NameCensus.

UK surname

Inkster

A locational surname referring to someone from Inverkeithing, Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 517 people recorded with the Inkster surname, ranking it #6,593 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 478, ranked #10,329, down from #6,593 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rousay and Egilsay, Fetlar and Yell and Lerwick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Shetland, North and East Isles and Lerwick North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Inkster is 642 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.5%.

1881 census count

517

Ranked #6,593

Modern count

478

2016, ranked #10,329

Peak year

1901

642 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Inkster had 517 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,593 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 478 in 2016, ranked #10,329.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 642 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Inkster surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Inkster surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Inkster 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 378 #6,315
1861 historical 474 #5,489
1881 historical 517 #6,593
1891 historical 584 #6,539
1901 historical 642 #6,705
1911 historical 93 #23,492
1997 modern 430 #10,423
1998 modern 456 #10,295
1999 modern 465 #10,202
2000 modern 487 #9,819
2001 modern 449 #10,254
2002 modern 456 #10,336
2003 modern 443 #10,413
2004 modern 433 #10,644
2005 modern 440 #10,382
2006 modern 439 #10,454
2007 modern 443 #10,467
2008 modern 452 #10,369
2009 modern 460 #10,481
2010 modern 474 #10,461
2011 modern 457 #10,651
2012 modern 469 #10,348
2013 modern 475 #10,401
2014 modern 477 #10,444
2015 modern 478 #10,343
2016 modern 478 #10,329

Geography

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Where Inksters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rousay and Egilsay, Fetlar and Yell, Lerwick, Edinburgh and Tingwall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Central Shetland, North and East Isles, Lerwick North, Shetland South and Lerwick South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rousay and Egilsay Orkney
2 Fetlar and Yell Shetland
3 Lerwick Shetland
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Tingwall Shetland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Shetland Shetland Islands
2 North and East Isles Shetland Islands
3 Lerwick North Shetland Islands
4 Shetland South Shetland Islands
5 Lerwick South Shetland Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Inkster

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Inkster

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Inkster, 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 Inkster surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Inkster 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Inkster 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

Inkster is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Inkster

The surname Inkster has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from a Scottish place name, referring to a person living near a small body of water or an inlet, possibly from the Scots word "inker" meaning a small inlet or creek.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Inkster, who was recorded as a burgess of Aberdeen in 1487. Another early reference is to David Inkster, who was mentioned in the records of the Diocese of Aberdeen in 1511.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, where a Robert Inkster was mentioned in 1593. The surname was also found in the parish records of Aberdeenshire, with several Inkster families recorded in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

One notable bearer of the name was Alexander Inkster, a Scottish merchant and shipowner who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was involved in the lucrative trade between Scotland and the Baltic region, and his name appears in numerous shipping records from that time.

In the 19th century, the Inkster surname spread beyond Scotland as some family members emigrated to other parts of the British Empire. For example, James Inkster (1799-1872) was a Scottish-born settler in Upper Canada (now Ontario), where he established a successful milling business.

Another notable figure was William Inkster (1844-1919), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. He was born in Orkney, Scotland, but later moved to Winnipeg, where he became a prominent figure in the community.

The name Inkster has also been associated with several places, such as Inkster, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit named after the Inkster family who were early settlers in the area. Additionally, there is an Inkster, North Dakota, which was likely named after a resident with the Inkster surname.

Overall, the surname Inkster has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 15th century. While originally concentrated in Aberdeenshire, the name eventually spread to other parts of the world through emigration and settlement.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Inkster families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Inkster 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. Shetland leads with 316 Inksters recorded in 1881 and an index of 613.47x.

County Total Index
Shetland 316 613.47x
Orkney 114 205.48x
Lancashire 17 0.28x
Midlothian 17 2.52x
Caithness 16 23.17x
Middlesex 7 0.14x
Cheshire 6 0.54x
Durham 6 0.40x
Banffshire 4 3.82x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.64x
Lanarkshire 3 0.18x
Essex 2 0.20x
Surrey 2 0.08x
Yorkshire 2 0.04x
Buteshire 1 3.27x
Cornwall 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Northmavine in Shetland leads with 108 Inksters recorded in 1881 and an index of 2755.10x.

Place Total Index
Northmavine 108 2755.10x
Bressay Burra Quarff 98 4355.56x
Rousay Egilshay 60 3092.78x
Tingwall 37 1439.69x
Orphir 20 1136.36x
North Yell 19 1338.03x
Unst 17 450.93x
Lerwick Gulberwick 12 150.56x
Yell Mid 12 705.88x
Pennington In Leigh 10 87.11x
Shapinshay 10 595.24x
Kirkwall St Ola 9 108.30x
Reay 8 211.08x
Holm 7 376.34x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 6 2.21x
Lower Bebington 6 90.77x
Thurso 6 55.71x
Sandsting Aitsting 5 107.07x
South Leith 5 6.58x
Toxteth Park 5 2.47x
Delting 4 137.93x
Rathven 4 20.36x
Westoe 4 4.70x
Birsay Harray 3 74.44x
Chelsea London 3 1.97x
Dunrossness 3 44.25x
Govan 3 0.74x
Aberdeen Old Machar 2 2.05x
Edinburgh Greenside 2 22.40x
Halkirk 2 42.83x
Kirkdale 2 1.99x
Newington 2 1.07x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 1 1.14x
Bishopwearmouth 1 0.78x
Brentwood 1 16.47x
Cross Burness N 1 34.48x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 0.98x
Edinburgh St Andrews 1 17.92x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 7.52x
Evie Rendall 1 42.74x
Hampstead London 1 1.27x
Islington London 1 0.20x
Kensington London 1 0.36x
Leith South 1 107.53x
Middlesbrough 1 1.54x
Monkwearmouth Shore 1 3.41x
North Leith 1 3.20x
Paddington London 1 0.54x
Rothesay 1 6.76x
Sandwick 1 48.08x
Scilly Islands 1 97.09x
St Andrews Deerness 1 34.25x
Stromness 1 24.04x
West Ham 1 0.46x
Whiteness Weisdale 1 64.10x

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 Inkster households.

FAQ

Inkster surname: questions and answers

How common was the Inkster surname in 1881?

In 1881, 517 people were recorded with the Inkster surname. That placed it at #6,593 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Inkster surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 478 in 2016. That gives Inkster a modern rank of #10,329.

What does the Inkster surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Inverkeithing, Scotland.

What does the Inkster map show?

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