NameCensus.

UK surname

Lindsley

Derived from a place name meaning "flax meadow" or "linden tree meadow" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Lindsley surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 257, ranked #16,485, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Darlington and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carlisle, County Durham and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lindsley is 292 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 70.2%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

257

2016, ranked #16,485

Peak year

1901

292 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lindsley had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 257 in 2016, ranked #16,485.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 292 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Lindsley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lindsley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lindsley 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 125 #14,700
1861 historical 186 #12,751
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 229 #13,539
1901 historical 292 #11,861
1911 historical 291 #11,696
1997 modern 276 #14,290
1998 modern 273 #14,803
1999 modern 268 #15,070
2000 modern 252 #15,659
2001 modern 256 #15,273
2002 modern 252 #15,714
2003 modern 236 #16,236
2004 modern 240 #16,144
2005 modern 238 #16,198
2006 modern 233 #16,560
2007 modern 231 #16,835
2008 modern 238 #16,640
2009 modern 246 #16,597
2010 modern 255 #16,563
2011 modern 259 #16,237
2012 modern 259 #16,126
2013 modern 262 #16,273
2014 modern 264 #16,288
2015 modern 255 #16,564
2016 modern 257 #16,485

Geography

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Where Lindsleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Darlington, Gateshead, Durham St Oswald and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carlisle, County Durham and Wakefield. 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 Gateshead Durham
4 Durham St Oswald Durham
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carlisle 010 Carlisle
2 County Durham 059 County Durham
3 Wakefield 041 Wakefield
4 Carlisle 012 Carlisle
5 Carlisle 013 Carlisle

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lindsley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lindsley

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

Established but Challenged

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Lindsley is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Lindsley is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lindsley falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lindsley 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 Lindsley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Lindsley

The surname Lindsley originates from the village of Lindsley, located in the county of Worcestershire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "lind" meaning lime tree and "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. It initially referred to someone who lived near a clearing with lime trees.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Lindesleig". This was a survey of landholdings and property commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England.

In the 13th century, records show Robert de Lindsley was a noble landowner in Worcestershire. Another early reference is to William de Lindeley, who was documented in the Court Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved to Lindsley, as seen in the Parish Records of St. Michael's Church in Stoke Prior, Worcestershire, which mention John Lindsley in 1541.

One of the earliest emigrants to the American colonies was Francis Lindsley, who arrived in New England from England in 1637. He settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Notable individuals with the Lindsley surname include John Lindsley (1776-1857), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey. Philip Lindsley (1786-1855) was an educator and the president of the University of Nashville.

Erasmus Darwin Lindsley (1808-1837) was an American artist known for his landscape paintings. John Berrien Lindsley (1822-1897) was a prominent physician and educator who served as the Chancellor of the University of Nashville.

Philander Priestley Lindsley (1836-1919) was a Baptist minister and author, best known for his book "The Kingdom of God is the True Church".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lindsley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lindsley 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. Durham leads with 78 Lindsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.54x.

County Total Index
Durham 78 18.54x
Yorkshire 29 2.07x
Middlesex 8 0.57x
Lancashire 5 0.30x
Cumberland 4 3.29x
Worcestershire 4 2.17x
Northumberland 3 1.43x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.57x
Stirlingshire 3 5.75x
Surrey 3 0.44x
Wiltshire 2 1.60x
Gloucestershire 1 0.36x
Kent 1 0.21x
Warwickshire 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lofthouse in Yorkshire leads with 19 Lindsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 909.09x.

Place Total Index
Lofthouse 19 909.09x
Darlington 16 98.52x
Bishopwearmouth 13 36.00x
Crossgate 7 380.43x
Framwellgate 7 281.12x
Middlestone 7 833.33x
Hartlepool 6 100.33x
Potter Newton 6 242.92x
Chester Le Street 5 154.80x
Shoreditch London 5 8.16x
King Moor 4 1739.13x
Worcester St Swithin 4 1142.86x
Elvet 3 98.68x
Hulme 3 8.56x
Middlesbrough 3 16.44x
Newark Upon Trent 3 43.80x
Ryhope 3 102.74x
Slamannan 3 104.90x
Sunderland 3 40.38x
Tunstall 3 143.54x
Croydon 2 5.23x
Morpeth 2 80.97x
Swindon 2 20.62x
Cirencester 1 26.60x
Doncaster 1 9.77x
Evenwood Barony 1 69.93x
Hartley 1 178.57x
Hornsey 1 5.59x
Kimblesworth 1 178.57x
Lanchester 1 129.87x
Leamington Priors 1 11.39x
St Giles In Fields London 1 14.41x
St Marylebone London 1 1.32x
Staindrop 1 156.25x
Stranton 1 7.06x
Tonbridge 1 5.75x
Wandsworth 1 7.35x
Whittle Le Woods 1 178.57x
Wigan 1 4.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Ann 9
Elizabeth 6
Alice 5
Eliza 5
Jane 5
Sarah 5
Margaret 4
Ada 2
Hannah 2
Susan 2
Annie 1
Ellen 1
Elz. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
J.A. 1
Lilly 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Ruth 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 18
Thomas 9
Richard 5
Robert 5
John 4
James 3
Ralph 3
Charles 2
Geo. 2
George 2
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Thos. 2
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
Ambrose 1
Edward 1
Forester 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Robson 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Timothy 1
Walton 1

FAQ

Lindsley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lindsley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Lindsley surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lindsley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 257 in 2016. That gives Lindsley a modern rank of #16,485.

What does the Lindsley surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "flax meadow" or "linden tree meadow" in Old English.

What does the Lindsley map show?

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