NameCensus.

UK surname

Elsden

In the 1881 census there were 366 people recorded with the Elsden surname, ranking it #8,490 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 357, ranked #12,953, down from #8,490 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Soham and Birstall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Babergh, Arun and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Elsden is 494 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.5%.

1881 census count

366

Ranked #8,490

Modern count

357

2016, ranked #12,953

Peak year

1911

494 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Elsden had 366 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,490 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 357 in 2016, ranked #12,953.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 494 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Elsden surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Elsden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Elsden 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 267 #8,342
1861 historical 249 #9,904
1881 historical 366 #8,490
1891 historical 382 #9,203
1901 historical 431 #8,982
1911 historical 494 #7,886
1997 modern 405 #10,908
1998 modern 410 #11,143
1999 modern 403 #11,382
2000 modern 399 #11,422
2001 modern 398 #11,276
2002 modern 396 #11,523
2003 modern 382 #11,642
2004 modern 388 #11,539
2005 modern 374 #11,778
2006 modern 373 #11,854
2007 modern 378 #11,877
2008 modern 388 #11,745
2009 modern 387 #12,021
2010 modern 406 #11,847
2011 modern 395 #11,966
2012 modern 371 #12,396
2013 modern 362 #12,843
2014 modern 368 #12,770
2015 modern 369 #12,627
2016 modern 357 #12,953

Geography

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Where Elsdens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Soham, Birstall, St John Hackney and Pakenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Babergh, Arun, South Norfolk, East Cambridgeshire and Breckland. 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 Soham Cambridgeshire
3 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
5 Pakenham Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Babergh 001 Babergh
2 Arun 017 Arun
3 South Norfolk 014 South Norfolk
4 East Cambridgeshire 006 East Cambridgeshire
5 Breckland 001 Breckland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Elsden

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Elsden

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Elsden surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Elsden household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Elsden is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Elsden is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Elsden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Elsden 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. Suffolk leads with 83 Elsdens recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.09x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 83 19.09x
Middlesex 60 1.68x
Cambridgeshire 51 22.55x
Essex 31 4.40x
Kent 28 2.30x
Surrey 23 1.32x
Warwickshire 15 1.67x
Durham 14 1.32x
Norfolk 13 2.37x
Yorkshire 13 0.37x
Hertfordshire 12 4.88x
Sussex 5 0.83x
Lancashire 4 0.09x
Lincolnshire 4 0.70x
Shropshire 4 1.30x
Gloucestershire 3 0.43x
Hampshire 1 0.14x
Herefordshire 1 0.68x
Northamptonshire 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Soham in Cambridgeshire leads with 20 Elsdens recorded in 1881 and an index of 410.68x.

Place Total Index
Soham 20 410.68x
Borough Green 19 3877.55x
Hackney London 16 7.99x
Kensington London 13 6.55x
Hertford St Andrew 12 394.74x
Pakenham 11 940.17x
Wickham Skeith 10 1612.90x
Exning 9 410.96x
Islington London 9 2.60x
Mildenhall 9 194.81x
Tong 9 131.77x
Walmer 9 169.81x
Walthanstow 9 769.23x
Wandsworth 9 26.19x
Old Stratford 8 156.86x
Woolwich 8 17.78x
Bawdeswell 7 1272.73x
Cowlinge 7 843.37x
Deptford St Paul 7 7.45x
Westoe 7 11.63x
Birmingham 6 2.00x
Grays Thurrock 6 91.60x
Stetchworth 6 810.81x
Streatlam Stainton 6 1428.57x
Braintree 5 78.99x
Great Thurlow 5 1063.83x
Penge 5 21.92x
Saffron Walden 5 67.11x
Storrington 5 303.03x
Twickenham 5 32.66x
Whepstead 5 666.67x
Camberwell 4 1.75x
Chelmsford 4 33.09x
East Dereham 4 57.64x
Horncastle 4 67.91x
Ixworth 4 325.20x
Paddington London 4 3.05x
Bourton On The Water 3 211.27x
Creeting St Mary 3 1034.48x
Hawkedon 3 882.35x
Ince In Makerfield 3 15.22x
Newington 3 2.27x
Otley 3 384.62x
Rushbury 3 491.80x
St Pancras London 3 1.04x
Westminster St Margaret 3 17.42x
Barrow 2 180.18x
Clerkenwell London 2 2.37x
Horringer 2 246.91x
Hundon 2 185.19x
Ipswich St Clement 2 18.10x
Lewisham 2 3.08x
Little Thurlow 2 476.19x
March 2 26.42x
St Andrewthe Less 2 7.74x
Brading 1 10.28x
Bromley London 1 1.27x
Chislehurst 1 15.31x
Christ Church Newgate 1 60.24x
Colchester St Giles 1 14.37x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 1.39x
Edgbaston 1 3.58x
Elsing 1 208.33x
Gilling 1 94.34x
Harmby 1 454.55x
Hartest 1 133.33x
Hereford All Sts 1 14.90x
Ipswich St Mathew 1 8.20x
Manchester 1 0.52x
Manningham 1 2.29x
Newmarket All Sts 1 59.88x
Newmarket St Mary 1 29.94x
Preston On Tees 1 500.00x
Prittlewell 1 10.24x
Putney 1 6.15x
Richmond 1 4.10x
Shoreditch London 1 0.65x
St George Hanover Square 1 1.59x
Stoke Newington London 1 3.60x
Wilby 1 200.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Elizabeth 14
Sarah 13
Eliza 12
Emily 9
Jane 9
Ellen 6
Harriet 6
Martha 6
Susan 6
Ann 5
Emma 5
Fanny 5
Alice 4
Charlotte 4
Louisa 4
Agnes 3
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Florence 3
Kate 3
Margaret 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Catherine 2
Clara 2
Frances 2
Gertrude 2
Hannah 2
Maria 2
Rosa 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Blanche 1
Carry 1
Elizth. 1
Ethel 1
Ether 1
Grace 1
Harriott 1
Helen 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lizzie 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
M. 1
Mabel 1
Minnie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 24
John 17
Charles 14
James 14
George 12
Walter 9
Robert 7
Alfred 6
Thomas 6
Arthur 5
Harry 5
Henry 5
Edward 4
Herbert 4
Joseph 4
Ernest 3
Frank 3
Albert 2
Alexander 2
Benjamin 2
Frederick 2
Fredrick 2
Isaac 2
Samuel 2
Sidney 2
Sydney 2
Abraham 1
Cooper 1
Fred 1
Harold 1
Leonard 1
Michael 1
Not 1
Qumner 1
Reuben 1
Saml. 1
Spencer 1
Summers 1

FAQ

Elsden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Elsden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 366 people were recorded with the Elsden surname. That placed it at #8,490 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Elsden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 357 in 2016. That gives Elsden a modern rank of #12,953.

What does the Elsden map show?

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