NameCensus.

UK surname

Formston

In the 1881 census there were 46 people recorded with the Formston surname, ranking it #27,188 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 94, ranked #31,871, down from #27,188 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bebbington, Aldford and Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wirral, Isle of Anglesey and Carmarthenshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Formston is 137 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 104.3%.

1881 census count

46

Ranked #27,188

Modern count

94

2016, ranked #31,871

Peak year

1911

137 bearers

Map years

3

1891 to 1998

Key insights

  • Formston had 46 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,188 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 94 in 2016, ranked #31,871.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 137 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Formston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Formston surname density by area, 1998 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Formston 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 48 #24,615
1861 historical 64 #25,747
1881 historical 46 #27,188
1891 historical 111 #22,421
1901 historical 96 #23,342
1911 historical 137 #18,880
1997 modern 105 #26,188
1998 modern 102 #27,314
1999 modern 107 #26,754
2000 modern 112 #25,978
2001 modern 110 #25,900
2002 modern 106 #26,985
2003 modern 109 #26,361
2004 modern 107 #26,899
2005 modern 105 #27,203
2006 modern 99 #28,453
2007 modern 101 #28,505
2008 modern 99 #29,181
2009 modern 104 #28,982
2010 modern 102 #29,930
2011 modern 99 #30,218
2012 modern 93 #31,409
2013 modern 94 #31,656
2014 modern 97 #31,518
2015 modern 97 #31,499
2016 modern 94 #31,871

Geography

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Where Formstons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bebbington, Aldford, Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity, Bidstone and Tattenhall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wirral, Isle of Anglesey and Carmarthenshire. 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 Bebbington Cheshire
2 Aldford Cheshire
3 Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity Cheshire
4 Bidstone Cheshire
5 Tattenhall Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wirral 027 Wirral
2 Wirral 035 Wirral
3 Wirral 036 Wirral
4 Isle of Anglesey 006 Isle of Anglesey
5 Carmarthenshire 007 Carmarthenshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Formston

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Formston

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Formston surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Formston household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Formston 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

Formston is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Formston falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Formston is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Formston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Formston 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. Cheshire leads with 31 Formstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.29x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 31 31.29x
Lancashire 12 2.25x
Surrey 3 1.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chester St Martin in Cheshire leads with 8 Formstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5000.00x.

Place Total Index
Chester St Martin 8 5000.00x
Toxteth Park 8 44.37x
Birkenhead 6 75.95x
Chester Holy Trinity 6 1304.35x
Middle Hulton 4 1250.00x
Richmond 3 98.04x
Runcorn 3 131.58x
Tranmere 3 82.42x
Chester St John Baptist 2 112.36x
Hatton In Waverton 2 10000.00x
Whitby 1 434.78x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Jane 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Louisa 1
Martha 1
Rosina 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 5
John 3
Robert 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Joseph 2
Samuel 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Edward 1
Frederick 1
Thos. 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Formston households.

FAQ

Formston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Formston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 46 people were recorded with the Formston surname. That placed it at #27,188 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Formston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 94 in 2016. That gives Formston a modern rank of #31,871.

What does the Formston map show?

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