NameCensus.

UK surname

Leyton

A locational surname for someone from Leyton near London or Leytonstone.

In the 1881 census there were 77 people recorded with the Leyton surname, ranking it #22,617 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 170, ranked #21,801, up from #22,617 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hemingborough, St George in the East and Bothwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Surrey Heath, Leeds and Winchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Leyton is 176 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 120.8%.

1881 census count

77

Ranked #22,617

Modern count

170

2016, ranked #21,801

Peak year

2000

176 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Leyton had 77 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,617 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016, ranked #21,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 142 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Leyton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Leyton surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Leyton 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 77 #19,998
1861 historical 131 #17,052
1881 historical 77 #22,617
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 90 #24,021
1911 historical 142 #18,487
1997 modern 160 #20,259
1998 modern 165 #20,423
1999 modern 162 #20,781
2000 modern 176 #19,698
2001 modern 159 #20,710
2002 modern 155 #21,431
2003 modern 157 #21,026
2004 modern 161 #20,840
2005 modern 156 #21,221
2006 modern 161 #20,972
2007 modern 154 #21,804
2008 modern 158 #21,690
2009 modern 150 #22,937
2010 modern 162 #22,292
2011 modern 154 #22,886
2012 modern 143 #24,019
2013 modern 167 #21,984
2014 modern 163 #22,547
2015 modern 165 #22,241
2016 modern 170 #21,801

Geography

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Where Leytons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hemingborough, St George in the East, Bothwell, Kings Norton and Gateshead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Surrey Heath, Leeds, Winchester, Horsham and Blackpool. 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 Hemingborough Yorkshire, West Riding
2 St George in the East London (East Districts)
3 Bothwell Lanark
4 Kings Norton Worcestershire
5 Gateshead Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Surrey Heath 007 Surrey Heath
2 Leeds 050 Leeds
3 Winchester 009 Winchester
4 Horsham 008 Horsham
5 Blackpool 013 Blackpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Leyton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Leyton

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Leyton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Leyton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Leyton 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

Leyton is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Leyton

The surname Leyton originates from England, specifically in the county of Essex. It is derived from the Old English words "leac" meaning leek and "tun" meaning town or enclosure, referring to a settlement where leeks were grown or traded.

Leyton is recorded in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This early reference suggests the name's existence since at least the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John de Leyton, a landowner mentioned in Essex records from 1273. The place name Leyton is also found in medieval documents, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1310.

Notable individuals with the surname Leyton include Sir Edward Leyton (c.1550-1610), an English politician and landowner who served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Another was Beaumont Leyton (1864-1943), a British artist and illustrator known for his watercolor landscapes.

Frances Leyton (1612-1677) was an English diarist and writer from Cheshire, whose personal writings provide insights into 17th-century life. Captain John Leyton (1715-1793) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.

A more recent figure was Michael Leyton (1941-2022), a British computer scientist and psychologist known for his work in artificial intelligence and visual perception. His theories on symmetry and shape perception were influential in the field.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Leyton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Leyton 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. Staffordshire leads with 11 Leytons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.34x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 11 4.34x
Lanarkshire 10 4.12x
Middlesex 10 1.33x
Lancashire 9 1.01x
Durham 7 3.13x
Monmouthshire 5 9.21x
Worcestershire 5 5.10x
Kent 4 1.56x
Surrey 3 0.82x
Hampshire 2 1.30x
Herefordshire 2 6.49x
Berkshire 1 1.77x
Buckinghamshire 1 2.20x
Devon 1 0.64x
Essex 1 0.67x
Glamorgan 1 0.76x
Hertfordshire 1 1.93x
Norfolk 1 0.87x
Warwickshire 1 0.53x
Yorkshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bothwell in Lanarkshire leads with 10 Leytons recorded in 1881 and an index of 151.75x.

Place Total Index
Bothwell 10 151.75x
Tipton 7 90.21x
Dawdon 6 218.18x
St Woollos 5 82.51x
Pendleton In Salford 4 37.66x
Burslem 3 41.32x
Liverpool 3 5.54x
Redditch 3 150.75x
St George In East London 3 42.49x
Leigh 2 168.07x
Ramsgate 2 47.85x
Brading 1 48.78x
Broughton In Salford 1 12.27x
Buckland 1 1111.11x
Clapham 1 10.65x
Colwall 1 263.16x
Denny Lodge 1 1250.00x
Deptford St Paul 1 5.06x
East Stonehouse 1 32.47x
Eglwysilan 1 44.05x
Eton 1 97.09x
Halifax 1 9.15x
Hillingdon 1 41.84x
Holmer 1 181.82x
Hungerford 1 131.58x
Kirkdale 1 6.67x
Leamington 1 79.37x
Leyton Low 1 33.22x
Limehouse London 1 12.12x
Mile End Old Town London 1 6.25x
Poplar London 1 7.05x
Putney 1 29.24x
St Dionis Backchurch 1 2000.00x
St Pancras London 1 1.65x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 3.72x
Wandsworth 1 13.83x
Wells Next Sea 1 149.25x
Westminster St James 1 12.95x
Westoe 1 7.89x
Woolwich 1 10.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Alice 3
Ann 3
Jane 3
Elizabeth 2
Emma 2
Margaret 2
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Cecilia 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
Harriet 1
Louisa 1
Martha 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 5
William 5
Thomas 4
Charles 3
James 3
John 3
Harry 2
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
Edwin 1
Henry 1
Joseph 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Winfred 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Leyton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Leyton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 77 people were recorded with the Leyton surname. That placed it at #22,617 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Leyton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016. That gives Leyton a modern rank of #21,801.

What does the Leyton surname mean?

A locational surname for someone from Leyton near London or Leytonstone.

What does the Leyton map show?

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