NameCensus.

UK surname

Lanyon

A surname derived from the Cornish place name Lanyon, meaning "church town" or "monastery town".

In the 1881 census there were 473 people recorded with the Lanyon surname, ranking it #7,057 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 349, ranked #13,189, down from #7,057 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Agnes, London parishes and Wendron. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Torbay and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lanyon is 473 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 26.2%.

1881 census count

473

Ranked #7,057

Modern count

349

2016, ranked #13,189

Peak year

1881

473 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lanyon had 473 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,057 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016, ranked #13,189.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 473 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lanyon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lanyon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lanyon 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 405 #5,976
1861 historical 320 #7,960
1881 historical 473 #7,057
1891 historical 389 #9,085
1901 historical 472 #8,407
1911 historical 419 #8,985
1997 modern 362 #11,866
1998 modern 376 #11,918
1999 modern 374 #12,026
2000 modern 374 #11,976
2001 modern 362 #12,076
2002 modern 363 #12,296
2003 modern 345 #12,549
2004 modern 355 #12,326
2005 modern 359 #12,143
2006 modern 348 #12,498
2007 modern 355 #12,458
2008 modern 364 #12,328
2009 modern 363 #12,602
2010 modern 370 #12,701
2011 modern 342 #13,314
2012 modern 346 #13,070
2013 modern 336 #13,574
2014 modern 338 #13,624
2015 modern 344 #13,332
2016 modern 349 #13,189

Geography

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Where Lanyons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Agnes, London parishes, Wendron, Camborne and Kenwyn, Tregavethan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Torbay and Cornwall. 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 St Agnes Cornwall
2 London parishes London 3
3 Wendron Cornwall
4 Camborne Cornwall
5 Kenwyn, Tregavethan Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 001 Rochdale
2 Torbay 018 Torbay
3 Torbay 017 Torbay
4 Cornwall 007 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 046 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lanyon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lanyon

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

Lanyon 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

Lanyon falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lanyon is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Lanyon

The surname Lanyon has its origins in Cornwall, England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Cornish place name "Lanyon" or "Lannian," which translates to "church enclosure" or "church meadow."

The earliest recorded mention of the name can be found in the Assize Rolls of Cornwall in 1284, where a person named Richard de Lanyon is listed. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.

Lanyon is also associated with several prominent Cornish families, such as the Lanyons of Lanyon, who held lands in the parish of Madron near Penzance. The family's ancestral home, Lanyon Manor, dates back to the 16th century and remains a notable landmark in the area.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named John Lanyon (c. 1510-1578) was a prominent landowner and member of the Cornish gentry. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Tregony in 1558.

Another significant bearer of the name was Peter Lanyon (1918-1964), a renowned British painter and sculptor who was a key figure in the St Ives School of abstract art. His works are celebrated for their unique blend of abstract expressionism and landscape-inspired forms.

The name Lanyon has also been associated with other notable individuals throughout history, such as William Lanyon (1763-1825), a Cornish architect who designed several prominent buildings in the region, including the Penzance Union Workhouse and the Truro Cathedral.

In the late 18th century, John Lanyon (1774-1849) was a prominent Cornish engineer and surveyor who worked on various projects, including the construction of the Falmouth Docks and the Penzance-Redruth turnpike road.

While the surname Lanyon is primarily concentrated in Cornwall and the surrounding areas, it has also spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns of Cornish families over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lanyon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lanyon 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. Cornwall leads with 331 Lanyons recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.93x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 331 61.93x
Lancashire 40 0.71x
Kent 33 2.05x
Devon 25 2.54x
Glamorgan 10 1.22x
Channel Islands 9 6.43x
Surrey 8 0.35x
Hampshire 7 0.72x
Middlesex 6 0.13x
Dorset 3 0.97x
Yorkshire 3 0.06x
Essex 2 0.21x
Gloucestershire 2 0.22x
Royal Navy 2 3.55x
Sussex 2 0.25x
Berkshire 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kenwyn in Cornwall leads with 27 Lanyons recorded in 1881 and an index of 193.13x.

Place Total Index
Kenwyn 27 193.13x
Falmouth 23 121.56x
Madron Penzance 23 118.31x
Camborne 18 81.74x
Kea 18 452.26x
Woolwich 18 30.25x
Helston 17 305.76x
St Just In Penwith 16 154.29x
Redruth 13 85.98x
Barrow In Furness 12 15.75x
St Allen 12 1276.60x
Ludgvan 11 258.22x
Newlyn 11 482.46x
Perranarworthal 11 614.53x
Perranzabuloe 10 216.92x
Sancreed 10 662.25x
St Peter Port 9 34.78x
Plymouth Charles The 8 18.48x
St Hilary Marazion 8 551.72x
Exeter St Sidwell 7 31.10x
St Agnes 7 93.46x
Uny Lelant 7 242.21x
Budock 6 149.25x
Croydon 6 4.70x
Everton 6 3.36x
Liskeard 6 67.11x
Llanwonno 6 20.31x
Blackburn 5 3.35x
Breage 5 102.46x
Gorran 5 333.33x
Portsea 5 2.64x
St Austell 5 27.37x
Illogan 4 28.27x
Madron 4 92.59x
Mawgan In Meneage 4 287.77x
Moss Side 4 13.57x
Perranuthnoe 4 273.97x
Sithney 4 74.07x
St Endellion 4 216.22x
Tormoham 4 9.62x
Tregoney St James 4 404.04x
Wigan 4 5.11x
Antony 3 58.14x
Calstock 3 28.63x
Dartford 3 18.21x
Dorchester St Peter 3 133.33x
Folkestone 3 9.60x
Llantrisant 3 14.48x
North Meols 3 5.47x
Salford 3 1.82x
Saltash 3 72.29x
St Cleer 3 64.79x
St Levan 3 309.28x
St Mary Magdalene 3 76.34x
Bermondsey 2 1.42x
Deptford St Paul 2 1.61x
Dover St James 2 28.33x
Germoe 2 210.53x
Ilfracombe 2 19.76x
Ingleton 2 76.05x
Kensington London 2 0.76x
Plumstead 2 3.73x
Royal Navy 2 4.16x
St Erme 2 243.90x
St Neot 2 94.79x
St Pancras London 2 0.53x
Subdeanary 2 93.46x
Wendron 2 26.95x
West Ham 2 0.97x
Widnes 2 4.95x
Compton 1 153.85x
Exeter Heavitree 1 13.64x
Gwennap 1 9.92x
Hardwicke 1 95.24x
Harrow On The Hill 1 10.60x
Manchester 1 0.40x
Marazion 1 156.25x
Paul 1 10.30x
Southampton St Mary 1 1.64x
Wolborough 1 8.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 34
Elizabeth 30
Emily 11
Jane 11
Caroline 10
Alice 8
Eliza 7
Annie 6
Edith 6
Ellen 5
Emma 5
Margaret 5
Ann 4
Charlotte 4
Fanny 4
Kate 4
Louisa 4
Sarah 4
Susan 4
Bessie 3
Catherine 3
Clara 3
Laura 3
Lucy 3
Maria 3
Olivia 3
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Beatrice 2
Charity 2
Esther 2
Grace 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Martha 2
Matilda 2
Maud 2
Minnie 2
Rebecca 2
Thomasine 2
Elizth.Jane 1
Elleanor 1
Elvira 1
Emmeline 1
Emmiline 1
Jessie 1
Johanna 1
Julia 1
Winnifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 37
William 30
James 20
Thomas 17
Samuel 12
Alfred 7
Charles 7
George 7
Joseph 7
Edward 5
Henry 5
Richard 5
Edwin 4
Harold 3
Philip 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Josiah 2
Sydney 2
Wm.J. 2
Edgar 1
Edgcome 1
Edwd. 1
Eliel 1
Frederick 1
Gordon 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Lewis 1
Mtthw. 1
Norman 1
Obed 1
Paull 1
R.H. 1
Reginald 1
Reuben 1
Rodolphus 1
Ruben 1
Theodore 1
Theophilus 1
Tobias 1
Vivian 1
W. 1
Walter 1
Wm.Jno. 1

FAQ

Lanyon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lanyon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 473 people were recorded with the Lanyon surname. That placed it at #7,057 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lanyon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016. That gives Lanyon a modern rank of #13,189.

What does the Lanyon surname mean?

A surname derived from the Cornish place name Lanyon, meaning "church town" or "monastery town".

What does the Lanyon map show?

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