NameCensus.

UK surname

Freeston

In the 1881 census there were 308 people recorded with the Freeston surname, ranking it #9,542 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 458, ranked #10,679, down from #9,542 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Grimston, London parishes and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hyndburn, East Lindsey and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Freeston is 523 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.7%.

1881 census count

308

Ranked #9,542

Modern count

458

2016, ranked #10,679

Peak year

1911

523 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Freeston had 308 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,542 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 458 in 2016, ranked #10,679.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 523 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Freeston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Freeston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Freeston 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 220 #9,671
1861 historical 252 #9,804
1881 historical 308 #9,542
1891 historical 414 #8,628
1901 historical 427 #9,054
1911 historical 523 #7,566
1997 modern 452 #10,034
1998 modern 463 #10,192
1999 modern 461 #10,272
2000 modern 458 #10,281
2001 modern 446 #10,312
2002 modern 456 #10,336
2003 modern 426 #10,742
2004 modern 430 #10,697
2005 modern 430 #10,575
2006 modern 420 #10,816
2007 modern 427 #10,782
2008 modern 439 #10,640
2009 modern 439 #10,911
2010 modern 455 #10,802
2011 modern 458 #10,630
2012 modern 452 #10,619
2013 modern 461 #10,634
2014 modern 468 #10,586
2015 modern 463 #10,602
2016 modern 458 #10,679

Geography

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Where Freestons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Grimston, London parishes, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Havant. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hyndburn, East Lindsey and Sheffield. 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 Grimston Leicestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Havant Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hyndburn 005 Hyndburn
2 East Lindsey 018 East Lindsey
3 Sheffield 068 Sheffield
4 Hyndburn 006 Hyndburn
5 East Lindsey 011 East Lindsey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Freeston

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Freeston

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Freeston surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Freeston household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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, Freeston 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

Freeston 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

Freeston 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 Freeston 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 Freeston, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Freeston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Freeston 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 48 Freestons recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.06x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 48 10.06x
Leicestershire 45 13.60x
Middlesex 44 1.47x
Suffolk 28 7.70x
Yorkshire 28 0.95x
Northamptonshire 16 5.70x
Cambridgeshire 14 7.41x
Derbyshire 14 3.00x
Lancashire 11 0.31x
Surrey 9 0.62x
Wiltshire 9 3.41x
Norfolk 6 1.31x
Staffordshire 6 0.60x
Nottinghamshire 5 1.24x
Rutland 5 22.81x
Hertfordshire 4 1.94x
Hampshire 3 0.49x
Sussex 3 0.60x
Worcestershire 3 0.77x
Cheshire 2 0.30x
Devon 2 0.32x
Dorset 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. Leicester St Margaret in Leicestershire leads with 19 Freestons recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.54x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 19 23.54x
Great Grimsby 13 42.92x
St Clement Danes London 9 145.63x
West Harnham 9 3000.00x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 13.30x
Long Bennington 8 860.22x
Shoreditch London 8 6.18x
Stratford St Andrews 8 4000.00x
Clipston 7 985.92x
Farforth Cum Maidenwell 7 4666.67x
Sheffield 7 7.43x
Westminster St John 7 19.26x
Castle Gresley 6 750.00x
Leire 6 2068.97x
St Luke London 6 12.53x
Wilsford 6 857.14x
Bungay Holy Trinity 5 267.38x
Chediston 5 1351.35x
Chorlton On Medlock 5 8.89x
Kensington London 5 3.01x
Normanton 5 56.24x
Sawston 5 274.73x
Spanby 5 4545.45x
Stockerston 5 8333.33x
Streatham 5 22.57x
Toft 5 1923.08x
Ulceby 5 431.03x
Walsall Foreign 5 9.61x
Great Wratting 4 1000.00x
Hitchin 4 43.06x
Kedington 4 416.67x
Nether Hallam 4 10.00x
Peterborough 4 19.68x
Bulwell 3 34.29x
Croydon 3 3.72x
Dudley 3 6.33x
Enderby 3 175.44x
Glossop Dale 3 13.71x
Hastings St Mary In The 3 27.93x
Havant 3 96.77x
Kirk Langley 3 434.78x
Stapleford 3 526.32x
Uppingham 3 114.94x
Chulmleigh 2 140.85x
Dukinfield 2 6.57x
Grimston 2 1250.00x
Gumley 2 833.33x
Heanor 2 28.61x
Heeley 2 22.25x
Leicester Black Friars 2 93.02x
Leicester St Mary 2 7.48x
Louth 2 18.28x
Manchester 2 1.26x
Newington 2 24.57x
Northampton St Giles 2 18.71x
Norwich St Mary At Coslany 2 152.67x
St Pancras London 2 0.83x
Stoke Albany 2 606.06x
Wavertree 2 17.64x
Westminster St James 2 6.52x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 1.29x
Bow London 1 2.63x
Burton Upon Trent 1 4.24x
Empingham 1 119.05x
Fleckney 1 126.58x
Grantham 1 16.08x
Hampstead London 1 2.15x
Horbling 1 196.08x
Islington London 1 0.35x
Kelsale 1 99.01x
Laughton 1 714.29x
Lowdham 1 131.58x
Mowsley 1 476.19x
Norwich St Peter Mancroft 1 43.48x
Nottingham St Mary 1 0.96x
Portland 1 9.50x
Spotland 1 2.54x
St Andrewthe Less 1 4.63x
St George Hanover Square 1 1.90x
Standground 1 74.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 21
William 20
George 11
Thomas 11
James 9
Henry 7
Joseph 7
Walter 6
Edward 4
Frederick 4
Harry 4
Richard 4
Robert 4
Arthur 3
Charles 3
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Robt. 2
Samuel 2
Sidney 2
Willm. 2
Alfred 1
Benajamin 1
Birtran 1
Chas. 1
Earnest 1
Edwin 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Harvey 1
Hary 1
Herbert 1
Jacob 1
King 1
Leonard 1
Major 1
Neddy 1
Owen 1
Percy 1
Stephen 1
Wheaton 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Freeston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Freeston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 308 people were recorded with the Freeston surname. That placed it at #9,542 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Freeston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 458 in 2016. That gives Freeston a modern rank of #10,679.

What does the Freeston map show?

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