NameCensus.

UK surname

Kidson

In the 1881 census there were 360 people recorded with the Kidson surname, ranking it #8,596 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 470, ranked #10,475, down from #8,596 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Sedgley and Thirsk. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hartlepool, Shropshire and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kidson is 507 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.6%.

1881 census count

360

Ranked #8,596

Modern count

470

2016, ranked #10,475

Peak year

2002

507 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kidson had 360 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,596 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 470 in 2016, ranked #10,475.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 451 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Kidson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kidson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kidson 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 314 #7,361
1861 historical 287 #8,773
1881 historical 360 #8,596
1891 historical 378 #9,277
1901 historical 416 #9,220
1911 historical 451 #8,489
1997 modern 485 #9,512
1998 modern 498 #9,622
1999 modern 502 #9,634
2000 modern 502 #9,605
2001 modern 499 #9,483
2002 modern 507 #9,532
2003 modern 498 #9,512
2004 modern 486 #9,702
2005 modern 471 #9,867
2006 modern 473 #9,871
2007 modern 474 #9,948
2008 modern 480 #9,948
2009 modern 500 #9,862
2010 modern 505 #9,985
2011 modern 482 #10,228
2012 modern 475 #10,232
2013 modern 491 #10,158
2014 modern 488 #10,271
2015 modern 481 #10,296
2016 modern 470 #10,475

Geography

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Where Kidsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Sedgley, Thirsk, Walsall and Middlesborough. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hartlepool, Shropshire and Wakefield. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Sedgley Staffordshire
3 Thirsk Yorkshire, North Riding
4 Walsall Staffordshire
5 Middlesborough Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hartlepool 005 Hartlepool
2 Hartlepool 010 Hartlepool
3 Hartlepool 002 Hartlepool
4 Shropshire 027 Shropshire
5 Wakefield 042 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kidson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kidson

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Kidson 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

Kidson is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Kidson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kidson 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. Yorkshire leads with 111 Kidsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.19x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 111 3.19x
Staffordshire 92 7.76x
Lancashire 32 0.77x
Middlesex 30 0.85x
Durham 28 2.68x
Surrey 15 0.88x
Warwickshire 11 1.24x
Shropshire 9 2.97x
Cumberland 8 2.65x
Worcestershire 5 1.09x
Hampshire 4 0.56x
Lanarkshire 4 0.35x
Northumberland 3 0.57x
Suffolk 3 0.70x
Cheshire 1 0.13x
Kent 1 0.08x
Lincolnshire 1 0.18x
Stirlingshire 1 0.77x
Sussex 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Willenhall in Staffordshire leads with 21 Kidsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 94.59x.

Place Total Index
Willenhall 21 94.59x
Wolverhampton 19 20.85x
Bilston 13 56.60x
Thirsk 13 324.19x
Leeds 11 5.60x
Barton Upon Irwell 9 28.69x
Hackney London 9 4.57x
St Luke London 9 15.98x
Birmingham 8 2.71x
Bishopwearmouth 8 8.92x
North Meols 8 19.61x
Wednesbury 8 27.01x
Cannock 7 33.85x
Crosthwaite 7 1891.89x
Kepwick 7 3500.00x
Knaresborough 7 127.97x
Newington 7 73.07x
Seaton Carew 7 333.33x
Wednesfield 7 40.14x
Flaxton 6 1363.64x
Keighley 6 16.18x
Paddington London 6 4.65x
Sedgley 6 13.63x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 5 42.02x
Camberwell 5 2.23x
Linthorpe 5 24.07x
Morville Aston Eyre 5 4545.45x
Ovington 5 2777.78x
Reddish 5 87.11x
Upperswinford 5 128.87x
York St Michael Le 5 442.48x
Albrighton 4 272.11x
Gateshead 4 5.11x
Hunwick Helmington 4 159.36x
Pattingham 4 800.00x
Redcar 4 144.93x
St Botolph Aldgate London 4 55.33x
Barony 3 1.04x
Borrowby In 3 769.23x
Broomley 3 638.30x
Bury St Edmunds St James 3 26.27x
Doncaster 3 11.80x
Edgbaston 3 10.93x
Lambeth 3 0.98x
Patshull 3 1304.35x
Ryde 3 19.40x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 4.25x
Woking 3 29.10x
Claughton In Garstang 2 303.03x
Haswell 2 26.70x
Holbeck 2 8.68x
Hunslet 2 3.69x
Kilburn 2 425.53x
Little Bolton 2 3.73x
Manchester 2 1.07x
Marr 2 909.09x
Monk Frystone 2 327.87x
Myton On Swale 2 869.57x
Sowerby In Thirsk 2 95.24x
Warrington 2 4.05x
Yearsley 2 1052.63x
Bawtry 1 90.91x
Bedale 1 78.74x
Bury 1 2.10x
Cliffe 1 1111.11x
Govan 1 0.36x
Great Wyrley 1 77.52x
Hatherton 1 196.08x
Margate St John Baptist 1 4.56x
Monkwearmouth Shore 1 4.90x
Ormesby 1 10.70x
Oulston 1 476.19x
Penrith 1 8.95x
Portsea 1 0.71x
Stirling 1 6.12x
Tettenhall 1 13.79x
Throston 1 50.00x
Topcliffe 1 135.14x
West Derby 1 0.82x
Westminster St Margaret 1 5.90x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Jane 12
Ann 10
Elizabeth 10
Annie 9
Sarah 7
Emma 6
Hannah 6
Alice 4
Eliza 4
Emily 4
Fanny 4
Margaret 4
Anna 3
Ellen 3
Florence 3
Kate 3
Maria 3
Martha 3
Amelia 2
Caroline 2
Christiana 2
Edith 2
Esther 2
Lucy 2
Betsey 1
Catharine 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clementine 1
Constance 1
Dorothy 1
Elinor 1
Elizabth 1
Elizath. 1
Elizh.A. 1
Elizth. 1
Emm 1
Emmeline 1
Ernestine 1
Isabella 1
Laura 1
Lilly 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lousia 1
Maud 1
Nelly 1
Norah 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 28
William 22
Thomas 20
George 17
Charles 12
James 8
Joseph 8
Robert 8
Alfred 6
Francis 6
Arthur 5
Edward 5
Ernest 5
Enoch 3
Frederick 3
Herbert 3
David 2
Elijah 2
Frank 2
Henry 2
Richard 2
Saml. 2
Samuel 2
Walter 2
Benjam 1
Benjamin 1
Bertram 1
Chas.F. 1
Fredrich 1
Fredrick 1
Horace 1
Infant 1
Isaac 1
Isaiah 1
Jas. 1
Leonard 1
Percival 1
Reginal 1
Robt. 1
Sam 1

FAQ

Kidson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kidson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 360 people were recorded with the Kidson surname. That placed it at #8,596 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kidson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 470 in 2016. That gives Kidson a modern rank of #10,475.

What does the Kidson map show?

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