NameCensus.

UK surname

Lapsley

A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Lapsley.

In the 1881 census there were 182 people recorded with the Lapsley surname, ranking it #13,647 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 671, ranked #7,978, up from #13,647 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Borrowstounness and Carriden, Govan Combination and Newcastle All Saints. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Greenock Upper Central, Brightons and Wallacestone and Bo'ness - Douglas.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lapsley is 707 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 268.7%.

1881 census count

182

Ranked #13,647

Modern count

671

2016, ranked #7,978

Peak year

2009

707 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lapsley had 182 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,647 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 671 in 2016, ranked #7,978.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 314 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Lapsley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lapsley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lapsley 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 75 #20,268
1861 historical 104 #20,477
1881 historical 182 #13,647
1891 historical 252 #12,685
1901 historical 314 #11,285
1911 historical 92 #23,580
1997 modern 639 #7,763
1998 modern 682 #7,628
1999 modern 682 #7,669
2000 modern 687 #7,597
2001 modern 681 #7,513
2002 modern 695 #7,556
2003 modern 677 #7,596
2004 modern 692 #7,479
2005 modern 688 #7,453
2006 modern 692 #7,421
2007 modern 678 #7,633
2008 modern 681 #7,644
2009 modern 707 #7,585
2010 modern 705 #7,739
2011 modern 697 #7,715
2012 modern 676 #7,825
2013 modern 669 #8,021
2014 modern 669 #8,069
2015 modern 675 #7,954
2016 modern 671 #7,978

Geography

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Where Lapsleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Borrowstounness and Carriden, Govan Combination, Newcastle All Saints, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Greenock Upper Central, Brightons and Wallacestone, Bo'ness - Douglas, Bo'ness - Newtown and Bonnybridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Borrowstounness and Carriden Linlithgow
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Greenock Upper Central Inverclyde
2 Brightons and Wallacestone Falkirk
3 Bo'ness - Douglas Falkirk
4 Bo'ness - Newtown Falkirk
5 Bonnybridge Falkirk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lapsley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lapsley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Lapsley, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Lapsley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Lapsley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Lapsley 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

Lapsley 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

Lapsley 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 Lapsley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Lapsley

The surname Lapsley originates from the Scottish Lowlands and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hloep" meaning "loop" and "leah" meaning "meadow". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a looped or curved meadow.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 12th century, appearing in the Register of the Abbey of Kelso from around 1180 as "William de Laupesley". This spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls submitted to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The entry "William de Lappesley" from Roxburghshire suggests the name's geographical spread in the Scottish Borders region.

The Lapsley name can also be traced to the village of Lapsley in Lanarkshire, Scotland, which may have served as a source for the surname. This connection to a specific place name was common during the era of surname formation.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir William Lapsley, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

Another notable figure was John Lapsley (c. 1550-1623), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1619.

In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with Robert Lapsley (1620-1684), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Glasgow.

The 18th century saw the birth of Samuel Lapsley (1766-1825), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States.

In the 19th century, James Lapsley (1805-1879), a Scottish-American educator and pioneer in the field of deaf education, founded the Alabama School for the Deaf in Talladega, Alabama.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lapsley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lapsley 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. Stirlingshire leads with 38 Lapsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 57.09x.

County Total Index
Stirlingshire 38 57.09x
Lanarkshire 33 5.65x
West Lothian 30 110.38x
Renfrewshire 24 17.16x
Northumberland 17 6.33x
Midlothian 13 5.38x
Ayrshire 10 7.40x
Yorkshire 6 0.34x
Fife 3 2.81x
Glamorgan 3 0.95x
Royal Navy 3 13.95x
Hampshire 2 0.54x
Middlesex 2 0.11x
Dunbartonshire 1 2.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Falkirk in Stirlingshire leads with 26 Lapsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 166.88x.

Place Total Index
Falkirk 26 166.88x
Carriden 23 1869.92x
Barony 19 12.86x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 15 93.52x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 12 12.34x
Renfrew 11 238.10x
Govan 8 5.54x
Boness 7 186.67x
Maybole 7 170.32x
Denny 6 169.49x
Marske In Guisbrough 6 188.68x
West Greenock 6 23.90x
Inverkip 4 121.21x
Bothwell 3 18.95x
Cardiff St Mary 3 17.33x
Largs 3 94.34x
Polmont 3 121.95x
Scoonie 3 129.87x
Newcastle On Tyne St 2 14.37x
Aldershot 1 8.07x
Bothkennar 1 50.25x
Edinburgh St Marys 1 21.28x
Falkirk Landward 1 0.00x
Glasgow 1 0.97x
Greenock Newor Middle 1 833.33x
Larbert 1 25.13x
Middle Greenock 1 26.18x
New Monkland 1 5.80x
Old Monkland 1 4.32x
Paisley Low Church 1 22.57x
Row 1 15.95x
Royal Navy 1 5.44x
Southampton St Mary 1 4.30x
St Botolph Aldgate London 1 26.88x
St Marylebone London 1 1.04x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Margaret 4
Mary 3
Elizabeth 2
Isabella 2
Rebecca 2
Ann 1
Kate 1
Martha 1
Rebbeca 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 3
Robt. 2
William 2
Harry 1
Henry 1
James 1
Robert 1
Stephen 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Lapsley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lapsley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 182 people were recorded with the Lapsley surname. That placed it at #13,647 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lapsley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 671 in 2016. That gives Lapsley a modern rank of #7,978.

What does the Lapsley surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Lapsley.

What does the Lapsley map show?

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