NameCensus.

UK surname

Emmitt

A surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Edmund".

In the 1881 census there were 186 people recorded with the Emmitt surname, ranking it #13,448 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 156, ranked #23,098, down from #13,448 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes and Kirkdale. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, East Riding of Yorkshire and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Emmitt is 255 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 16.1%.

1881 census count

186

Ranked #13,448

Modern count

156

2016, ranked #23,098

Peak year

1891

255 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Emmitt had 186 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,448 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016, ranked #23,098.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 255 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Emmitt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Emmitt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Emmitt 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 154 #12,668
1861 historical 243 #10,116
1881 historical 186 #13,448
1891 historical 255 #12,552
1901 historical 201 #15,059
1911 historical 230 #13,686
1997 modern 183 #18,642
1998 modern 187 #18,857
1999 modern 191 #18,744
2000 modern 190 #18,806
2001 modern 185 #18,840
2002 modern 185 #19,212
2003 modern 168 #20,171
2004 modern 164 #20,609
2005 modern 149 #21,866
2006 modern 148 #22,111
2007 modern 155 #21,726
2008 modern 159 #21,598
2009 modern 165 #21,552
2010 modern 180 #20,812
2011 modern 169 #21,499
2012 modern 152 #23,069
2013 modern 155 #23,108
2014 modern 156 #23,231
2015 modern 154 #23,306
2016 modern 156 #23,098

Geography

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Where Emmitts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes, Kirkdale, Clee and Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, East Riding of Yorkshire, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Kirkdale Yorkshire, North Riding
4 Clee Lincolnshire
5 Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 046 Liverpool
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 032 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 Leeds 004 Leeds
4 Kirklees 019 Kirklees
5 Wakefield 014 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Emmitt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Emmitt

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Emmitt is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Emmitt is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Emmitt falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Emmitt

The surname Emmitt is of English origin, derived from the Old English pre-7th century personal name "Emmet" or "Emmot." This name is believed to have emerged from the Germanic root "Amat," meaning "strength" or "vigor." Emmitt is a variant spelling of the name Emmett, which itself is a diminutive form of the name Emma or Ammonia.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Emmitt date back to the late 12th century in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. It is possible that the name may have been mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

One notable bearer of the Emmitt surname was Sir Thomas Emmitt (1600-1669), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Grantham in Lincolnshire during the 17th century. Another was John Emmitt (1642-1730), an English Quaker minister and writer from Yorkshire, who authored several religious works.

In the United States, the name Emmitt can be traced back to the early colonial period, with some of the earliest recorded examples being William Emmitt (1692-1767), a Massachusetts settler, and John Emmitt (1710-1789), a landowner in Virginia. The surname Emmitt has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Emmitt's Green in Suffolk and Emmitt's Field in Derbyshire.

Among the more famous individuals with the surname Emmitt is Emmitt Smith (born 1969), a former professional American football player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys and retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher at the time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Emmitt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Emmitt 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 47 Emmitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.83x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 47 16.83x
Yorkshire 36 2.08x
Berkshire 16 12.21x
Lancashire 16 0.77x
Nottinghamshire 8 3.40x
Buckinghamshire 7 6.63x
Hampshire 7 1.96x
Cambridgeshire 6 5.43x
Surrey 6 0.71x
Huntingdonshire 5 14.42x
Monmouthshire 5 3.96x
Bedfordshire 4 4.42x
Kent 4 0.67x
Middlesex 4 0.23x
Devon 3 0.83x
Dorset 3 2.62x
Warwickshire 2 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cookham in Berkshire leads with 16 Emmitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 391.20x.

Place Total Index
Cookham 16 391.20x
Holbeach 11 353.70x
Spittlegate 10 259.07x
Nawton 8 3809.52x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 7 43.42x
Beadlam 7 7777.78x
Chalfont St Giles 7 921.05x
Durley 7 2500.00x
Wardleworth 7 59.12x
Leake 6 468.75x
Southwark St John 6 112.36x
Huntingdon St John 5 500.00x
Manthorpe Cum Little 5 234.74x
Mynyddyslwyn 5 100.40x
Basford 4 36.87x
Gillingham 4 32.57x
Little Wilbraham 4 1600.00x
Milton Ernest 4 1600.00x
Nottingham St Peter 4 152.67x
Toxteth Park 4 5.70x
Great Grimsby 3 16.93x
Hemingby 3 1250.00x
Keighley 3 16.27x
Parkstone 3 223.88x
Sculcoates 3 10.94x
Todmorden Walsden 3 54.05x
Yarborough 3 1875.00x
Abbots Kerswell 2 769.23x
Aston 2 1.65x
Holy Trinity 2 4.81x
Kensington London 2 2.06x
Leverington 2 273.97x
Spalding 2 36.10x
Stainton 2 2500.00x
Bingley 1 9.07x
Boston 1 11.81x
Cockington 1 476.19x
Gainsborough 1 15.20x
Goathland 1 322.58x
Holbeck 1 8.73x
Meltham 1 37.17x
Oswaldtwistle 1 13.66x
Scotforth 1 74.07x
Sheffield 1 1.82x
Sherburn 1 70.42x
Stanwell 1 77.52x
Westminster St Margaret 1 11.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Sarah 11
Elizabeth 8
Alice 5
Eliza 5
Agnes 4
Annie 4
Jane 4
Ann 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Frances 3
Hannah 3
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Harriet 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
C. 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Georgenia 1
Harriett 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Nelley 1
Patrick 1
Pheobe 1
Rose 1
Rosie 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Emmitt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Emmitt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 186 people were recorded with the Emmitt surname. That placed it at #13,448 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Emmitt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016. That gives Emmitt a modern rank of #23,098.

What does the Emmitt surname mean?

A surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Edmund".

What does the Emmitt map show?

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