NameCensus.

UK surname

Lesueur

French surname meaning "the sister", derived from the French word "sœur".

In the 1881 census there were 14 people recorded with the Lesueur surname, ranking it #31,604 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 121, ranked #27,399, up from #31,604 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Daventry, Wiltshire and Murrayfield and Ravelston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lesueur is 125 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 764.3%.

1881 census count

14

Ranked #31,604

Modern count

121

2016, ranked #27,399

Peak year

2009

125 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lesueur had 14 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,604 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016, ranked #27,399.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 61 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lesueur surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lesueur surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lesueur 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 1 #33,412
1861 historical 4 #33,628
1881 historical 14 #31,604
1891 historical 37 #31,398
1901 historical 61 #27,379
1911 historical 61 #26,724
1997 modern 98 #27,179
1998 modern 102 #27,314
1999 modern 105 #27,035
2000 modern 116 #25,452
2001 modern 109 #26,059
2002 modern 115 #25,749
2003 modern 109 #26,361
2004 modern 104 #27,338
2005 modern 106 #27,044
2006 modern 109 #26,872
2007 modern 116 #26,209
2008 modern 119 #26,067
2009 modern 125 #25,823
2010 modern 123 #26,728
2011 modern 124 #26,367
2012 modern 125 #26,298
2013 modern 122 #27,122
2014 modern 125 #26,896
2015 modern 123 #27,088
2016 modern 121 #27,399

Geography

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Where Lesueurs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Daventry, Wiltshire, Murrayfield and Ravelston, Bedford and Rushcliffe. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Daventry 001 Daventry
2 Wiltshire 049 Wiltshire
3 Murrayfield and Ravelston City of Edinburgh
4 Bedford 018 Bedford
5 Rushcliffe 015 Rushcliffe

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lesueur

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lesueur

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Lesueur is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Lesueur 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

Lesueur falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lesueur 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 - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Lesueur

The surname LESUEUR has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "le" meaning "the" and "sueur" meaning "sister". The name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a close relationship with a nun or a member of a religious sisterhood.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 13th century cartulary of the Abbey of Fontevraud, where a certain Jehan Lesueur is mentioned as a tenant farmer. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 1200s in the regions surrounding the abbey, located in the modern-day department of Maine-et-Loire.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various legal documents and tax rolls from the northern French regions of Normandy and Picardy. For example, a Jehan Lesueur is listed as a property owner in the village of Argences, near Caen, in 1367.

Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Le Sueur, Lessueur, and Lesueure, reflecting the diverse regional dialects and scribal practices of medieval France.

One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Eustache Lesueur (c. 1616-1655), a French painter and engraver from Paris. He is best known for his religious works, including the frescoes he created for the Chartreuse de Paris monastery.

Another individual of note was Pierre Lesueur (1737-1806), a French composer and music theorist who served as the music director at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris during the latter part of the 18th century.

In the 19th century, the name Lesueur gained further prominence with the French explorer and naturalist Charles-Alexandre Lesueur (1778-1846), who accompanied the Baudin expedition to Australia and the Pacific in the early 1800s.

Across the English Channel, the name also took root in Britain, where it was sometimes anglicized as "Lesoeur" or "Lesure". One early bearer was William Lesoeur, a merchant from London who is mentioned in records from the 1630s.

Other notable figures include the English architect Thomas Lesure (1705-1783), who designed several churches and country houses in the Georgian style, and the French-born British painter James Lesure (1808-1876), known for his landscapes and genre scenes.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lesueur families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lesueur 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. Channel Islands leads with 380 Lesueurs recorded in 1881 and an index of 338.83x.

County Total Index
Channel Islands 380 338.83x
Middlesex 4 0.11x
Dorset 1 0.40x
Essex 1 0.13x
Hampshire 1 0.13x
Northumberland 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Helier in Channel Islands leads with 196 Lesueurs recorded in 1881 and an index of 536.84x.

Place Total Index
St Helier 196 536.84x
St Saviour 40 645.16x
Trinity 40 1538.46x
Grouville 39 1250.00x
St Lawrence 33 1078.43x
St Peter 9 278.64x
St Owen 8 271.19x
St Mary 5 387.60x
Hackney London 4 1.89x
St John 4 186.92x
St Anne 2 100.00x
St Clement 2 116.96x
St Martin 2 29.11x
Berwick Upon Tweed 1 8.38x
Portland 1 7.49x
Portsmouth 1 5.60x
South Shoebury 1 33.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 18
Jane 18
Louisa 12
Alice 11
Ann 9
Eliza 9
Esther 6
Emily 5
Harriet 4
Julia 4
Susan 4
Annie 3
Clara 3
Ellen 3
Sophia 3
Adelise 2
Anna 2
Anne 2
Emmeline 2
Helena 2
Mabel 2
Margaret 2
Nancy 2
Sophie 2
Susanne 2
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Annetta 1
Caroline 1
Cascilda 1
Charlotte 1
Eleonore 1
Elize 1
Eluena 1
Emma 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Hilda 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Josephine 1
Justine 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Leonore 1
Lilian 1
Lizzie 1
Lucina 1
Virginie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 28
Philip 27
Charles 17
Francis 17
Alfred 7
Clement 7
Walter 7
George 6
Henry 6
Daniel 5
Arthur 4
Edward 4
Peter 4
Thomas 4
William 3
Abraham 2
Adolphus 2
Albert 2
Elias 2
Ernest 2
Joshua 2
Reginald 2
Sydney 2
Winter 2
Adolphe 1
Alderina 1
Bertram 1
Clemt.Frs. 1
Eli 1
Emile 1
Francois 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Frs.(Junr.) 1
Frs.A. 1
Horace 1
Jas. 1
Jean 1
Jeremiah 1
Josue 1
Josui 1
Lionel 1
Philippe 1
Smith 1
Tom 1
Wilfred 1

FAQ

Lesueur surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lesueur surname in 1881?

In 1881, 14 people were recorded with the Lesueur surname. That placed it at #31,604 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lesueur surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016. That gives Lesueur a modern rank of #27,399.

What does the Lesueur surname mean?

French surname meaning "the sister", derived from the French word "sœur".

What does the Lesueur map show?

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