NameCensus.

UK surname

Emson

In the 1881 census there were 293 people recorded with the Emson surname, ranking it #9,884 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 501, ranked #9,974, down from #9,884 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to South Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Runwell, Rettendon, Downham, Wickford, St Pancras and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Warrington, Eden and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Emson is 554 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 71.0%.

1881 census count

293

Ranked #9,884

Modern count

501

2016, ranked #9,974

Peak year

1999

554 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Emson had 293 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,884 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 501 in 2016, ranked #9,974.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 458 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Emson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Emson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Emson 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 175 #11,542
1861 historical 215 #11,316
1881 historical 293 #9,884
1891 historical 305 #10,976
1901 historical 388 #9,685
1911 historical 458 #8,376
1997 modern 511 #9,162
1998 modern 551 #8,921
1999 modern 554 #8,929
2000 modern 534 #9,157
2001 modern 531 #9,039
2002 modern 547 #9,017
2003 modern 526 #9,151
2004 modern 526 #9,167
2005 modern 509 #9,328
2006 modern 506 #9,399
2007 modern 512 #9,412
2008 modern 518 #9,388
2009 modern 521 #9,554
2010 modern 537 #9,543
2011 modern 528 #9,572
2012 modern 521 #9,589
2013 modern 515 #9,804
2014 modern 515 #9,872
2015 modern 497 #10,046
2016 modern 501 #9,974

Geography

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Where Emsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around South Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Runwell, Rettendon, Downham, Wickford, St Pancras, Sheffield, Warrington and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Warrington, Eden, Barnsley and Malvern Hills. 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 South Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Runwell, Rettendon, Downham, Wickford Essex
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Warrington Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Warrington 013 Warrington
2 Eden 007 Eden
3 Barnsley 026 Barnsley
4 Malvern Hills 003 Malvern Hills
5 Warrington 018 Warrington

Forenames

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First names often paired with Emson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Emson

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Emson is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Emson 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

Emson falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Emson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Emson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Emson 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. Essex leads with 62 Emsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.91x.

County Total Index
Essex 62 10.91x
Middlesex 35 1.22x
Yorkshire 34 1.19x
Nottinghamshire 23 5.93x
Lancashire 19 0.56x
Cambridgeshire 18 9.88x
Staffordshire 16 1.65x
Cheshire 14 2.20x
Lincolnshire 13 2.83x
Derbyshire 12 2.66x
Worcestershire 9 2.40x
Suffolk 8 2.28x
Warwickshire 8 1.10x
Dorset 6 3.18x
Sussex 5 1.03x
Leicestershire 3 0.94x
Somerset 3 0.65x
Hertfordshire 2 1.01x
Surrey 2 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.57x
Kent 1 0.10x
Royal Navy 1 2.92x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 20 Emsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.63x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 20 8.63x
Warrington 16 39.53x
Wincham 14 1196.58x
Chatteris 13 279.57x
Great Grimsby 10 34.25x
Rayleigh 10 763.36x
Romford 10 111.36x
West Bromwich 9 16.18x
Birmingham 8 3.31x
Killamarsh 7 250.00x
Kimberworth 7 44.22x
Chilwell 6 582.52x
Colchester Holy Trinity 6 476.19x
Helion Bumpstead 6 779.22x
Tottenham 6 13.09x
Brighton 5 5.11x
Brightside Bierlow 5 8.94x
Laughton En Le Morthen 5 757.58x
Worksop 5 43.48x
Beighton 4 196.08x
East Retford 4 119.05x
Great Dunmow 4 135.14x
Littlebury 4 512.82x
Maltby In Rotherham 4 506.33x
Ollerton 4 493.83x
St George Hanover Square 4 7.89x
Walsall Foreign 4 7.97x
Wickford 4 1000.00x
Wimbish 4 476.19x
Wombwell 4 48.13x
Brentwood 3 86.71x
Burnham 3 142.86x
Cameley 3 576.92x
Dorchester St Peter 3 218.98x
Hockley 3 483.87x
Kings Norton 3 8.90x
Leigh 3 65.79x
Medbourne 3 545.45x
Saffron Walden 3 50.00x
Brampton En Le Morthen 2 3333.33x
Cherry Hinton 2 232.56x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 2 130.72x
Great Barr 2 180.18x
Ipswich St Margaret 2 16.82x
Islington London 2 0.72x
Lambeth 2 0.80x
Leeds 2 1.24x
Liverpool 2 0.96x
Nottingham St Mary 2 1.99x
Rotherham 2 12.44x
Runwell 2 606.06x
St Andrewthe Less 2 9.61x
Stoke Newington London 2 8.92x
Wivenhoe 2 88.50x
Amersham 1 40.49x
Aspenden 1 163.93x
Barwick In Elmet 1 45.87x
Carlton In Lindrick 1 97.09x
Clarborough 1 34.48x
Dunston 1 129.87x
Heighington 1 135.14x
Hulme 1 1.40x
Lambourne 1 119.05x
Melcombe Regis 1 12.77x
Nevendon 1 769.23x
Normanby 1 714.29x
North South Anston 1 80.00x
Oldbury 1 5.41x
Radwinter 1 120.48x
Risley 1 454.55x
Royal Navy 1 3.41x
St Giles In Fields London 1 7.08x
Tonbridge 1 2.82x
Tring 1 18.87x
Ugley 1 250.00x
Upper Mitton 1 119.05x
Uttoxeter 1 20.12x
Wakefield 1 4.57x
Wisbech St Peter 1 10.94x
Worcester St John 1 22.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Elizabeth 13
Sarah 10
Ann 7
Emma 7
Alice 6
Eliza 5
Emily 5
Ada 4
Jane 4
Ellen 3
Fanny 3
Frances 3
Louisa 3
Lucy 3
Annie 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Rose 2
Adelaide 1
Agnes 1
Anna 1
Catherine 1
Elizth. 1
Eva 1
Geraldene 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Ida 1
Isabella 1
Isabelle 1
Jessie 1
Lavinia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
May 1
Milly 1
Polly 1
Rachal 1
Sawensa 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 23
John 18
James 14
George 13
Charles 7
Thomas 7
Walter 6
Albert 4
Edward 4
Frank 4
Joseph 4
Robert 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Henry 3
Alonzo 2
Fred 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Percy 2
Samuel 2
Tom 2
Bertram 1
Chas.Edward 1
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Edmond 1
Edmund 1
Eric 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Geoffrey 1
Geoge 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Horace 1
J. 1
Octavious 1
Owen 1
Reginald 1
Richd. 1
Sam 1
Spedding 1
Thos. 1
Thos.H. 1
Timothy 1
Uriah 1
Wm.Nicholls 1

FAQ

Emson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Emson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 293 people were recorded with the Emson surname. That placed it at #9,884 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Emson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 501 in 2016. That gives Emson a modern rank of #9,974.

What does the Emson map show?

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