NameCensus.

UK surname

Jordison

A toponymic surname derived from a locality formerly known as "Jordan's Town".

In the 1881 census there were 193 people recorded with the Jordison surname, ranking it #13,144 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 234, ranked #17,572, down from #13,144 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Thirsk and Kelloe. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, Gateshead and Darlington.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jordison is 288 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.2%.

1881 census count

193

Ranked #13,144

Modern count

234

2016, ranked #17,572

Peak year

1911

288 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jordison had 193 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,144 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 234 in 2016, ranked #17,572.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 288 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Jordison surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jordison surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jordison 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 124 #14,792
1861 historical 140 #16,169
1881 historical 193 #13,144
1891 historical 209 #14,459
1901 historical 287 #12,001
1911 historical 288 #11,757
1997 modern 204 #17,409
1998 modern 221 #17,021
1999 modern 220 #17,160
2000 modern 219 #17,195
2001 modern 216 #17,103
2002 modern 223 #17,099
2003 modern 210 #17,559
2004 modern 217 #17,276
2005 modern 210 #17,572
2006 modern 215 #17,441
2007 modern 214 #17,688
2008 modern 206 #18,300
2009 modern 220 #17,911
2010 modern 236 #17,427
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 223 #17,852
2013 modern 228 #17,864
2014 modern 230 #17,872
2015 modern 231 #17,733
2016 modern 234 #17,572

Geography

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Where Jordisons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Thirsk, Kelloe, Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton and Bossall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland, Gateshead, Darlington and Southend-on-Sea. 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 Gateshead Durham
2 Thirsk Yorkshire, North Riding
3 Kelloe Durham
4 Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton Durham
5 Bossall Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 033 Sunderland
2 Gateshead 015 Gateshead
3 Darlington 006 Darlington
4 Southend-on-Sea 003 Southend-on-Sea
5 Gateshead 013 Gateshead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jordison

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jordison

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Jordison surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Jordison 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Jordison is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Jordison 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

Jordison 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 Jordison is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Jordison, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Jordison

The surname Jordison is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "jord" meaning earth or land, and "sunu" meaning son, suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who was the son of a landowner or farmer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Jordanus" in the county of Norfolk. This entry suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Jordeson" and "Jordison" in various regions of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. These spellings indicate the name's evolution from its Old English roots.

Notable historical figures with the surname Jordison include Sir John Jordison (c. 1430-1495), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire during the Wars of the Roses. Another notable individual was Thomas Jordison (1596-1672), a Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Somerton in Oxfordshire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Jordison appeared in parish records across various counties in England, including Suffolk, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire. This widespread distribution suggests that the name had become well-established throughout the country.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name in North America was John Jordison, who was born in England in 1625 and later immigrated to Virginia, where he is recorded as a landowner in the late 17th century.

Another notable figure was William Jordison (1763-1836), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He later rose to the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy.

In the 19th century, the Jordison surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with concentrations in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. However, some bearers of the name also began to migrate to other parts of the world, including Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jordison families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jordison 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. Durham leads with 79 Jordisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.11x.

County Total Index
Durham 79 14.11x
Yorkshire 68 3.65x
Northumberland 12 4.28x
Middlesex 9 0.48x
Essex 7 1.88x
Leicestershire 6 2.87x
Cheshire 4 0.96x
Sussex 3 0.95x
Lancashire 2 0.09x
Surrey 2 0.22x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.84x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thirsk in Yorkshire leads with 19 Jordisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 883.72x.

Place Total Index
Thirsk 19 883.72x
Stockton On Tees 15 55.56x
Thirsk Sand Hutton 12 6000.00x
Easington 9 1111.11x
Dalton Piercy 8 16000.00x
Tottenham 8 26.68x
Byker 7 50.54x
Sherburn House 7 5384.62x
Usworth 7 235.69x
Gateshead 6 14.31x
Leicester St Margaret 6 11.79x
Trimdon 6 303.03x
Brandon Byshottles 5 71.23x
Kirkleatham 5 198.41x
Redcar 5 337.84x
Bishopwearmouth 4 8.32x
Malpas 4 655.74x
Thirlby 4 5714.29x
Tynemouth 4 26.67x
Beverley St Nicholas 3 196.08x
Brighton 3 4.69x
Ferryhill 3 153.06x
Helmington Row 3 114.94x
Horton In Bradford 3 10.30x
South Ockendon 3 389.61x
York St Mary 3 38.81x
Crook Billy Row 2 27.89x
Dagenham 2 90.50x
East Cowton 2 800.00x
Ingatestone 2 333.33x
Rainton Cum Newby 2 800.00x
Raskelf 2 645.16x
Shildon 2 44.44x
Southwark St John 2 34.72x
Azerley 1 227.27x
Beverley St Mary 1 36.76x
Bispham 1 555.56x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 4.12x
Hinderwell 1 62.89x
Howgrave 1 3333.33x
Jesmond 1 25.38x
Lamesley 1 33.22x
Marton In Middlesbrough 1 147.06x
Middlesbrough 1 4.12x
Poulton Barre 1 39.37x
Ravensworth 1 588.24x
St Andrewthe Less 1 7.34x
Teddington London 1 23.42x
Whitby 1 15.90x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Ann 9
Elizabeth 8
Sarah 6
Jane 5
Hannah 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Ada 2
Barbara 2
Dorothy 2
Elizth. 2
Frances 2
Kate 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Anne 1
Betsy 1
Caroline 1
Cecilia 1
Edith 1
Elizebath 1
Elizh. 1
Florence 1
Georgiana 1
Isabella 1
Jaminna 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Nelly 1
Olive 1
Rosomond 1
Selina 1
Susanna 1
Teresa 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 18
William 16
Robert 10
Thomas 9
Christopher 6
George 4
Henry 4
James 3
Joseph 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
C. 1
Charles 1
Chr. 1
David 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Freddy 1
Fredric 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Ralph 1
Rbt.Binks 1
Richard 1
Richardson 1
Robinson 1
Septmus 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Jordison surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jordison surname in 1881?

In 1881, 193 people were recorded with the Jordison surname. That placed it at #13,144 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jordison surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 234 in 2016. That gives Jordison a modern rank of #17,572.

What does the Jordison surname mean?

A toponymic surname derived from a locality formerly known as "Jordan's Town".

What does the Jordison map show?

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