NameCensus.

UK surname

Firmstone

A locational surname suggesting someone who lived near a firm or sturdy stone.

In the 1881 census there were 155 people recorded with the Firmstone surname, ranking it #15,174 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 217, ranked #18,535, down from #15,174 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Edgmond (Edgmond), Chetwynd, Cheswardine, Hinstock and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, South Hams and Purbeck.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Firmstone is 247 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.0%.

1881 census count

155

Ranked #15,174

Modern count

217

2016, ranked #18,535

Peak year

1911

247 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Firmstone had 155 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,174 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016, ranked #18,535.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 247 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Firmstone surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Firmstone surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Firmstone 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 106 #16,512
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 155 #15,174
1891 historical 140 #19,193
1901 historical 192 #15,518
1911 historical 247 #13,016
1997 modern 223 #16,448
1998 modern 237 #16,272
1999 modern 245 #16,012
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 235 #16,147
2002 modern 240 #16,291
2003 modern 227 #16,718
2004 modern 222 #17,020
2005 modern 222 #16,983
2006 modern 213 #17,563
2007 modern 220 #17,377
2008 modern 219 #17,597
2009 modern 219 #17,960
2010 modern 218 #18,375
2011 modern 213 #18,502
2012 modern 226 #17,679
2013 modern 228 #17,864
2014 modern 229 #17,925
2015 modern 223 #18,165
2016 modern 217 #18,535

Geography

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Where Firmstones are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Edgmond (Edgmond), Chetwynd, Cheswardine, Hinstock, Gateshead, Shiffnal and West Bromwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, South Hams, Purbeck and Telford and Wrekin. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Edgmond (Edgmond), Chetwynd, Cheswardine, Hinstock Shropshire
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Shiffnal Shropshire
5 West Bromwich Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 029 Shropshire
2 South Hams 007 South Hams
3 Purbeck 004 Purbeck
4 Telford and Wrekin 006 Telford and Wrekin
5 Telford and Wrekin 005 Telford and Wrekin

Forenames

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First names often paired with Firmstone

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Firmstone

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Firmstone surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Firmstone 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Firmstone is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Firmstone is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Firmstone falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Firmstone

The surname Firmstone is of English origin and can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from a topographical name, referring to someone who lived near a firm or sturdy stone, possibly a large rock formation or a fortified structure made of stone.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Firmstone can be found in the Worcestershire County Records of 1327, where a certain John Firmstone is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Bretforton. This suggests that the name was already established in that region during the early 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Firmstone surname appears to have spread to other parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1523 list a William Firmstone as a taxpayer in the parish of Wickhamford, Worcestershire.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, in the late 16th century, the name Firmstone is documented in the Parish Records of St. Nicholas Church in Gloucester, where the baptism of a child named Robert Firmstone is recorded in 1587.

One notable individual bearing the Firmstone surname was John Firmstone, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Worcester during the 17th century. He served as the Mayor of Worcester in 1657 and played an important role in the city's trade and governance.

Another historical figure with the Firmstone surname was William Firmstone, born in 1693 in Gloucestershire. He was a renowned mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to celestial navigation and the calculation of lunar eclipses.

In the 18th century, the Firmstone family seems to have established a presence in the parish of Hartlebury, Worcestershire. The parish records from 1732 mention the marriage of a Thomas Firmstone to Elizabeth Hawkins.

One of the most notable individuals with the Firmstone surname was Sir William Firmstone, born in 1805 in Warwickshire. He was a distinguished military officer who served in the British Army during the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was knighted for his bravery and leadership in battle.

While the Firmstone surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the English countryside, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire, where it first emerged and flourished over several centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Firmstone families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Firmstone 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. Staffordshire leads with 55 Firmstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.06x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 55 11.06x
Shropshire 25 19.64x
Worcestershire 22 11.44x
Yorkshire 13 0.89x
Derbyshire 11 4.77x
Durham 11 2.51x
Hampshire 3 0.99x
Radnorshire 3 25.25x
Warwickshire 3 0.81x
Buckinghamshire 2 2.25x
Cheshire 1 0.31x
Lanarkshire 1 0.21x
Midlothian 1 0.51x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kingswinford in Staffordshire leads with 35 Firmstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 193.91x.

Place Total Index
Kingswinford 35 193.91x
West Bromwich 12 42.16x
Brandon Byshottles 11 200.36x
Shifnal 11 318.84x
Stourbridge 10 202.02x
Normanby In 9 230.77x
Hinstock 7 1590.91x
Claylane 6 186.92x
Bilston 5 51.87x
Kidderminster Foreign 5 183.82x
Shirland 5 290.70x
Armley 4 62.11x
Wellington 4 55.94x
Wollaston 4 327.87x
Knighton 3 312.50x
St Bartholomew Hyde 3 416.67x
Wrockwardine 3 107.14x
Westbury 2 952.38x
Wolverhampton 2 5.23x
Chaddesley Corbett 1 138.89x
Dudley 1 4.28x
Edgbaston 1 8.68x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.26x
Hagley 1 161.29x
Hamilton 1 7.52x
High Offley 1 243.90x
Leamington Priors 1 10.94x
Sale 1 25.06x
Shotteswell 1 833.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 9
Alice 8
Jane 7
Eliza 6
Mary 6
Elizabeth 5
Emma 4
Martha 4
Annie 3
Catherine 3
Ellen 3
Elizth. 2
Ada 1
Alexandrina 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Elizth.Jane 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Florry 1
Flory 1
Frances 1
Henrietta 1
Lena 1
Lousa 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
M.A. 1
Mabel 1
Phebe 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 9
George 6
Henry 5
Thomas 5
Edward 4
Joseph 3
Samuel 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
James 2
Peter 2
Robert 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Ambrose 1
Benjamin 1
Edmund 1
Freddy 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Horace 1
Percy 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Firmstone surname: questions and answers

How common was the Firmstone surname in 1881?

In 1881, 155 people were recorded with the Firmstone surname. That placed it at #15,174 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Firmstone surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016. That gives Firmstone a modern rank of #18,535.

What does the Firmstone surname mean?

A locational surname suggesting someone who lived near a firm or sturdy stone.

What does the Firmstone map show?

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