NameCensus.

UK surname

Lax

A toponymic surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to a person from Laxfield, England.

In the 1881 census there were 579 people recorded with the Lax surname, ranking it #6,018 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 861, ranked #6,510, down from #6,018 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Darlington and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sheffield, Middlesbrough and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lax is 929 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.7%.

1881 census count

579

Ranked #6,018

Modern count

861

2016, ranked #6,510

Peak year

2010

929 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lax had 579 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,018 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 861 in 2016, ranked #6,510.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 742 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Lax surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lax surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Lax 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 353 #6,689
1881 historical 579 #6,018
1891 historical 11 #33,268
1901 historical 742 #5,991
1997 modern 882 #6,061
1998 modern 893 #6,201
1999 modern 895 #6,227
2000 modern 875 #6,311
2001 modern 871 #6,213
2002 modern 891 #6,228
2003 modern 874 #6,213
2004 modern 874 #6,230
2005 modern 840 #6,356
2006 modern 844 #6,355
2007 modern 852 #6,361
2008 modern 864 #6,338
2009 modern 886 #6,341
2010 modern 929 #6,224
2011 modern 897 #6,335
2012 modern 844 #6,565
2013 modern 869 #6,520
2014 modern 876 #6,503
2015 modern 867 #6,500
2016 modern 861 #6,510

Geography

Back to top

Where Lax' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Darlington, Sheffield, Bishop Wearmouth and Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sheffield, Middlesbrough, Barnsley and County Durham. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Darlington Durham
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bishop Wearmouth Durham
5 Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sheffield 076 Sheffield
2 Middlesbrough 010 Middlesbrough
3 Barnsley 026 Barnsley
4 Sheffield 049 Sheffield
5 County Durham 006 County Durham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Lax

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Lax

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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, Lax 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

Lax 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

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

Meaning and origin of Lax

The surname LAX originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "laex," which means "salmon." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near a river or stream where salmon were abundant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAX can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Lax" in this historical document.

During the 13th century, the name LAX was associated with various places in England, such as Lax Field in Gloucestershire and Lax Hill in Warwickshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals with the surname LAX throughout history include:

1. John Lax (c. 1470-1530), an English priest and scholar who served as the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral in the early 16th century.

2. Tobias Lax (1585-1658), a English-born settler who was one of the first Puritans to arrive in New England in the 1630s.

3. William Lax (1761-1836), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a renowned artist and landscape painter.

4. Lilla Cabot Lax (1848-1924), an American artist and illustrator known for her portraiture and landscape paintings.

5. Peter Lax (1926-2023), a Hungarian-American mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of partial differential equations and won prestigious awards such as the Wolf Prize and the Abel Prize.

As the surname LAX spread across England and eventually to other parts of the world, variations in spelling emerged, including Laxe, Laxson, and Laxley. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciation patterns.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Lax families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lax 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 260 Lax' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.69x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 260 4.69x
Durham 216 12.99x
Lancashire 27 0.41x
Warwickshire 15 1.06x
Derbyshire 12 1.37x
Lincolnshire 10 1.12x
Middlesex 10 0.18x
Somerset 4 0.44x
Surrey 4 0.15x
Northamptonshire 3 0.57x
Roxburghshire 3 2.96x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.56x
Devon 2 0.17x
Gloucestershire 2 0.18x
Northumberland 1 0.12x
Royal Navy 1 1.50x
Wiltshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Darlington in Durham leads with 37 Lax' recorded in 1881 and an index of 57.63x.

Place Total Index
Darlington 37 57.63x
Darton 21 370.37x
Ecclesfield 21 51.71x
Holbeck 21 57.22x
Bishopwearmouth 19 13.31x
Stranton 17 30.37x
Brightside Bierlow 16 14.73x
Crook Billy Row 16 75.12x
Holy Trinity 15 11.26x
Stockton On Tees 14 17.47x
Barnsley 13 22.76x
Beighton 12 303.03x
Staindrop 12 476.19x
Wortley In Bramley 12 27.35x
Wath On Dearne 11 99.55x
Clee With Weelsby 10 51.10x
Hunslet 10 11.58x
Leeds 9 2.88x
Potter Newton 9 92.12x
Sheffield 9 5.10x
Tanfield 9 45.52x
Wombwell 9 55.73x
Barrow In Furness 8 8.87x
Limehouse London 8 13.04x
Lofthouse 8 96.74x
Wolviston 8 689.66x
Chester Le Street 7 54.82x
Crossgate 7 96.29x
Great Aycliffe 7 434.78x
Hart 7 172.84x
Hoyland Nether 7 51.55x
Skelton In Guisbrough 7 46.73x
Aston 6 1.55x
Coventry Holy Trinity 6 14.26x
Eldon 6 228.14x
Merrington 6 187.50x
Rothwell 6 53.62x
Sculcoates 6 6.83x
Upper Hallam 6 124.74x
Barnard Castle 5 60.83x
East Rainton 5 155.28x
Idle 5 19.47x
Aldbrough In Richmond 4 519.48x
Ashton Under Lyne 4 2.76x
Calverley Cum Farsley 4 25.43x
Elland Cum Greetland 4 16.03x
Hindley 4 14.14x
Levenshulme 4 58.57x
Norton 4 65.47x
Ormskirk 4 31.52x
Thornaby 4 19.32x
Tunstall 4 48.31x
Coundon Grange 3 82.19x
Headingley Cum Burley 3 8.42x
Heighington 3 245.90x
Houghton Le Spring 3 26.09x
Hunwick Helmington 3 75.19x
Newbottle 3 33.04x
Northampton Priory St 3 9.51x
Pudsey 3 10.13x
Tankersley 3 72.64x
Burneston 2 416.67x
Grassington 2 168.07x
Hutton Henry 2 57.14x
Manchester 2 0.67x
Melrose 2 22.86x
Newington 2 0.97x
Rosedale West Side 2 338.98x
St Andrewthe Less 2 4.94x
St Pancras London 2 0.44x
Starforth 2 202.02x
Stoke 2 71.94x
Stoke Damerel 2 2.46x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 2 27.59x
Winterbourne 2 33.00x
Yeovil 2 10.94x
Handsworth 1 6.83x
Lambeth 1 0.21x
Middlesbrough 1 1.39x
Pittington 1 21.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 47
Sarah 28
Elizabeth 21
Margaret 13
Ann 11
Alice 10
Annie 10
Jane 9
Emma 8
Eliza 7
Emily 7
Hannah 7
Kate 6
Ada 5
Esther 4
Martha 4
Beatrice 3
Edith 3
Ellen 3
Florence 3
Isabella 3
Rose 3
Selina 3
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Anne 2
Bertha 2
Charlotte 2
Christiana 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Grace 2
Henrietta 2
Louisa 2
Margt. 2
Maria 2
Matilda 2
Amy 1
Betsy 1
Caroline 1
Catharine 1
Eleanor 1
Elenor 1
Elizebeth 1
Emly 1
Harriet 1
Harrt. 1
Helena 1
Irene 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 42
John 36
George 23
Thomas 21
Joseph 12
Robert 12
Arthur 8
Henry 7
Samuel 7
Charles 6
James 6
Mark 6
Ernest 4
Frederick 4
Luke 4
Fredrick 3
Herbert 3
Jno. 3
Ralph 3
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Anthony 2
Benjamin 2
Christopher 2
Edwin 2
Ephraim 2
Francis 2
Harry 2
Horace 2
Joe 2
Martin 2
Richard 2
Sydney 2
Walter 2
Willm. 2
Wm. 2
Carl 1
Chas.Smith 1
Clarence 1
Claude 1
Clifford 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Hadden 1
Harold 1
Henderson 1
Jno.Thos. 1
Jonathan 1
Lawrence 1
Levi 1

FAQ

Lax surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lax surname in 1881?

In 1881, 579 people were recorded with the Lax surname. That placed it at #6,018 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lax surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 861 in 2016. That gives Lax a modern rank of #6,510.

What does the Lax surname mean?

A toponymic surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to a person from Laxfield, England.

What does the Lax map show?

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