NameCensus.

UK surname

Lightfoot

A descriptive surname referring to a person with a light, graceful gait or agile feet.

In the 1881 census there were 4,158 people recorded with the Lightfoot surname, ranking it #1,087 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,746, ranked #1,432, down from #1,087 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Over, Wolstanton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale, Ryedale and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lightfoot is 5,225 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.1%.

1881 census count

4,158

Ranked #1,087

Modern count

4,746

2016, ranked #1,432

Peak year

1911

5,225 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lightfoot had 4,158 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,087 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,746 in 2016, ranked #1,432.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,225 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lightfoot surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lightfoot surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lightfoot 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 2,653 #1,114
1861 historical 2,467 #1,184
1881 historical 4,158 #1,087
1891 historical 4,216 #1,136
1901 historical 4,983 #1,133
1911 historical 5,225 #1,000
1997 modern 4,693 #1,394
1998 modern 5,026 #1,360
1999 modern 5,052 #1,363
2000 modern 4,957 #1,377
2001 modern 4,903 #1,359
2002 modern 4,991 #1,363
2003 modern 4,846 #1,365
2004 modern 4,790 #1,381
2005 modern 4,698 #1,384
2006 modern 4,693 #1,395
2007 modern 4,659 #1,414
2008 modern 4,692 #1,413
2009 modern 4,785 #1,423
2010 modern 4,875 #1,425
2011 modern 4,840 #1,418
2012 modern 4,704 #1,428
2013 modern 4,800 #1,423
2014 modern 4,851 #1,421
2015 modern 4,763 #1,431
2016 modern 4,746 #1,432

Geography

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Where Lightfoots are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Over, Wolstanton, London parishes, Scarborough and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale, Ryedale, Copeland, Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. 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 Over Cheshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Scarborough Yorkshire, North Riding
5 Warrington Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 001 Allerdale
2 Ryedale 008 Ryedale
3 Copeland 004 Copeland
4 Cheshire West and Chester 046 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Cheshire East 047 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lightfoot

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lightfoot

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

Lightfoot is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Lightfoot

The surname Lightfoot is of English origin, derived from the Old English words 'leoht' meaning light and 'fot' meaning foot. It was initially a descriptive nickname given to someone who was light on their feet or had a nimble gait.

The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the late 12th century, where it appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190 as 'Lehtfot'. The Pipe Rolls were a series of administrative records maintained by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I.

The Lightfoot surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name is recorded as 'Lehtfot' in the county of Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Lightfoot surname was Roger Lightfoot, a prominent English merchant who lived in the 13th century. He is mentioned in records from the city of London, where he was involved in trade and commerce.

In the 16th century, the Lightfoot family had a notable presence in the county of Lancashire. John Lightfoot (1602-1675) was a renowned English churchman and scholar, known for his expertise in Hebrew and biblical studies. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1654 to 1655.

Another notable figure was John Lightfoot (1735-1788), an English botanist and explorer who traveled extensively in the British colonies of North America and the West Indies. He made significant contributions to the study of flora and plant life in these regions.

The Lightfoot surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Lightfoot Green in Lancashire and Lightfoot House in Yorkshire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the Lightfoot surname who resided there.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Lightfoot name was prominent in the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. John Lightfoot (1623-1703) was an English clergyman and biblical scholar who served as the master of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Lightfoot surname was William Lightfoot (1600-1675), an English planter and landowner who settled in Virginia in the mid-17th century. He is considered a prominent figure in early American colonial history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lightfoot families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lightfoot 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. Cheshire leads with 750 Lightfoots recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.36x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 750 8.36x
Yorkshire 656 1.63x
Lancashire 509 1.06x
Cumberland 324 9.26x
Staffordshire 300 2.19x
Durham 210 1.74x
Middlesex 208 0.51x
Surrey 170 0.86x
Cornwall 94 2.04x
Bedfordshire 90 4.28x
Kent 90 0.65x
Hampshire 85 1.02x
Devon 79 0.93x
Lincolnshire 73 1.12x
Northumberland 56 0.93x
Nottinghamshire 44 0.80x
Northamptonshire 40 1.05x
Huntingdonshire 39 4.83x
Gloucestershire 28 0.35x
Sussex 28 0.41x
Essex 24 0.30x
Warwickshire 24 0.23x
Dumfriesshire 23 2.56x
Shropshire 22 0.63x
Hertfordshire 21 0.75x
Worcestershire 20 0.38x
Denbighshire 16 1.04x
Berkshire 12 0.39x
Buckinghamshire 11 0.45x
Dorset 11 0.41x
Lanarkshire 11 0.08x
Midlothian 11 0.20x
Westmorland 10 1.12x
Wiltshire 10 0.28x
Glamorgan 8 0.11x
Oxfordshire 7 0.28x
Angus 6 0.16x
Fife 6 0.25x
Isle of Man 6 0.80x
Norfolk 5 0.08x
Derbyshire 4 0.06x
Monmouthshire 4 0.14x
Herefordshire 3 0.18x
Leicestershire 3 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.23x
Royal Navy 3 0.62x
Somerset 3 0.05x
Suffolk 2 0.04x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.04x
Flintshire 1 0.09x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.17x
Perthshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Widnes in Lancashire leads with 70 Lightfoots recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.13x.

Place Total Index
Widnes 70 20.13x
Over 69 75.68x
Camberwell 64 2.47x
Wolstanton 56 13.44x
Warrington 55 9.62x
Bradford 48 4.92x
Madeley 40 116.99x
Wolstanton Knutton 39 46.56x
Leeds 38 1.67x
Stoke Upon Trent 37 2.54x
Runcorn 36 17.41x
Toxteth Park 36 2.20x
Barnton 33 154.13x
Islington London 33 0.84x
Kingsley 33 197.37x
Acton In Northwich 31 373.49x
Lambeth 31 0.87x
Scarborough 29 7.93x
Crosscanonby 26 22.47x
Salford 26 1.83x
Shipley 26 12.44x
Weston In Runcorn 26 111.54x
Chester St Oswald 25 15.39x
Everton 25 1.63x
Low Bolton 25 280.90x
Monks Coppenhall 25 7.39x
Audley 23 16.95x
Nantwich 23 22.07x
St Giles 23 30.48x
Falsgrave 22 37.07x
Faversham 22 16.64x
Fletton 22 85.30x
Wharton 22 45.03x
Gayton 21 700.00x
Heworth 21 8.81x
Broxton 20 275.86x
Sawdon 20 862.07x
Accrington 19 4.33x
Beswick 19 15.41x
Bingley 19 7.41x
Gilcrux 19 266.11x
Larktn Duckngtn Ovrtn 19 275.36x
Oulton 19 368.22x
St Pancras London 19 0.58x
Chorlton On Medlock 18 2.35x
Luton 18 4.94x
Darlington 17 3.64x
Sherburn 17 51.38x
St Breock 17 68.38x
Tattenhall 17 111.40x
Aikton 16 145.06x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 16 2.13x
Byker 16 5.35x
Dewsbury 16 3.87x
Nottingham St Mary 16 1.13x
Winscales 16 1103.45x
Kirkpatrick Fleming 15 73.17x
Lowton 15 45.73x
St Cuthbert W O 15 8.80x
Bedford St Paul 14 9.70x
Chelsea London 14 1.14x
Stockton On Tees 14 2.40x
Tranmere 14 4.25x
Wolsingham 14 12.71x
Aston 13 0.46x
Burton Upon Trent 13 4.05x
Eccleshill 13 13.27x
Kirkdale 13 1.60x
Litherland 13 12.89x
Macclesfield 13 3.26x
Newington 13 0.87x
St Austell 13 8.27x
Thrintoft 13 640.39x
Bishopwearmouth 12 1.16x
Deighton In 12 754.72x
Great Raveley 12 425.53x
Irthington 12 144.58x
Knottingley 12 16.95x
Liverpool 12 0.41x
Tormoham 12 3.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 315
Elizabeth 169
Sarah 163
Jane 103
Ann 98
Emma 72
Annie 71
Ellen 63
Margaret 60
Alice 58
Eliza 52
Martha 51
Hannah 43
Emily 34
Harriet 30
Edith 29
Caroline 24
Maria 24
Ada 23
Frances 23
Florence 22
Fanny 20
Anne 17
Catherine 17
Jessie 17
Eleanor 16
Isabella 16
Lucy 16
Louisa 15
Charlotte 12
Agnes 11
Esther 11
Kate 11
Grace 10
Harriett 9
Laura 9
Lydia 9
Rachel 9
Rebecca 8
Ruth 8
Amelia 7
Dorothy 7
Elizth. 7
Matilda 7
Rose 7
Francis 6
Julia 6
Lizzie 6
Margt. 6
Maud 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 289
William 255
Thomas 170
George 120
James 109
Joseph 100
Robert 81
Henry 69
Charles 66
Edward 47
Richard 47
Samuel 45
Alfred 36
Arthur 33
Frederick 24
Albert 20
Harry 20
Walter 20
Isaac 19
Frank 17
Thos. 15
Wm. 14
Peter 13
David 12
Ernest 12
Francis 12
Tom 11
Daniel 10
Herbert 10
Benjamin 9
Elijah 8
Fred 8
Christopher 7
Willm. 7
Edwin 6
Fredk. 6
Josiah 6
Percy 6
Stephen 6
Sydney 5
Alexander 4
Andrew 4
Ashton 4
Enoch 4
Enock 4
Geo. 4
Jesse 4
Matthew 4
Roger 4
Chas. 3

FAQ

Lightfoot surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lightfoot surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,158 people were recorded with the Lightfoot surname. That placed it at #1,087 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lightfoot surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,746 in 2016. That gives Lightfoot a modern rank of #1,432.

What does the Lightfoot surname mean?

A descriptive surname referring to a person with a light, graceful gait or agile feet.

What does the Lightfoot map show?

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