfield 8 16.11x
Newhall In Nantwich 8 672.27x
Theddingworth 8 1951.22x
Worleston 8 1428.57x
Wybunbury 8 808.08x
Chertsey 7 45.66x
Great Bookham 6 329.67x
Madeley 6 38.91x
March 6 58.14x
Poole 6 2500.00x
Prudhoe Castle 6 425.53x
Shoreditch London 6 2.84x
Stoke 6 247.93x
Wilnecote 6 170.45x
Coventry St Michael 5 12.68x
Kings Norton 5 8.77x
St Marylebone London 5 1.92x
Alfreton 4 17.28x
Bermondsey 4 2.76x
Kensington London 4 1.48x
Lambeth 4 0.94x
Mile End Old Town London 4 3.86x
Mountsorrel 4 412.37x
St Andrew Holborn London 4 18.98x
Wellingborough 4 17.38x
Whitchurch Black Park 4 2500.00x
Alnwick 3 24.10x
Camberwell 3 0.96x
Chester St Michael 3 236.22x
Easenhall 3 714.29x
Epsom 3 25.95x
Gosbeck 3 566.04x
Great Boughton 3 81.08x
Little Harrowden 3 217.39x
Macefin 3 638.30x
Monks Coppenhall 3 7.40x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 3.06x
St Bartholomew Great 3 67.72x
St Peter Port 3 11.24x
Whitchurch 3 36.76x
Belgrave 2 16.42x
Bethnal Green London 2 0.95x
Blunham 2 116.96x
Edgbaston 2 5.25x
Hackney London 2 0.73x
Hough 2 434.78x
Isham 2 312.50x
Larktn Duckngtn Ovrtn 2 240.96x
Lewes St John Under 2 178.57x
Little Lever 2 27.06x
Madeley 2 48.78x
Salford 2 1.18x
Tarporley 2 88.89x
Tur Langton 2 434.78x
Walgrave 2 200.00x
Westminster St John 2 3.37x
Westminster St Margaret 2 8.52x
Willesden 2 4.36x
Alpraham 1 136.99x
Birkenhead 1 1.17x
Derby St Peter 1 4.12x
Little Budworth 1 111.11x
Ore 1 16.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 30
Elizabeth 26
Sarah 19
Ann 12
Alice 11
Ellen 10
Jane 9
Louisa 8
Eliza 7
Emma 6
Martha 6
Edith 5
Rebecca 5
Anne 4
Annie 4
Emily 4
Julia 4
Maria 4
Charlotte 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Margaret 3
Ruth 3
Ada 2
Clara 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Florence 2
Jessie 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Agnes 1
Alma 1
Beatrice 1
Betsy 1
Catherine 1
Charlott 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Elozzia 1
Emmily 1
Ester 1
Henritta 1
Isabella 1
J.M. 1
Jemima 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 43
William 36
Thomas 23
George 19
Joseph 13
Charles 12
James 12
Samuel 9
Henry 7
Frank 6
Edward 5
Frederick 5
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Edwin 4
Enoch 3
Peter 3
Richard 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
David 2
Ernest 2
Fred 2
Herbert 2
Alexander 1
Augustus 1
Case 1
Cave 1
Clarence 1
Coles 1
Edmund 1
Fredk.G. 1
Guy 1
Harry 1
Hy. 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Laurence 1
Louis 1
R. 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Robt. 1
Sydney 1
Sylvani 1
Thos. 1
Urban 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Ellson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ellson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 495 people were recorded with the Ellson surname. That placed it at #6,826 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ellson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 511 in 2016. That gives Ellson a modern rank of #9,834.

What does the Ellson surname mean?

An English surname derived from the given name Ellis, a Medieval diminutive of Elijah or Elias.

What does the Ellson map show?

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