NameCensus.

UK surname

Inston

In the 1881 census there were 107 people recorded with the Inston surname, ranking it #18,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 148, ranked #23,958, down from #18,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Northfield, Sutton Coldfield and Kidderminster. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Darlington, Cheshire West and Chester and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Inston is 194 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.3%.

1881 census count

107

Ranked #18,982

Modern count

148

2016, ranked #23,958

Peak year

1911

194 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Inston had 107 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016, ranked #23,958.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 194 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Inston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Inston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Inston 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 70 #21,020
1861 historical 108 #19,856
1881 historical 107 #18,982
1891 historical 109 #22,701
1901 historical 182 #16,057
1911 historical 194 #15,250
1997 modern 146 #21,494
1998 modern 158 #20,992
1999 modern 153 #21,551
2000 modern 155 #21,341
2001 modern 151 #21,375
2002 modern 157 #21,261
2003 modern 154 #21,308
2004 modern 156 #21,261
2005 modern 155 #21,318
2006 modern 143 #22,619
2007 modern 143 #22,924
2008 modern 146 #22,822
2009 modern 152 #22,716
2010 modern 150 #23,482
2011 modern 156 #22,690
2012 modern 147 #23,567
2013 modern 145 #24,207
2014 modern 144 #24,504
2015 modern 142 #24,617
2016 modern 148 #23,958

Geography

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Where Instons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Northfield, Sutton Coldfield, Kidderminster, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Darlington, Cheshire West and Chester, Dudley, Kensington and Chelsea and North Somerset. 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 Northfield Worcestershire
2 Sutton Coldfield Warwickshire
3 Kidderminster Worcestershire
4 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Darlington 012 Darlington
2 Cheshire West and Chester 022 Cheshire West and Chester
3 Dudley 033 Dudley
4 Kensington and Chelsea 021 Kensington and Chelsea
5 North Somerset 016 North Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Inston

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Inston

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

Challenged Communities

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

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Inston 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

Inston is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Inston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Inston 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. Worcestershire leads with 44 Instons recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.29x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 44 32.29x
Warwickshire 19 7.22x
Staffordshire 17 4.83x
Lancashire 10 0.81x
Northumberland 5 3.22x
Kent 4 1.12x
Shropshire 4 4.44x
Aberdeenshire 2 2.07x
Cheshire 1 0.43x
Middlesex 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kidderminster Foreign in Worcestershire leads with 15 Instons recorded in 1881 and an index of 777.20x.

Place Total Index
Kidderminster Foreign 15 777.20x
Sutton Coldfield 10 361.01x
Aston 9 12.42x
Kidderminster Borough 9 112.78x
Hasbury 8 898.88x
Elmbridge 7 5833.33x
Kinver 7 686.27x
West Bromwich 7 34.71x
Liverpool 5 6.65x
Pendlebury 5 191.57x
Westgate 5 51.98x
Walmer 4 258.06x
Bridgnorth St Leonard 3 294.12x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 11.06x
Great Barr 2 500.00x
Redditch 2 72.46x
Dudley 1 6.04x
Hampton Lovett 1 1428.57x
Kings Norton 1 8.18x
Lower Bebington 1 72.99x
Sedgley 1 7.65x
Westminster St Margaret 1 19.88x
Worfield 1 158.73x

FAQ

Inston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Inston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 107 people were recorded with the Inston surname. That placed it at #18,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Inston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016. That gives Inston a modern rank of #23,958.

What does the Inston map show?

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