NameCensus.

UK surname

Elsam

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Elsam surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 120, ranked #27,563, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, London parishes and Boston (incl. Boston allotments). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, Boston and Bath and North East Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Elsam is 172 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 14.3%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

120

2016, ranked #27,563

Peak year

1851

172 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Elsam had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016, ranked #27,563.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 172 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Elsam surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Elsam surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Elsam 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 172 #11,682
1861 historical 122 #18,036
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 120 #20,545
1911 historical 162 #17,003
1997 modern 138 #22,227
1998 modern 152 #21,481
1999 modern 149 #21,924
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 138 #22,647
2002 modern 140 #22,876
2003 modern 138 #22,823
2004 modern 138 #22,997
2005 modern 130 #23,848
2006 modern 130 #24,053
2007 modern 133 #24,059
2008 modern 132 #24,476
2009 modern 133 #24,817
2010 modern 143 #24,247
2011 modern 134 #25,050
2012 modern 127 #25,992
2013 modern 126 #26,585
2014 modern 122 #27,358
2015 modern 122 #27,245
2016 modern 120 #27,563

Geography

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Where Elsams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, London parishes, Boston (incl. Boston allotments) and Wandsworth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, Boston, Bath and North East Somerset and South Derbyshire. 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 Stockport Cheshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire
5 Wandsworth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 001 South Holland
2 Boston 001 Boston
3 Boston 002 Boston
4 Bath and North East Somerset 021 Bath and North East Somerset
5 South Derbyshire 011 South Derbyshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Elsam

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Elsam

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Elsam is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Elsam 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

Elsam 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 Elsam is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

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

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Elsam families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Elsam 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. Lincolnshire leads with 43 Elsams recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.70x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 43 19.70x
Middlesex 27 1.98x
Surrey 16 2.40x
Essex 12 4.45x
Cheshire 9 2.99x
Lancashire 8 0.49x
Derbyshire 6 2.81x
Yorkshire 6 0.44x
Devon 3 1.06x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.63x
Sussex 3 1.30x
Rutland 2 19.94x
Kent 1 0.21x
Staffordshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Donington in Lincolnshire leads with 20 Elsams recorded in 1881 and an index of 2564.10x.

Place Total Index
Donington 20 2564.10x
West Ham 11 18.48x
Hampton Wick London 10 1000.00x
Stamford All Sts 8 655.74x
Bradfield 6 114.94x
Haugham 6 10000.00x
Islington London 6 4.53x
Rosliston 6 2857.14x
Stockport 6 38.68x
Camberwell 5 5.73x
Chelsea London 5 12.15x
Lambeth 5 4.20x
Reigate Foreign 4 55.56x
Bodiam 3 2000.00x
Bollington In 3 111.94x
Castleton 3 18.54x
Cleethorpes 3 234.38x
Moss Side 3 35.17x
Whitestone 3 1363.64x
Bethnal Green London 2 3.37x
Boston 2 30.21x
Gorton 2 13.13x
Hornsey 2 11.58x
Oakham Lordshold 2 190.48x
Southwell 2 149.25x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 2 65.15x
Barking 1 12.67x
Battersea 1 1.99x
Edenbridge 1 109.89x
Habblesthorpe 1 2000.00x
Horninglow 1 46.08x
Kensington London 1 1.32x
Market Rasen 1 81.97x
Shoreditch London 1 1.69x
Tathwell 1 500.00x
Wandsworth 1 7.61x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Sarah 7
Elizabeth 6
Harriett 5
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Fanny 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Martha 2
Amy 1
Annie 1
Bettey 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Esther 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Hanny 1
Jessie 1
Kathleen 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Mire 1
Priscilla 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 9
John 6
William 5
Harry 4
James 4
Richard 4
Thomas 4
George 3
Geo. 2
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Frank 1
Freddy 1
Harald 1
Jas.John 1
Jno. 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1
Zebedee 1

FAQ

Elsam surname: questions and answers

How common was the Elsam surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Elsam surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Elsam surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016. That gives Elsam a modern rank of #27,563.

What does the Elsam map show?

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