NameCensus.

UK surname

Jackson

Derived from the Middle English given name Jack, meaning "God is gracious," combined with the common patronymic suffix -son.

In the 1881 census there were 83,594 people recorded with the Jackson surname, ranking it #22 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 111,631, ranked #25, down from #22 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, Forest of Dean and Eden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jackson is 114,089 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.5%.

1881 census count

83,594

Ranked #22

Modern count

111,631

2016, ranked #25

Peak year

2010

114,089 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jackson had 83,594 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 111,631 in 2016, ranked #25.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 108,674 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jackson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jackson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jackson 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 55,298 #22
1861 historical 61,583 #20
1881 historical 83,594 #22
1891 historical 93,129 #20
1901 historical 103,903 #20
1911 historical 108,674 #21
1997 modern 109,005 #25
1998 modern 113,113 #25
1999 modern 113,781 #25
2000 modern 113,277 #24
2001 modern 110,332 #25
2002 modern 112,892 #25
2003 modern 109,903 #25
2004 modern 109,559 #25
2005 modern 107,676 #25
2006 modern 107,618 #25
2007 modern 108,787 #26
2008 modern 109,263 #26
2009 modern 111,993 #26
2010 modern 114,089 #26
2011 modern 112,400 #26
2012 modern 110,245 #26
2013 modern 112,572 #26
2014 modern 113,346 #26
2015 modern 112,096 #25
2016 modern 111,631 #25

Geography

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Where Jacksons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, London parishes, Manchester and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, Forest of Dean, Eden and Cheshire East. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 110 Leeds
2 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
3 Eden 006 Eden
4 Cheshire East 018 Cheshire East
5 Eden 004 Eden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jackson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jackson

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Jackson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Jackson 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Jackson 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

Jackson is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Jackson

The surname Jackson originated in England, deriving from the given name 'Jack', a diminutive form of 'John'. The suffix '-son' indicates 'son of', thus Jackson means 'son of Jack'. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the late 12th century in Yorkshire, England.

The name Jackson is believed to have first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of a great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests the name's roots can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as 'Jakesone' and 'Jakeson' in various medieval records. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of 'Jackson'. Some variations include 'Jaxon', 'Jacson', and 'Jakkeson'.

Notable individuals with the surname Jackson include Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the 7th President of the United States, and Michael Jackson (1958-2009), the iconic American singer and entertainer. Other famous Jacksons include Glenda Jackson (born 1936), the British actress and former politician, and Samuel L. Jackson (born 1948), the acclaimed American actor.

The name Jackson is also associated with various place names in England, such as Jackson's Bank in Yorkshire and Jackson's Croft in Northumberland. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Jackson who once lived or owned land in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded Jacksons was Richard Jackson, born in 1367 in Yorkshire, England. Another notable figure was John Jackson (1686-1763), an English writer and theologian who authored several religious works during the 18th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jackson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jackson 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. Lancashire leads with 18,242 Jacksons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.88x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 18,242 1.88x
Yorkshire 16,138 1.99x
Middlesex 5,989 0.73x
Cheshire 3,911 2.17x
Durham 3,509 1.44x
Staffordshire 3,050 1.11x
Surrey 2,777 0.70x
Lincolnshire 2,618 2.01x
Warwickshire 2,374 1.15x
Derbyshire 1,989 1.56x
Cumberland 1,951 2.78x
Nottinghamshire 1,726 1.57x
Lanarkshire 1,662 0.63x
Kent 1,543 0.55x
Northumberland 1,298 1.07x
Essex 1,043 0.65x
Leicestershire 957 1.06x
Worcestershire 817 0.77x
Norfolk 748 0.60x
Gloucestershire 745 0.47x
Hampshire 662 0.40x
Northamptonshire 632 0.82x
Westmorland 613 3.42x
Sussex 585 0.43x
Cambridgeshire 548 1.06x
Hertfordshire 439 0.78x
Shropshire 439 0.62x
Devon 434 0.26x
Suffolk 411 0.41x
Midlothian 365 0.33x
Bedfordshire 358 0.85x
Berkshire 271 0.44x
Oxfordshire 267 0.53x
Angus 255 0.34x
Ayrshire 254 0.42x
Dumfriesshire 237 1.31x
Fife 236 0.49x
Perthshire 232 0.63x
Renfrewshire 228 0.36x
Glamorgan 207 0.15x
Buckinghamshire 199 0.40x
Cornwall 194 0.21x
Somerset 179 0.14x
Wiltshire 176 0.24x
Herefordshire 171 0.51x
Denbighshire 170 0.55x
Monmouthshire 152 0.26x
Aberdeenshire 139 0.18x
Argyllshire 139 0.61x
Huntingdonshire 139 0.86x
Dorset 116 0.22x
Flintshire 110 0.50x
Stirlingshire 104 0.35x
Roxburghshire 102 0.69x
Caernarfonshire 88 0.27x
Selkirkshire 68 0.92x
Dunbartonshire 64 0.29x
Isle of Man 60 0.40x
Royal Navy 56 0.58x
Channel Islands 55 0.23x
Kirkcudbrightshire 54 0.46x
Rutland 54 0.90x
Carmarthenshire 51 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 35 0.13x
Peeblesshire 34 0.89x
West Lothian 32 0.26x
Radnorshire 26 0.39x
Montgomeryshire 19 0.10x
Wigtownshire 19 0.18x
East Lothian 18 0.17x
Buteshire 16 0.32x
Ross-shire 15 0.07x
Anglesey 14 0.10x
Kincardineshire 12 0.12x
Merionethshire 11 0.07x
Kinross-shire 9 0.44x
Brecknockshire 6 0.04x
Cardiganshire 6 0.03x
Berwickshire 5 0.05x
Clackmannanshire 5 0.07x
Inverness-shire 2 0.01x
Banffshire 1 0.01x
Morayshire 1 0.01x
Orkney 1 0.01x
Shetland 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Oldham in Lancashire leads with 888 Jacksons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.84x.

Place Total Index
Oldham 888 2.84x
Birmingham 832 1.21x
Leeds 746 1.63x
Islington London 722 0.91x
Manchester 671 1.54x
Salford 604 2.12x
Lambeth 566 0.80x
St Pancras London 548 0.83x
Preston 535 2.06x
Aston 532 0.94x
Sheffield 511 1.98x
Spotland 488 4.53x
Liverpool 482 0.82x
Ashton Under Lyne 469 2.22x
Holy Trinity 439 2.26x
Stoke Upon Trent 439 1.50x
Nottingham St Mary 428 1.50x
Hulme 380 1.88x
Barony 375 0.56x
Toxteth Park 351 1.07x
Govan 339 0.52x
Everton 337 1.09x
Blackburn 324 1.26x
Camberwell 320 0.61x
Sculcoates 320 2.49x
Leicester St Margaret 318 1.44x
Bethnal Green London 312 0.88x
Bishopwearmouth 308 1.48x
Ecclesall Bierlow 301 1.83x
Kensington London 296 0.65x
St Marylebone London 294 0.67x
Hackney London 293 0.64x
Brightside Bierlow 288 1.82x
Barrow In Furness 287 2.18x
Shoreditch London 285 0.81x
West Derby 283 1.00x
West Ham 280 0.79x
Glossop Dale 260 4.34x
Little Bolton 255 2.05x
Bradford 253 1.29x
Mile End Old Town London 250 1.44x
North Meols 249 2.63x
Bury 237 2.14x
Glasgow 233 0.50x
Wolverhampton 231 1.09x
Newington 229 0.76x
Manningham 224 2.25x
Hunslet 223 1.77x
Habergham Eaves 219 2.47x
Ardwick 218 2.49x
Chorlton On Medlock 215 1.40x
Battersea 214 0.71x
Blackley 213 12.54x
Nether Hallam 213 1.95x
Stockport 213 2.30x
Middlesbrough 209 1.98x
Great Bolton 203 1.58x
Barnsley 201 2.41x
Todmorden Walsden 201 7.74x
Chelsea London 198 0.80x
Chadderton 191 4.03x
Horton In Bradford 190 1.50x
Paddington London 190 0.63x
Deptford St Paul 186 0.87x
Dudley 184 1.42x
Southcoates 181 4.03x
Castleton 180 1.86x
St George Hanover Square 180 1.25x
Bermondsey 179 0.74x
Burnley 179 2.19x
Burslem 179 2.27x
Darlington 179 1.91x
Pilkington 178 4.84x
Warrington 178 1.55x
Worsley 177 2.96x
Lancaster 176 3.05x
Cheetham 175 2.42x
Gateshead 174 0.96x
Liversedge 169 4.69x
Macclesfield 168 2.10x
Farnworth 167 2.88x
Pendleton In Salford 167 1.45x
Dundee 166 0.59x
Bollington In 163 10.16x
Westoe 162 1.18x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5,906
Elizabeth 3,261
Sarah 3,114
Jane 1,779
Ann 1,765
Alice 1,302
Annie 1,254
Hannah 1,170
Ellen 1,084
Eliza 1,080
Emma 1,079
Margaret 1,031
Martha 826
Emily 729
Harriet 547
Ada 444
Maria 419
Edith 418
Fanny 389
Louisa 388
Florence 384
Isabella 349
Charlotte 346
Clara 344
Caroline 320
Catherine 314
Agnes 293
Frances 288
Anne 279
Kate 272
Lucy 255
Esther 192
Susan 192
Amelia 181
Elizth. 181
Rebecca 177
Susannah 175
Eleanor 168
Harriett 165
Rose 154
Matilda 147
Betsy 144
Ruth 141
Minnie 139
Amy 134
Betty 134
Rachel 129
Ethel 128
Jessie 117
Gertrude 115

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5,115
William 5,026
Thomas 3,133
George 2,598
James 2,560
Joseph 1,721
Henry 1,485
Charles 1,288
Robert 1,284
Samuel 818
Edward 761
Arthur 696
Alfred 665
Richard 647
Frederick 517
Walter 496
Albert 461
Harry 406
Herbert 332
David 313
Wm. 295
Frank 272
Fred 243
Edwin 227
Francis 211
Isaac 202
Benjamin 196
Thos. 194
Ernest 191
Tom 174
Peter 151
Daniel 139
Matthew 123
Abraham 119
Ralph 117
Geo. 112
Christopher 97
Jonathan 96
Fredk. 77
Edmund 74
Percy 73
Joshua 72
Mark 71
Fredrick 69
Robt. 68
Andrew 59
Chas. 59
Stephen 59
Willm. 58
Hugh 55

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 Jackson households.

FAQ

Jackson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jackson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83,594 people were recorded with the Jackson surname. That placed it at #22 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jackson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 111,631 in 2016. That gives Jackson a modern rank of #25.

What does the Jackson surname mean?

Derived from the Middle English given name Jack, meaning "God is gracious," combined with the common patronymic suffix -son.

What does the Jackson map show?

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