NameCensus.

UK surname

Lewin

Derived from the Old English personal name Leofwine, meaning "dear friend" or "beloved friend."

In the 1881 census there were 2,319 people recorded with the Lewin surname, ranking it #1,917 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,478, ranked #1,947, down from #1,917 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Charnwood, Breckland and Newark and Sherwood.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lewin is 3,778 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.0%.

1881 census count

2,319

Ranked #1,917

Modern count

3,478

2016, ranked #1,947

Peak year

1998

3,778 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lewin had 2,319 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,917 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,478 in 2016, ranked #1,947.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,333 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lewin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lewin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lewin 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 1,494 #1,926
1861 historical 1,287 #2,213
1881 historical 2,319 #1,917
1891 historical 2,632 #1,810
1901 historical 3,071 #1,821
1911 historical 3,333 #1,565
1997 modern 3,630 #1,788
1998 modern 3,778 #1,783
1999 modern 3,763 #1,802
2000 modern 3,767 #1,789
2001 modern 3,668 #1,797
2002 modern 3,747 #1,809
2003 modern 3,697 #1,791
2004 modern 3,678 #1,798
2005 modern 3,563 #1,838
2006 modern 3,545 #1,846
2007 modern 3,580 #1,840
2008 modern 3,597 #1,844
2009 modern 3,669 #1,852
2010 modern 3,729 #1,863
2011 modern 3,661 #1,875
2012 modern 3,561 #1,889
2013 modern 3,596 #1,904
2014 modern 3,594 #1,919
2015 modern 3,537 #1,931
2016 modern 3,478 #1,947

Geography

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Where Lewins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Charnwood, Breckland, Newark and Sherwood and Leicester. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Charnwood 013 Charnwood
2 Breckland 014 Breckland
3 Charnwood 017 Charnwood
4 Newark and Sherwood 006 Newark and Sherwood
5 Leicester 034 Leicester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lewin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lewin

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

Lewin is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lewin falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lewin is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Lewin

The surname Lewin has its origins in England, dating back to the early Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "leoh" and "wine," which together mean "dear friend." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was highly regarded by their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Lewin is listed as a landowner in Gloucestershire. This indicates that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

During the medieval period, the name Lewin was often spelled in various ways, such as Lewin, Lewin, Lewine, and Lewyne, reflecting the flexibility of spelling conventions at the time. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes.

The name Lewin has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded examples is Lewin of Tewkesbury, a Benedictine monk who lived in the late 11th century and was known for his scholarly work on the life of St. Dunstan.

In the 13th century, a man named Lewin de Northam was a prominent landowner in Devon, England. His name appears in several legal documents and records from that time period.

Another notable figure is Sir John Lewin (c. 1500-1556), who was a member of the English gentry and served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Mary I.

During the 17th century, William Lewin (1626-1702) was a prominent English mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and published several influential works on celestial mechanics.

In more recent times, Sir Thomas Lewin (1805-1877) was a British colonial administrator who served as the Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the mid-19th century.

While the surname Lewin has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English language and the early medieval period in England, where it emerged as a descriptive nickname that eventually became a hereditary surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lewin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lewin 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. Middlesex leads with 414 Lewins recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.76x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 414 1.76x
Leicestershire 343 13.13x
Essex 134 2.88x
Nottinghamshire 134 4.22x
Northamptonshire 131 5.91x
Surrey 125 1.09x
Lancashire 117 0.42x
Kent 97 1.21x
Isle of Man 94 21.49x
Hertfordshire 90 5.54x
Warwickshire 71 1.20x
Cambridgeshire 61 4.09x
Yorkshire 61 0.26x
Rutland 52 30.06x
Bedfordshire 50 4.10x
Huntingdonshire 47 10.05x
Derbyshire 44 1.19x
Sussex 38 0.96x
Cheshire 33 0.63x
Berkshire 32 1.81x
Lincolnshire 29 0.77x
Northumberland 27 0.77x
Buckinghamshire 26 1.83x
Devon 25 0.51x
Gloucestershire 23 0.50x
Norfolk 21 0.58x
Flintshire 15 2.37x
Hampshire 14 0.29x
Staffordshire 10 0.13x
Worcestershire 10 0.33x
Cumberland 9 0.44x
Dorset 6 0.39x
Denbighshire 4 0.45x
Durham 4 0.06x
Lanarkshire 4 0.05x
Monmouthshire 4 0.23x
Oxfordshire 3 0.21x
Royal Navy 3 1.07x
Anglesey 2 0.48x
Suffolk 2 0.07x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Herefordshire 1 0.10x
Midlothian 1 0.03x
Renfrewshire 1 0.05x
Somerset 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Margaret in Leicestershire leads with 80 Lewins recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.56x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 80 12.56x
Islington London 68 2.98x
Syston 58 237.22x
Onchan 51 40.47x
St Pancras London 35 1.85x
Barrow Upon Soar 33 152.99x
Deptford St Paul 32 5.16x
Radford 30 18.60x
West Ham 29 2.82x
Birmingham 27 1.36x
Lambeth 27 1.31x
Marown 24 300.75x
Mile End Old Town London 24 4.79x
Nottingham St Mary 24 2.92x
Hitchin 23 31.38x
Hornsey 23 7.72x
Luton 23 10.89x
St Luke London 21 5.56x
Kettering 20 22.32x
Camberwell 19 1.26x
St Marylebone London 19 1.51x
Caxton 18 393.01x
Sileby 18 109.29x
Toxteth Park 18 1.90x
Kensington London 17 1.30x
Prittlewell 17 26.38x
Bethnal Green London 16 1.56x
Croydon 16 2.51x
Everton 16 1.80x
Harmondsworth 16 109.36x
Oakham Deanshold 16 207.25x
Basford 15 10.25x
Birkenhead 15 3.62x
Bromley London 15 2.89x
Leverington 15 152.75x
Mold 15 26.11x
Northampton Priory St 15 11.28x
Southwick 15 71.39x
Wigston Magna 15 43.30x
Aston 14 0.86x
Leicester St Leonard 14 56.63x
Southwell 14 60.58x
Coventry St Michael 13 6.81x
Great Gaddesden 13 171.05x
Greenwich 13 3.47x
Newington 13 1.49x
Tur Langton 13 577.78x
West Derby 13 1.59x
Barnack 12 253.70x
Chelsea London 12 1.69x
Barking 11 8.08x
Billesdon 11 162.48x
Cotgrave 11 166.41x
Hatfield Peverel 11 109.56x
Leicester St Mary 11 5.21x
Litchurch 11 7.41x
Woodham Ferris 11 202.21x
Doxford 10 1234.57x
Glaston 10 564.97x
Glinton 10 313.48x
Great Leighs 10 165.02x
Hampstead London 10 2.73x
Hasland 10 26.63x
Leeds 10 0.76x
Paddington London 10 1.15x
St George Bloomsbury 10 7.40x
Tugby 10 359.71x
Bow London 9 3.00x
Braddan 9 37.67x
Bradford 9 1.59x
Clipstone 9 375.00x
Exeter St Thomas The 9 18.00x
Great Glenn 9 129.87x
Hammersmith London 9 1.55x
Hemel Hempstead 9 12.30x
Little Stukeley 9 378.15x
March 9 18.01x
Northampton St Sepulchre 9 7.98x
Prudhoe 9 36.90x
Sandiacre 9 68.39x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 151
Elizabeth 83
Sarah 77
Emma 66
Ann 46
Eliza 38
Alice 36
Jane 35
Annie 31
Florence 24
Ellen 23
Emily 23
Louisa 22
Margaret 19
Charlotte 18
Clara 17
Edith 17
Ada 16
Maria 16
Hannah 14
Harriett 14
Caroline 13
Harriet 13
Fanny 12
Kate 12
Martha 11
Minnie 11
Sophia 11
Susan 11
Anne 10
Catherine 10
Lizzie 10
Isabella 9
Jessie 9
Lucy 9
Agnes 8
Lydia 8
Rose 8
Amelia 7
Amy 7
Bertha 7
Ethel 7
Susannah 7
Eleanor 6
Esther 6
Henrietta 6
Julia 6
Matilda 6
Selina 6
Lilly 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 164
John 139
George 98
Thomas 78
James 56
Henry 52
Charles 45
Joseph 32
Alfred 26
Arthur 26
Robert 26
Walter 26
Albert 24
Frederick 23
Samuel 23
Edward 22
David 19
Richard 18
Herbert 12
Ernest 10
Frank 10
Francis 9
Edwin 8
Geo. 7
Harry 6
Wm. 6
Daniel 5
Stephen 5
Fred 4
Fredrick 4
Jacob 4
Thos. 4
Tom 4
Willm. 4
Earnest 3
Edmund 3
Harold 3
Horace 3
Isaac 3
Jonathan 3
Matthew 3
Morley 3
Percy 3
Sidney 3
Willie 3
Ambrose 2
Augustus 2
Benjamin 2
Lewis 2
Woolf 2

FAQ

Lewin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lewin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,319 people were recorded with the Lewin surname. That placed it at #1,917 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lewin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,478 in 2016. That gives Lewin a modern rank of #1,947.

What does the Lewin surname mean?

Derived from the Old English personal name Leofwine, meaning "dear friend" or "beloved friend."

What does the Lewin map show?

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