NameCensus.

UK surname

Elsley

In the 1881 census there were 294 people recorded with the Elsley surname, ranking it #9,859 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 357, ranked #12,953, down from #9,859 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Clehonger, Hampton Bishop, Holmer, Hereford All Saints, Hereford St John the Baptist, Hereford St Ma, Whitchurch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Portsmouth, Taunton Deane and Shropshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Elsley is 457 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.4%.

1881 census count

294

Ranked #9,859

Modern count

357

2016, ranked #12,953

Peak year

1911

457 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Elsley had 294 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,859 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 457 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Elsley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Elsley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Elsley 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 200 #10,403
1861 historical 260 #9,516
1881 historical 294 #9,859
1891 historical 354 #9,741
1901 historical 360 #10,212
1911 historical 457 #8,397
1997 modern 322 #12,914
1998 modern 359 #12,321
1999 modern 358 #12,416
2000 modern 349 #12,585
2001 modern 342 #12,566
2002 modern 353 #12,512
2003 modern 341 #12,655
2004 modern 337 #12,818
2005 modern 331 #12,913
2006 modern 334 #12,912
2007 modern 338 #12,925
2008 modern 345 #12,839
2009 modern 355 #12,832
2010 modern 372 #12,651
2011 modern 349 #13,108
2012 modern 344 #13,121
2013 modern 363 #12,815
2014 modern 365 #12,853
2015 modern 358 #12,942
2016 modern 357 #12,953

Geography

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Where Elsleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Clehonger, Hampton Bishop, Holmer, Hereford All Saints, Hereford St John the Baptist, Hereford St Ma, Whitchurch, London parishes, Worplesdon , Ash and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Portsmouth, Taunton Deane, Shropshire and Suffolk Coastal. 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 Clehonger, Hampton Bishop, Holmer, Hereford All Saints, Hereford St John the Baptist, Hereford St Ma Herefordshire
2 Whitchurch Shropshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 Worplesdon , Ash Surrey
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Portsmouth 001 Portsmouth
2 Taunton Deane 009 Taunton Deane
3 Shropshire 001 Shropshire
4 Suffolk Coastal 001 Suffolk Coastal
5 Taunton Deane 004 Taunton Deane

Forenames

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First names often paired with Elsley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Elsley

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Elsley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Elsley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Elsley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Elsley 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

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

1881 census detail

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Elsley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Elsley 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. Surrey leads with 104 Elsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.37x.

County Total Index
Surrey 104 7.37x
Middlesex 80 2.76x
Kent 15 1.52x
Hampshire 14 2.36x
Herefordshire 13 10.94x
Huntingdonshire 10 17.39x
Sussex 10 2.05x
Shropshire 8 3.20x
Yorkshire 8 0.28x
Dorset 7 3.68x
Berkshire 6 2.76x
Oxfordshire 5 2.79x
Glamorgan 4 0.79x
Warwickshire 4 0.55x
Royal Navy 3 8.69x
Norfolk 2 0.45x
Essex 1 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.26x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.09x
Wiltshire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bramley in Surrey leads with 12 Elsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 967.74x.

Place Total Index
Bramley 12 967.74x
St Pancras London 12 5.15x
Kensington London 11 6.83x
Weybridge 11 363.04x
Bethnal Green London 10 7.95x
Hereford All Sts 8 147.06x
Whitchurch 8 164.61x
Croydon 7 8.93x
Guildford St Mary 7 402.30x
Poole St James 7 98.04x
Tonbridge 7 19.64x
Aldershot 6 30.17x
Cuckfield 6 121.70x
Feltham 6 207.61x
St Marylebone London 6 3.88x
Battersea 5 4.69x
Buckden 5 480.77x
Hammersmith London 5 7.01x
Merrow 5 847.46x
Normanton 5 57.94x
Northwood 5 59.10x
Ramsey 5 108.46x
St Bartholomew By 5 2500.00x
St Luke London 5 10.76x
Woking 5 58.75x
Aberdare 4 11.55x
Birmingham 4 1.64x
Brighton 4 4.06x
Dorking 4 42.19x
Frimley 4 99.50x
Guildford Holy Trinity 4 148.70x
Hambledon 4 268.46x
Hereford St Peter 4 126.18x
Lambeth 4 1.58x
Puttenham 4 930.23x
Shoreditch London 4 3.19x
Twickenham 4 32.21x
Wargrave 4 213.90x
Windlesham 4 150.94x
Witley 4 404.04x
Downe 3 545.45x
Newington 3 2.80x
Royal Navy 3 10.17x
Willesden 3 10.99x
Ash Normandy 2 104.17x
Camberwell 2 1.08x
Chelsea London 2 2.29x
Elstead 2 294.12x
Godalming 2 22.50x
Idle 2 15.03x
Isleworth 2 15.53x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 2 94.34x
Richmond 2 10.11x
Sevenoaks 2 24.97x
Sustead 2 1666.67x
Swyncombe 2 555.56x
Aldermaston 1 188.68x
Beckenham 1 7.74x
Birling 1 113.64x
Burton 1 107.53x
Chobham 1 40.16x
Cranleigh 1 48.31x
Effingham 1 172.41x
Egham 1 11.53x
Godshill 1 72.99x
Greasley 1 11.35x
Greenwich 1 2.17x
Harmondsworth 1 55.56x
Hereford St Nicholas 1 61.73x
Holdenhurst 1 6.42x
Islington London 1 0.36x
Kingston On Thames 1 2.95x
Kirby Knowle 1 909.09x
Limehouse London 1 3.14x
Old Windsor 1 39.68x
Oxford St Thomas 1 11.98x
Stoke 1 15.02x
Tottenham 1 2.17x
Walton On Thames 1 15.43x
West Ham 1 0.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 13
Emily 9
Sarah 9
Ann 5
Charlotte 5
Ellen 5
Hannah 5
Louisa 5
Caroline 4
Frances 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Edith 2
Harriet 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Rebecca 2
Sophia 2
Susannah 2
Bessie 1
Betsey 1
Catherine 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Elvia 1
Emelina 1
Esther 1
Eva 1
Evelina 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Helen 1
Henry 1
Isabel 1
Julia 1
Lillie 1
Mabel 1
Mariat 1
Marion 1
Marry 1
Maude 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 22
George 20
James 17
John 17
Thomas 13
Henry 8
Frederick 5
Edward 4
Edwin 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Walter 2
Chs.W. 1
Eli 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Jas. 1
Joseph 1
K. 1
Lewis 1
Mathew 1
Nathaniel 1
Samuel 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1
Stephenson 1

FAQ

Elsley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Elsley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 294 people were recorded with the Elsley surname. That placed it at #9,859 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Elsley surname today?

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

What does the Elsley map show?

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