NameCensus.

UK surname

Lambert

An English occupational surname for a maker of lambs or for a keeper of lambs.

In the 1881 census there were 16,308 people recorded with the Lambert surname, ranking it #237 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 22,054, ranked #268, down from #237 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Richmondshire, Craven and Monmouthshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lambert is 22,962 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.2%.

1881 census count

16,308

Ranked #237

Modern count

22,054

2016, ranked #268

Peak year

1999

22,962 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lambert had 16,308 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #237 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 22,054 in 2016, ranked #268.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 21,371 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lambert surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lambert surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lambert 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 10,305 #247
1861 historical 10,912 #229
1881 historical 16,308 #237
1891 historical 17,372 #231
1901 historical 20,221 #238
1911 historical 21,371 #200
1997 modern 21,921 #259
1998 modern 22,841 #259
1999 modern 22,962 #261
2000 modern 22,863 #260
2001 modern 22,294 #260
2002 modern 22,717 #260
2003 modern 22,002 #262
2004 modern 21,881 #263
2005 modern 21,397 #266
2006 modern 21,338 #269
2007 modern 21,432 #270
2008 modern 21,556 #268
2009 modern 22,050 #270
2010 modern 22,467 #271
2011 modern 22,173 #269
2012 modern 21,842 #268
2013 modern 22,363 #267
2014 modern 22,499 #267
2015 modern 22,257 #267
2016 modern 22,054 #268

Geography

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Where Lamberts are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Richmondshire, Craven, Monmouthshire, Lancaster and Bradford. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Richmondshire 005 Richmondshire
2 Craven 003 Craven
3 Monmouthshire 002 Monmouthshire
4 Lancaster 001 Lancaster
5 Bradford 002 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lambert

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lambert

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

Lambert is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lambert falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Lambert

The surname Lambert is of French origin, derived from the Germanic personal name Landbehrt, which is composed of the elements "land" meaning "land" and "behrt" meaning "bright" or "illustrious." The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 8th century in the Frankish Empire.

The name Lambert gained widespread recognition during the Middle Ages, with several notable individuals bearing it. One of the earliest references can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. The name appeared as Lambart, an early spelling variation.

In the 12th century, Lambert le Begue (c. 1122-1177) was a renowned French poet and trouvère (poet-composer) who composed chansons and pastourelles. His works were influential in the development of courtly love poetry.

During the 13th century, Lambert le Tor (c. 1210-1277) was a French painter and manuscript illuminator who worked in Paris. He is known for his illuminations in the Bible moralisée, a lavishly illustrated manuscript commissioned by King Louis IX of France.

In the 14th century, Lambert of Auxerre (c. 1340-1389) was a French scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on the Bible and theology. His works, such as the Rationale Operum Divinorum, had a significant impact on medieval scholarship.

The 16th century saw the birth of Lambert Daneau (1530-1596), a French Protestant theologian and reformer. He served as a professor of theology in Geneva and was a prominent figure in the Reformed Church.

Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728-1777) was a Swiss-German mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and philosopher. He made significant contributions to various fields, including the development of hyperbolic functions and the calculation of π.

Throughout history, the surname Lambert has been associated with numerous place names, such as Lamberts, a commune in the Vosges department of France, and Lambert Island, an island off the coast of Antarctica.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lambert families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lambert 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 3,077 Lamberts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.95x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 3,077 1.95x
Middlesex 1,847 1.16x
Lancashire 1,565 0.83x
Surrey 1,057 1.36x
Suffolk 773 3.98x
Norfolk 716 2.92x
Kent 672 1.24x
Durham 630 1.33x
Sussex 499 1.86x
Essex 442 1.40x
Hampshire 382 1.17x
Lincolnshire 361 1.42x
Northumberland 336 1.42x
Somerset 309 1.20x
Nottinghamshire 264 1.23x
Dorset 245 2.34x
Staffordshire 231 0.43x
Gloucestershire 216 0.69x
Cheshire 213 0.61x
Derbyshire 183 0.73x
Cambridgeshire 162 1.60x
Warwickshire 141 0.35x
Northamptonshire 137 0.91x
Hertfordshire 132 1.20x
Worcestershire 130 0.62x
Lanarkshire 124 0.24x
Fife 109 1.15x
Leicestershire 108 0.61x
Glamorgan 99 0.36x
Midlothian 96 0.45x
Devon 83 0.25x
Monmouthshire 76 0.66x
Oxfordshire 72 0.73x
Bedfordshire 68 0.82x
Wiltshire 64 0.45x
Herefordshire 61 0.93x
Westmorland 60 1.71x
Cumberland 54 0.39x
Shropshire 51 0.37x
Berkshire 50 0.42x
Huntingdonshire 49 1.55x
Roxburghshire 35 1.21x
Buckinghamshire 34 0.35x
Rutland 31 2.65x
Renfrewshire 26 0.21x
Channel Islands 25 0.53x
Perthshire 25 0.35x
East Lothian 18 0.85x
Angus 17 0.12x
Royal Navy 16 0.84x
Brecknockshire 15 0.47x
Aberdeenshire 13 0.09x
Berwickshire 13 0.67x
Selkirkshire 13 0.90x
Argyllshire 12 0.27x
Caernarfonshire 12 0.19x
Cornwall 12 0.07x
Dumfriesshire 11 0.31x
Pembrokeshire 11 0.22x
Stirlingshire 11 0.19x
Kirkcudbrightshire 9 0.39x
Clackmannanshire 7 0.53x
Denbighshire 7 0.12x
Flintshire 6 0.14x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.14x
Ayrshire 4 0.03x
Isle of Man 3 0.10x
Anglesey 2 0.07x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.05x
Kinross-shire 2 0.50x
Peeblesshire 2 0.27x
Merionethshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 270 Lamberts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.75x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 270 1.75x
Lambeth 178 1.28x
Hackney London 153 1.71x
Leeds 143 1.60x
Camberwell 135 1.33x
St Pancras London 133 1.04x
Bradford 127 3.32x
St Marylebone London 118 1.39x
Preston 111 2.19x
Brighton 99 1.83x
Deptford St Paul 96 2.29x
Nottingham St Mary 95 1.71x
West Ham 94 1.35x
Kensington London 90 1.02x
Battersea 87 1.48x
Gateshead 85 2.39x
Manningham 85 4.37x
Croydon 80 1.86x
Liverpool 78 0.68x
Paddington London 78 1.33x
Keighley 74 4.39x
Manchester 72 0.85x
St George Hanover Square 71 2.53x
Salford 68 1.22x
Portsea 67 1.05x
Holy Trinity 66 1.74x
Chelsea London 63 1.31x
Kildwick 62 43.09x
Wortley In Bramley 61 4.87x
Sheffield 57 1.13x
Shoreditch London 56 0.81x
Horton In Bradford 55 2.23x
Sculcoates 53 2.12x
Aston 51 0.46x
Lewisham 51 1.76x
Wolsingham 49 11.33x
Mile End Old Town London 47 1.39x
Stoke Upon Trent 47 0.82x
Bermondsey 46 0.97x
Southampton St Mary 46 2.24x
Wickmere 46 346.91x
Ramsgate 45 5.07x
West Derby 45 0.81x
Horsemonden 44 55.37x
Bowling 43 2.75x
Great Yarmouth 43 2.12x
Lavenham 43 42.34x
Stockton On Tees 43 1.88x
Bishopwearmouth 42 1.03x
Great Little Marsden 42 4.85x
Reigate Foreign 42 4.99x
Rotherhithe 42 2.13x
Yardley Gobion 42 130.43x
Tonbridge 41 2.09x
Darlington 40 2.18x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 39 0.45x
Habergham Eaves 39 2.26x
Mendlesham 39 63.46x
Tynemouth 39 3.07x
West Bromwich 39 1.27x
Bethnal Green London 38 0.55x
Clerkenwell London 38 1.01x
Foulsham 38 73.37x
Hunslet 38 1.54x
Shepton Mallet 38 13.20x
St Luke London 38 1.49x
Bramley In Bramley 37 6.12x
Elswick 37 1.95x
Idle 37 5.05x
Newchurch 37 2.39x
Poplar London 37 1.23x
Brightside Bierlow 36 1.16x
Heaton Norris 36 3.34x
Kingston On Thames 36 1.93x
Ware 36 11.43x
Ipswich St Mathew 35 6.43x
Isleham 35 37.77x
Accrington 34 1.98x
Westminster St John 34 1.75x
Westoe 34 1.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,118
Elizabeth 629
Sarah 604
Jane 347
Ann 295
Alice 253
Emma 246
Ellen 236
Eliza 216
Annie 212
Emily 174
Hannah 163
Margaret 151
Martha 125
Harriet 114
Louisa 107
Ada 104
Maria 88
Charlotte 87
Kate 87
Caroline 83
Fanny 81
Florence 77
Clara 73
Edith 73
Frances 68
Susan 65
Rose 62
Agnes 60
Isabella 58
Catherine 54
Lucy 51
Anne 48
Harriett 45
Rebecca 38
Esther 35
Jessie 34
Minnie 34
Matilda 33
Julia 32
Sophia 31
Amelia 29
Amy 29
Gertrude 29
Ruth 29
Elizth. 27
Ethel 26
Beatrice 25
Anna 24
Susannah 24

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 958
John 887
George 597
Thomas 480
James 451
Henry 329
Charles 288
Joseph 247
Robert 240
Edward 184
Alfred 183
Arthur 168
Walter 134
Frederick 130
Richard 128
Albert 106
Samuel 94
Harry 88
Herbert 79
Francis 74
Ernest 64
David 61
Daniel 58
Edwin 55
Frank 50
Benjamin 49
Wm. 48
Thos. 39
Fred 37
Stephen 33
Mark 31
Christopher 27
Matthew 27
Percy 27
Fredrick 24
Geo. 24
Fredk. 21
Isaac 21
Jonathan 20
Chas. 19
Michael 18
Tom 18
Jeremiah 15
Sidney 15
Jesse 14
Peter 14
Alexander 13
Joshua 13
Edmund 12
Jno. 12

FAQ

Lambert surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lambert surname in 1881?

In 1881, 16,308 people were recorded with the Lambert surname. That placed it at #237 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lambert surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 22,054 in 2016. That gives Lambert a modern rank of #268.

What does the Lambert surname mean?

An English occupational surname for a maker of lambs or for a keeper of lambs.

What does the Lambert map show?

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