NameCensus.

UK surname

Lancaster

An English locational surname referring to Lancaster, a county town in Lancashire, England, derived from the River Lune.

In the 1881 census there were 7,430 people recorded with the Lancaster surname, ranking it #574 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,222, ranked #709, down from #574 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Preston and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Copeland, Ribble Valley and South Lakeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lancaster is 9,996 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.1%.

1881 census count

7,430

Ranked #574

Modern count

9,222

2016, ranked #709

Peak year

1911

9,996 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lancaster had 7,430 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #574 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,222 in 2016, ranked #709.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,996 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lancaster surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lancaster surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Lancaster 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 5,035 #546
1861 historical 5,136 #548
1881 historical 7,430 #574
1891 historical 8,051 #545
1901 historical 9,090 #579
1911 historical 9,996 #492
1997 modern 9,335 #671
1998 modern 9,646 #676
1999 modern 9,730 #677
2000 modern 9,633 #681
2001 modern 9,453 #674
2002 modern 9,609 #682
2003 modern 9,313 #688
2004 modern 9,268 #692
2005 modern 9,189 #687
2006 modern 9,203 #680
2007 modern 9,229 #688
2008 modern 9,261 #691
2009 modern 9,432 #695
2010 modern 9,601 #697
2011 modern 9,448 #700
2012 modern 9,269 #697
2013 modern 9,431 #699
2014 modern 9,456 #703
2015 modern 9,310 #705
2016 modern 9,222 #709

Geography

Back to top

Where Lancasters are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Copeland, Ribble Valley, South Lakeland, Pendle and Eden. 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 Preston Lancashire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Scarborough Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Copeland 008 Copeland
2 Ribble Valley 001 Ribble Valley
3 South Lakeland 014 South Lakeland
4 Pendle 003 Pendle
5 Eden 004 Eden

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Lancaster

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Lancaster

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

Lancaster is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Lancaster

The surname Lancaster originates from the county of Lancashire in North West England. It is an Old English surname derived from the combination of the words "lanca" meaning "ridge" or "hillside" and "ceaster" meaning "Roman town or camp". The name refers to the ancient Roman settlement of Longovicum, which became modern-day Lancaster.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Loncastre". Other early spellings include Lancastre, Loncastre, and Loncastreshire. The first known bearer of the surname was Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria, who was recorded as "Gospatric de Lancastre" in the 12th century.

The House of Lancaster was a royal house of English nobility that played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought between the Houses of Lancaster and York over the English throne from 1455 to 1487. Notable members of the House of Lancaster include King Henry IV (1367-1413), who seized the throne in 1399, and his son King Henry V (1386-1422), the victor of the Battle of Agincourt.

Other notable historical figures with the surname Lancaster include John of Lancaster (1389-1435), 1st Duke of Bedford and regent of France during the Hundred Years' War; Sir James Lancaster (c.1554-1618), an English navigator and explorer who led expeditions to the East Indies; and Edward Gavin Lancaster (1838-1915), a British artist and painter.

In the United States, the surname Lancaster can be traced back to early settlers of British descent. One of the earliest recorded bearers was Daniel Lancaster (c.1660-1736), a Quaker from Lancashire, England, who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. Another notable American with the surname was Joseph Lancaster (1778-1838), an educator and pioneer of the monitorial system of education.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Lancaster families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lancaster 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. Lancashire leads with 1,866 Lancasters recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.17x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,866 2.17x
Yorkshire 1,390 1.93x
Middlesex 515 0.71x
Cumberland 484 7.74x
Staffordshire 283 1.15x
Warwickshire 261 1.43x
Surrey 239 0.68x
Lincolnshire 214 1.84x
Cheshire 193 1.20x
Westmorland 193 12.10x
Durham 191 0.88x
Kent 159 0.64x
Bedfordshire 139 3.70x
Hampshire 137 0.92x
Essex 131 0.91x
Sussex 117 0.96x
Derbyshire 111 0.98x
Norfolk 64 0.57x
Somerset 63 0.54x
Northumberland 59 0.55x
Devon 50 0.33x
Worcestershire 49 0.52x
Cambridgeshire 48 1.04x
Buckinghamshire 47 1.07x
Leicestershire 47 0.58x
Suffolk 47 0.53x
Hertfordshire 40 0.80x
Nottinghamshire 38 0.39x
Wiltshire 36 0.56x
Berkshire 33 0.61x
Gloucestershire 32 0.22x
Renfrewshire 24 0.43x
Midlothian 21 0.22x
Monmouthshire 18 0.34x
Cornwall 10 0.12x
Isle of Man 10 0.74x
Oxfordshire 10 0.22x
Flintshire 9 0.46x
Glamorgan 9 0.07x
Huntingdonshire 9 0.62x
Lanarkshire 9 0.04x
Northamptonshire 9 0.13x
Shropshire 8 0.13x
Kirkcudbrightshire 6 0.57x
Channel Islands 3 0.14x
Merionethshire 3 0.23x
Stirlingshire 3 0.11x
Dorset 2 0.04x
Anglesey 1 0.08x
Denbighshire 1 0.04x
Royal Navy 1 0.12x
Wigtownshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 122 Lancasters recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.29x.

Place Total Index
Preston 122 5.29x
Scarborough 90 13.77x
Birmingham 88 1.44x
Blackburn 71 3.10x
Bradford 69 3.96x
Walton Le Dale 63 27.21x
West Derby 63 2.50x
Baildon 62 45.76x
Habergham Eaves 62 7.87x
Holy Trinity 62 3.58x
Stoke Upon Trent 60 2.31x
Leeds 59 1.45x
Accrington 56 7.15x
Aston 54 1.07x
Pendleton In Salford 54 5.26x
St Pancras London 54 0.92x
Islington London 52 0.74x
Penrith 51 22.08x
Salford 51 2.01x
Newington 50 1.86x
Lambeth 47 0.74x
Darlington 45 5.40x
Biddulph 44 31.82x
Colne 43 16.75x
Manchester 43 1.11x
Burnley 41 5.65x
Cranfield 40 110.68x
Burslem 39 5.56x
Leyland 39 26.02x
Manningham 38 4.29x
Toxteth Park 38 1.30x
Newchurch 37 5.25x
Chorley 36 7.45x
Kensington London 36 0.89x
West Ham 36 1.14x
Liverpool 35 0.67x
Congleton 34 12.28x
Hunslet 34 3.03x
Lancaster 34 6.63x
Shoreditch London 34 1.08x
Boldre 33 61.90x
Leighton Buzzard 33 20.41x
Parr 32 10.38x
Tranmere 32 5.43x
Kendal 31 10.61x
Bowling 29 4.07x
Horton 29 96.67x
Horton In Bradford 29 2.58x
Camberwell 28 0.60x
Fulham London 28 2.66x
Ince In Makerfield 28 6.98x
Little Bolton 28 2.53x
St Marylebone London 28 0.72x
Bethnal Green London 27 0.86x
Chesterfield 26 6.10x
Cliviger 26 53.60x
Pemberton 26 7.57x
Alston 25 21.70x
Holbeck 25 5.24x
Oswaldtwistle 25 8.21x
Portsea 25 0.86x
Sculcoates 25 2.19x
Stranton 25 3.44x
Byker 24 4.49x
Derby St Alkmund 23 6.75x
Hipperholme Cum 23 7.28x
Padiham 23 11.05x
Wetheral 22 26.57x
Barrow In Furness 21 1.79x
Castleford 21 8.02x
Great Bolton 21 1.84x
Kirkdale 21 1.45x
St George In East London 21 3.08x
Elton 20 6.72x
Farington 20 39.88x
Handsworth 20 3.31x
Shipley 20 5.36x
Wakefield 20 3.62x
Batley 19 2.78x
Plymouth St Andrew 19 1.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 564
Elizabeth 330
Sarah 274
Jane 181
Ann 150
Alice 147
Margaret 126
Ellen 124
Hannah 117
Eliza 91
Annie 87
Emily 84
Emma 80
Martha 79
Ada 51
Harriet 45
Isabella 43
Maria 41
Edith 38
Lucy 36
Charlotte 35
Caroline 32
Florence 31
Louisa 31
Anne 30
Catherine 30
Agnes 29
Frances 28
Eleanor 27
Fanny 27
Clara 21
Rebecca 21
Susan 19
Susannah 19
Betsy 17
Esther 17
Kate 17
Minnie 17
Amelia 16
Elizth. 16
Ruth 15
Harriett 13
Rose 13
Gertrude 12
Ethel 11
Eliz. 10
Selina 10
Amy 9
Henrietta 9
Margt. 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 521
William 484
Thomas 304
James 227
George 216
Joseph 205
Charles 132
Henry 124
Robert 104
Edward 70
Arthur 59
Frederick 56
Richard 53
Walter 44
Alfred 42
Samuel 41
Albert 40
Harry 36
Fred 31
Thos. 25
Tom 25
Ernest 24
Herbert 23
Wm. 23
David 21
Frank 20
Isaac 20
Edwin 19
Benjamin 16
Geo. 16
Stephen 16
Matthew 12
Christopher 11
Daniel 11
Percy 11
Peter 11
Jonathan 10
Jno. 9
Abraham 8
Francis 8
Fredk. 8
Joshua 8
Mark 8
Paul 8
Edmund 7
Moses 7
Chas. 6
Hugh 6
Jas. 6
Seth 6

FAQ

Lancaster surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lancaster surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,430 people were recorded with the Lancaster surname. That placed it at #574 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lancaster surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,222 in 2016. That gives Lancaster a modern rank of #709.

What does the Lancaster surname mean?

An English locational surname referring to Lancaster, a county town in Lancashire, England, derived from the River Lune.

What does the Lancaster map show?

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