NameCensus.

UK surname

Kingston

A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Kingston in England, meaning "the king's town."

In the 1881 census there were 2,787 people recorded with the Kingston surname, ranking it #1,601 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,378, ranked #1,561, up from #1,601 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Northamptonshire, West Berkshire and Stroud.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kingston is 4,520 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 57.1%.

1881 census count

2,787

Ranked #1,601

Modern count

4,378

2016, ranked #1,561

Peak year

1999

4,520 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kingston had 2,787 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,601 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,378 in 2016, ranked #1,561.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,049 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Kingston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kingston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kingston 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 1,671 #1,723
1861 historical 2,070 #1,396
1881 historical 2,787 #1,601
1891 historical 2,921 #1,608
1901 historical 3,350 #1,665
1911 historical 4,049 #1,267
1997 modern 4,267 #1,525
1998 modern 4,476 #1,510
1999 modern 4,520 #1,512
2000 modern 4,461 #1,521
2001 modern 4,350 #1,522
2002 modern 4,438 #1,523
2003 modern 4,270 #1,549
2004 modern 4,301 #1,539
2005 modern 4,246 #1,533
2006 modern 4,211 #1,551
2007 modern 4,232 #1,556
2008 modern 4,245 #1,562
2009 modern 4,274 #1,592
2010 modern 4,399 #1,580
2011 modern 4,363 #1,570
2012 modern 4,256 #1,573
2013 modern 4,354 #1,575
2014 modern 4,427 #1,564
2015 modern 4,363 #1,568
2016 modern 4,378 #1,561

Geography

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Where Kingstons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Northamptonshire, West Berkshire, Stroud, Birmingham and Windsor and Maidenhead. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Northamptonshire 001 South Northamptonshire
2 West Berkshire 020 West Berkshire
3 Stroud 015 Stroud
4 Birmingham 029 Birmingham
5 Windsor and Maidenhead 002 Windsor and Maidenhead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kingston

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kingston

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

Kingston 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

Kingston falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kingston 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 Kingston, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kingston

The surname Kingston has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "cyning" meaning king and "tun" meaning town or settlement. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a town or village associated with a king or royal figure.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mentions a John de Kyngeston in Wiltshire, while the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1275 reference a Robert de Kyngeston.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and estates in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for places with names similar to Kingston, such as "Chingestone" in Hampshire and "Chingestune" in Wiltshire. These place names likely served as the basis for the surname Kingston.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kingston was Sir William Kingston (c. 1476-1540), an English courtier and Constable of the Tower of London during the reign of King Henry VIII. He played a significant role in the downfall of Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife.

Another notable figure was Sir John Kingston (c. 1585-1638), an English colonist and sea captain who helped establish the first permanent English settlement in Barbados in the 17th century. He was appointed as the first governor of the colony in 1625.

In the realm of literature, Rachel Kingston (1818-1871) was a notable English novelist and writer of children's stories in the Victorian era. Her works included "The Golden Meadows" and "The Marquis of Trevellyan."

Sir Armine Woodhouse Kingston (1887-1956) was a British Army officer who served in World War I and later became a notable author of adventure stories for children, publishing over 200 books during his lifetime.

Lastly, Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940) is an American author and professor who has gained recognition for her works exploring the experiences of Chinese Americans, including her acclaimed memoir "The Woman Warrior."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kingston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kingston 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. Middlesex leads with 496 Kingstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.82x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 496 1.82x
Northamptonshire 251 9.79x
Yorkshire 203 0.75x
Surrey 201 1.51x
Somerset 184 4.19x
Kent 161 1.73x
Staffordshire 124 1.35x
Gloucestershire 95 1.78x
Lancashire 94 0.29x
Hampshire 91 1.63x
Lincolnshire 87 2.00x
Bedfordshire 68 4.82x
Essex 67 1.24x
Devon 60 1.06x
Warwickshire 60 0.87x
Wiltshire 54 2.24x
Buckinghamshire 47 2.85x
Nottinghamshire 45 1.22x
Durham 44 0.54x
Glamorgan 39 0.82x
Oxfordshire 38 2.26x
Berkshire 36 1.76x
Leicestershire 35 1.16x
Cambridgeshire 26 1.51x
Cheshire 24 0.40x
Norfolk 19 0.45x
Monmouthshire 17 0.86x
Hertfordshire 15 0.80x
Dorset 14 0.78x
Sussex 11 0.24x
Cornwall 10 0.32x
Worcestershire 10 0.28x
Flintshire 9 1.23x
Rutland 9 4.50x
Derbyshire 8 0.19x
Lanarkshire 8 0.09x
Royal Navy 8 2.46x
Shropshire 7 0.30x
Northumberland 5 0.12x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.74x
Cumberland 3 0.13x
Midlothian 3 0.08x
Channel Islands 2 0.25x
Brecknockshire 1 0.18x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.17x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 57 Kingstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.60x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 57 2.60x
Camberwell 45 2.58x
Paulerspury 39 366.20x
Islington London 38 1.44x
Hackney London 36 2.36x
Lambeth 35 1.47x
Portsea 34 3.10x
Aston 32 1.69x
Deptford St Paul 28 3.90x
St George In East London 28 10.92x
St Marylebone London 28 1.92x
Willenhall 28 16.24x
Bethnal Green London 27 2.28x
Paddington London 26 2.59x
Standground 25 203.58x
West Ham 25 2.10x
St Luke London 24 5.49x
Hanslope 20 135.04x
Leicester St Margaret 19 2.58x
St Giles In Fields London 19 14.20x
Gayton 18 335.20x
Holy Trinity 18 2.77x
Leeds 18 1.18x
Lidlington 18 292.21x
Plumstead 18 5.80x
Ratcliffe London 18 11.95x
Whitby 18 19.77x
Doulting 17 300.89x
Gorton 17 5.59x
Kensington London 17 1.12x
Plymouth St Andrew 17 3.89x
Shoreditch London 17 1.44x
Walcot 17 7.27x
Walthamstow 17 8.78x
Basford 16 9.45x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 16 3.18x
Castor 16 146.65x
Croydon 16 2.17x
Bedminster 15 3.64x
Hammersmith London 15 2.23x
Leyton Low 15 13.71x
Northampton St Giles 15 15.35x
Westminster St James 15 5.35x
Andover 14 26.52x
North Petherton 14 39.55x
Scarborough 14 5.70x
Stranton 14 5.13x
Birmingham 13 0.57x
Greenwich 13 3.00x
Sutton St Mary 13 31.54x
Towcester 13 49.15x
Battersea 12 1.20x
Clifton 12 4.44x
Sculcoates 12 2.80x
Stapleton 12 11.83x
Tormoham 12 5.00x
Walsall Foreign 12 2.52x
Cardiff St Mary 11 4.21x
Deptford St Nicholas 11 14.90x
Great Grimsby 11 3.98x
Hawkhurst 11 38.05x
Newington 11 1.09x
Orpington 11 38.62x
Peterborough 11 5.92x
Pinchbeck 11 39.37x
Thornhaugh 11 480.35x
Tottenham 11 2.53x
West Bromwich 11 2.09x
Dunstable 10 23.05x
Llantwit Vairdre 10 18.74x
Middleton Cheney 10 89.53x
Nether Heyford 10 132.10x
Norton St Philip 10 209.21x
Ramsgate 10 6.59x
Southwark Christchurch 10 7.83x
Wellingborough 10 7.76x
Willesden 10 3.89x
Chiswick 9 6.04x
Nottingham St Mary 9 0.95x
Shepton Mallet 9 18.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 175
Elizabeth 118
Sarah 94
Ann 57
Ellen 48
Eliza 46
Annie 40
Jane 40
Alice 39
Emma 38
Emily 35
Louisa 27
Margaret 27
Harriet 25
Martha 23
Caroline 21
Florence 20
Hannah 19
Edith 18
Maria 16
Charlotte 15
Ada 14
Catherine 14
Fanny 14
Clara 12
Kate 12
Julia 11
Sophia 11
Agnes 10
Frances 10
Eleanor 8
Harriett 8
Lucy 8
Rebecca 8
Rose 8
Anne 7
Phoebe 7
Susan 7
Susannah 7
Elizth. 6
Minnie 6
Amy 5
Ethel 5
Gertrude 5
Helen 5
Lydia 5
Matilda 5
Selina 5
Hester 4
Isabella 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 186
John 146
George 119
Thomas 113
Charles 74
James 72
Henry 57
Joseph 48
Alfred 40
Frederick 37
Robert 35
Samuel 33
Arthur 28
Edward 19
Richard 19
Walter 18
Albert 17
Harry 17
Frank 16
Herbert 14
Ernest 13
Benjamin 11
Edwin 10
Francis 8
Daniel 7
David 7
Fred 6
Geo. 6
Mark 6
Robt. 6
Stephen 6
Tom 6
Wm. 6
Fredk. 5
Sidney 5
Thos. 5
Moses 4
Percy 4
Phillip 4
Christopher 3
Paul 3
Willm. 3
Clement 2
Cyrus 2
Joshua 2
Leonard 2
Lewis 2
Matthew 2
Peter 2
Philip 2

FAQ

Kingston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kingston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,787 people were recorded with the Kingston surname. That placed it at #1,601 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kingston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,378 in 2016. That gives Kingston a modern rank of #1,561.

What does the Kingston surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Kingston in England, meaning "the king's town."

What does the Kingston map show?

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