NameCensus.

UK surname

Jobson

An occupational surname derived from the word 'job', referring to a worker or laborer.

In the 1881 census there were 1,757 people recorded with the Jobson surname, ranking it #2,461 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,216, ranked #2,926, down from #2,461 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, North Tyneside and Hartlepool.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jobson is 2,394 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 26.1%.

1881 census count

1,757

Ranked #2,461

Modern count

2,216

2016, ranked #2,926

Peak year

2000

2,394 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jobson had 1,757 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,461 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,216 in 2016, ranked #2,926.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,361 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jobson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jobson surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jobson 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 1,262 #2,257
1861 historical 1,437 #1,977
1881 historical 1,757 #2,461
1891 historical 1,908 #2,411
1901 historical 2,145 #2,511
1911 historical 2,361 #2,166
1997 modern 2,297 #2,706
1998 modern 2,375 #2,732
1999 modern 2,387 #2,733
2000 modern 2,394 #2,714
2001 modern 2,309 #2,746
2002 modern 2,350 #2,757
2003 modern 2,236 #2,821
2004 modern 2,244 #2,815
2005 modern 2,206 #2,831
2006 modern 2,232 #2,799
2007 modern 2,240 #2,810
2008 modern 2,266 #2,807
2009 modern 2,293 #2,845
2010 modern 2,379 #2,811
2011 modern 2,315 #2,842
2012 modern 2,250 #2,863
2013 modern 2,299 #2,856
2014 modern 2,280 #2,890
2015 modern 2,252 #2,893
2016 modern 2,216 #2,926

Geography

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Where Jobsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead and Haverhill, Little Wratting. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, North Tyneside, Hartlepool and St Edmundsbury. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Haverhill, Little Wratting Suffolk
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 005 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 006 Northumberland
3 North Tyneside 002 North Tyneside
4 Hartlepool 014 Hartlepool
5 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jobson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jobson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Jobson, 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 Jobson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Jobson 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Jobson is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Jobson is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Jobson

The surname Jobson is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the personal name "Job", which itself comes from the Hebrew name "Iyyov" or "Iyov", meaning "persecuted" or "afflicted one". The suffix "-son" was commonly added to personal names in English to denote "son of".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mention a John Jobeson from Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1327 also list a Thomas Jobeson, indicating the name's presence in northern England during that time.

The Jobson surname is believed to have originated in the Yorkshire area, particularly around the town of Pateley Bridge, where it is thought to have connections with the local place name "Job's Cross". This may have been a location associated with an early bearer of the name.

In the 16th century, records show a Henry Jobson who was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of York, born around 1520. Another notable figure was Richard Jobson, a sea captain and explorer who was born in Yorkshire in 1591 and later published an account of his travels to present-day Gambia in 1623.

Moving into the 17th century, we find George Jobson, a clergyman and author born in Yorkshire in 1609, who wrote several theological works. A century later, in 1745, Frederick Jobson was born in Durham, becoming a prominent architect in the Georgian era and designing several notable buildings in the region.

One of the most famous bearers of the Jobson name was Sir Richard Jobson, a British Army officer and colonial administrator who lived from 1807 to 1891. He served in various roles in British India and was recognized for his contributions to the governance of the British Empire.

While the Jobson surname is relatively uncommon today, it maintains its roots in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Durham, where many of its earliest records can be traced. The name's long history and variations, such as Jobeson and Jopson, reflect its evolution over centuries as a quintessentially English surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jobson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jobson 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. Northumberland leads with 404 Jobsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.82x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 404 15.82x
Durham 339 6.64x
Middlesex 196 1.14x
Yorkshire 153 0.90x
Suffolk 81 3.87x
Surrey 79 0.94x
Lancashire 74 0.36x
Lincolnshire 65 2.37x
Essex 55 1.62x
Warwickshire 52 1.20x
Kent 27 0.46x
Oxfordshire 19 1.79x
Hampshire 17 0.48x
Norfolk 17 0.64x
Staffordshire 17 0.29x
Worcestershire 14 0.62x
Midlothian 11 0.48x
Wiltshire 11 0.72x
Cheshire 10 0.26x
Derbyshire 10 0.37x
Fife 10 0.98x
Angus 9 0.57x
Cambridgeshire 8 0.74x
Northamptonshire 8 0.50x
Orkney 7 3.71x
Somerset 7 0.25x
Westmorland 5 1.33x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.58x
Cumberland 4 0.27x
Dorset 4 0.36x
Hertfordshire 4 0.34x
Leicestershire 4 0.21x
Clackmannanshire 3 2.12x
Cornwall 3 0.15x
Devon 3 0.08x
East Lothian 3 1.32x
Glamorgan 3 0.10x
Lanarkshire 3 0.05x
Morayshire 3 1.12x
Sussex 3 0.10x
Gloucestershire 2 0.06x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.09x
Shropshire 2 0.13x
Anglesey 1 0.33x
Kincardineshire 1 0.48x
Perthshire 1 0.13x
Royal Navy 1 0.49x
Stirlingshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 50 Jobsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.07x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 50 13.07x
Westgate 45 28.45x
Haverhill 42 226.05x
Alnwick 34 77.41x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 33 14.92x
Islington London 32 1.92x
Camberwell 30 2.74x
West Ham 30 4.01x
Newburn 24 328.77x
Royton 24 38.51x
Elswick 23 11.28x
Poplar London 23 7.10x
Bishopwearmouth 21 4.79x
Thornaby 21 33.03x
Hackney London 20 2.08x
Bedlington 19 22.27x
Helion Bumpstead 19 415.75x
Hetton Le Hole 19 29.35x
Tottenham 16 5.85x
Byker 15 11.88x
St Pancras London 14 1.01x
Stranton 14 8.14x
Bromley London 13 3.44x
Heworth 13 12.92x
Tanfield 13 21.40x
Chester Le Street 12 30.60x
Longbenton 12 11.09x
Mason 12 205.48x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 12 7.87x
Ormesby 12 26.25x
Ryhope 12 33.84x
Southwark St George Martyr 12 3.47x
Ancroft 11 122.49x
Darlington 11 5.58x
Framwellgate 11 36.35x
Glanton 11 374.15x
Middlesbrough 11 4.97x
Morpeth 11 36.62x
North South Killingholme 11 241.76x
Shoreditch London 11 1.48x
Stockton On Tees 11 4.47x
Westoe 11 3.80x
Cramlington 10 29.62x
East Chevington 10 117.65x
East Murton 10 104.60x
Leyton 10 17.13x
Little Wratting 10 636.94x
Nunburnholme 10 684.93x
Sambourn 10 321.54x
Coughton 9 647.48x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 0.97x
Hutton Bushell 9 306.12x
Salford 9 1.50x
Sutton 9 14.87x
Swindon 9 7.64x
Ulgham 9 212.26x
Woodside 9 1525.42x
Ashton Under Lyne 8 1.80x
Awkley 8 490.80x
Backworth 8 118.17x
Bermondsey 8 1.57x
Boston 8 9.61x
Chirton 8 13.84x
Mile End Old Town London 8 2.19x
Penshaw 8 52.15x
South Dalton 8 516.13x
Acklington 7 507.25x
Desborough 7 57.71x
Dundee 7 1.18x
Essington 7 91.62x
Glanford Brigg 7 71.43x
Horncastle 7 24.71x
Ilderton 7 1014.49x
Kings Norton 7 3.48x
Monkwearmouth 7 14.32x
Neithrop 7 19.65x
South Middleton In 7 2413.79x
Tranmere 7 5.03x
W Shutford 7 380.43x
Westwick 7 648.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 123
Elizabeth 66
Sarah 55
Ann 48
Jane 48
Isabella 39
Margaret 33
Annie 22
Ellen 21
Hannah 20
Emily 19
Alice 18
Eliza 18
Emma 15
Catherine 12
Eleanor 12
Martha 11
Susan 10
Fanny 9
Harriet 9
Maria 9
Agnes 8
Charlotte 8
Kate 8
Louisa 8
Esther 7
Amelia 6
Caroline 6
Edith 6
Lydia 6
Anne 5
Sophia 5
Dora 4
Ethel 4
Florence 4
Margt. 4
May 4
Ada 3
Clara 3
Eliz. 3
Francis 3
Harriett 3
Jemima 3
Lizzie 3
Susannah 3
Betsy 2
Isabel 2
Joanna 2
Lillian 2
Lucy 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 120
William 98
Thomas 83
Robert 78
George 67
James 53
Henry 30
Charles 28
Joseph 24
Edward 16
Christopher 13
Frederick 12
Ralph 12
Arthur 10
Walter 10
Wm. 10
Richard 9
David 8
Albert 7
Alfred 7
Samuel 7
Mark 6
Robt. 6
Frank 5
Harry 5
Luke 5
Daniel 4
Ernest 4
Michael 4
Aaron 3
Anthony 3
Francis 3
Howard 3
Hugh 3
Abraham 2
Andrew 2
Bernard 2
Edwin 2
Geo. 2
Herbert 2
Hubert 2
Isaac 2
Jacob 2
Jas. 2
Johnson 2
Josiah 2
Matthew 2
Nicholas 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2

FAQ

Jobson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jobson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,757 people were recorded with the Jobson surname. That placed it at #2,461 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jobson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,216 in 2016. That gives Jobson a modern rank of #2,926.

What does the Jobson surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the word 'job', referring to a worker or laborer.

What does the Jobson map show?

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