NameCensus.

UK surname

Empson

A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Emp's valley".

In the 1881 census there were 643 people recorded with the Empson surname, ranking it #5,543 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 755, ranked #7,252, down from #5,543 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Shipton-under-Wychwood and Harrow-on-the-Hill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire, Cornwall and Vale of White Horse.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Empson is 779 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.4%.

1881 census count

643

Ranked #5,543

Modern count

755

2016, ranked #7,252

Peak year

1911

779 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Empson had 643 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,543 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 755 in 2016, ranked #7,252.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 779 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Empson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Empson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Empson 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 461 #5,378
1861 historical 501 #5,220
1881 historical 643 #5,543
1891 historical 633 #6,110
1901 historical 728 #6,087
1911 historical 779 #5,578
1997 modern 741 #6,944
1998 modern 775 #6,934
1999 modern 768 #7,006
2000 modern 777 #6,934
2001 modern 752 #6,973
2002 modern 771 #6,978
2003 modern 747 #7,043
2004 modern 730 #7,161
2005 modern 720 #7,161
2006 modern 724 #7,175
2007 modern 741 #7,122
2008 modern 757 #7,057
2009 modern 771 #7,089
2010 modern 772 #7,221
2011 modern 764 #7,200
2012 modern 741 #7,298
2013 modern 739 #7,432
2014 modern 751 #7,369
2015 modern 745 #7,341
2016 modern 755 #7,252

Geography

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Where Empsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Harrow-on-the-Hill, St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles and Charlbury, Cornbury Park. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire, Cornwall, Vale of White Horse, Norwich and South Cambridgeshire. 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 Shipton-under-Wychwood Oxfordshire
3 Harrow-on-the-Hill Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding
5 Charlbury, Cornbury Park Oxfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 011 North Lincolnshire
2 Cornwall 067 Cornwall
3 Vale of White Horse 003 Vale of White Horse
4 Norwich 004 Norwich
5 South Cambridgeshire 021 South Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Empson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Empson

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

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Empson is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Empson is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Empson falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Empson

The surname Empson is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name "Emba" or "Embra", which itself is thought to have come from the Old English word "emba", meaning "strenuous worker" or "quarrelsome person". The name first appeared in medieval records in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Empson surname can be found in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Embeson" in this historical document, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time.

In the 13th century, records show the Empson family holding lands in Hertfordshire and Norfolk, with some members of the family also residing in the city of London. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Embson" or "Embeson".

A notable figure in English history bearing the Empson surname was Sir Richard Empson (c. 1450 - 1510), who served as a minister and tax collector under King Henry VII. He gained notoriety for his ruthless and oppressive methods of extracting money from the gentry, which ultimately led to his execution on charges of high treason in 1510.

Another prominent individual with the Empson surname was William Empson (1906 - 1984), an influential English literary critic and poet. He is best known for his groundbreaking work "Seven Types of Ambiguity", which explored the multiple meanings and interpretations that can be found in literary texts.

The Empson name has also been linked to several place names in England, such as Empson Wood in Hertfordshire and Empson's Green in Suffolk. These place names likely derived from the Empson family's association with these locations or their former landholdings in those areas.

Other noteworthy individuals bearing the Empson surname include John Empson (1611 - 1677), an English mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of algebra, and William Empson (1791 - 1852), a notable English engineer and architect who designed several important bridges and buildings in the early 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Empson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Empson 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. Norfolk leads with 122 Empsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.65x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 122 12.65x
Yorkshire 99 1.59x
Lincolnshire 81 8.08x
Oxfordshire 74 19.10x
Middlesex 59 0.94x
Warwickshire 30 1.90x
Nottinghamshire 28 3.31x
Durham 21 1.13x
Kent 19 0.89x
Lancashire 17 0.23x
Worcestershire 16 1.95x
Devon 15 1.15x
Surrey 12 0.39x
Derbyshire 8 0.81x
Buckinghamshire 6 1.58x
Staffordshire 6 0.28x
Hampshire 5 0.39x
Cambridgeshire 4 1.01x
Cheshire 4 0.29x
Northamptonshire 4 0.68x
Berkshire 3 0.64x
Leicestershire 3 0.43x
Essex 2 0.16x
Gloucestershire 2 0.16x
Sussex 2 0.19x
Hertfordshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stibbard in Norfolk leads with 25 Empsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2450.98x.

Place Total Index
Stibbard 25 2450.98x
Holy Trinity 23 15.38x
Leafield 18 1176.47x
Chipping Norton 17 189.73x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 13 44.91x
York St Margaret 13 337.66x
Birmingham 12 2.28x
North Kelsey 12 662.98x
Radford 11 25.61x
Bow London 10 12.52x
Clee With Weelsby 10 45.54x
East Dereham 10 82.10x
Gateshead 10 7.16x
Southrepps 10 534.76x
St Pancras London 10 1.98x
Ashby 9 286.62x
Kennerleigh 9 3913.04x
Luddington 9 703.13x
North Owersby 9 1216.22x
Palling 9 909.09x
Shorthampton 9 1914.89x
Winterton 9 529.41x
Eastoft 8 615.38x
Enstone 8 337.55x
Great Yarmouth 8 10.01x
Islington London 8 1.32x
Stretford 8 19.54x
Beverley St Mary 7 77.09x
Charlton 7 49.26x
Everton 7 496.45x
Harrow On The Hill 7 55.87x
Thomley 7 14000.00x
Todwick 7 1842.11x
Aston 6 1.38x
Battersea 6 2.60x
Blackburn 6 3.03x
Edgbaston 6 12.23x
North Walsham 6 86.33x
Wells Next Sea 6 106.76x
Yardley 6 28.63x
Aylesbury 5 29.76x
Bishopwearmouth 5 3.12x
Deptford St Paul 5 3.03x
Rotherham 5 14.27x
Shipton Under Wychwood 5 200.80x
St Marylebone London 5 1.49x
Stockton On Tees 5 5.56x
West Halton Gunness 5 1724.14x
Whittington 5 36.79x
Antingham 4 727.27x
Chatteris 4 39.45x
Clerkenwell London 4 2.70x
Handsworth 4 24.35x
Islip 4 325.20x
Malden 4 500.00x
Ormesby St Michael 4 645.16x
Ripple 4 258.06x
South Creake 4 182.65x
Sutton Coldfield 4 24.05x
Blyton 3 197.37x
Boughton 3 468.75x
Chiswick 3 8.75x
Curbridge 3 230.77x
Dawlish 3 30.80x
Dowsby 3 857.14x
Eston 3 22.16x
Great Faringdon 3 44.31x
Hackney London 3 0.85x
Heigham 3 5.80x
Hook 3 21.95x
Mansfield 3 10.25x
Portsea 3 1.19x
Scunthorpe 3 66.52x
Sowerby In Halifax 3 14.76x
St Swithin Lincoln 3 19.02x
Sutton Valence 3 123.46x
Tormoham 3 5.43x
Tranmere 3 5.90x
York Holy Trinity 3 55.87x
York St George 3 61.22x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

FAQ

Empson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Empson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 643 people were recorded with the Empson surname. That placed it at #5,543 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Empson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 755 in 2016. That gives Empson a modern rank of #7,252.

What does the Empson surname mean?

A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Emp's valley".

What does the Empson map show?

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