NameCensus.

UK surname

Long

A English and Chinese surname referring to a person's tall stature or a long, narrow geographical feature.

In the 1881 census there were 19,379 people recorded with the Long surname, ranking it #193 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 26,250, ranked #214, down from #193 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Babergh, Weymouth and Portland and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Long is 27,212 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.5%.

1881 census count

19,379

Ranked #193

Modern count

26,250

2016, ranked #214

Peak year

1998

27,212 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Long had 19,379 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #193 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 26,250 in 2016, ranked #214.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 25,587 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Long surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Long surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Long 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 12,581 #194
1861 historical 13,343 #184
1881 historical 19,379 #193
1891 historical 21,081 #183
1901 historical 23,734 #194
1911 historical 25,587 #167
1997 modern 26,091 #205
1998 modern 27,212 #203
1999 modern 27,144 #209
2000 modern 26,939 #209
2001 modern 26,317 #209
2002 modern 26,877 #208
2003 modern 26,143 #211
2004 modern 26,151 #208
2005 modern 25,594 #214
2006 modern 25,391 #216
2007 modern 25,460 #215
2008 modern 25,435 #217
2009 modern 25,927 #218
2010 modern 26,370 #221
2011 modern 26,083 #218
2012 modern 25,835 #216
2013 modern 26,482 #215
2014 modern 26,642 #213
2015 modern 26,336 #215
2016 modern 26,250 #214

Geography

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Where Longs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Babergh, Weymouth and Portland, Leeds, Wiltshire and Waveney. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Babergh 001 Babergh
2 Weymouth and Portland 009 Weymouth and Portland
3 Leeds 011 Leeds
4 Wiltshire 062 Wiltshire
5 Waveney 012 Waveney

Forenames

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First names often paired with Long

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Long

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

Long 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

Long falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Long

The surname Long has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "lang," which means "tall" or "long." This name would have originally been given as a nickname to someone who was particularly tall or lanky in stature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Long can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a person named Walterus Longus is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the British government during the Middle Ages.

In the 13th century, the name Long appeared in various forms in historical documents, such as Robertus le Long, William Longe, and Walter le Longe. These variations in spelling were common during that time period, as standardized spellings were not yet established.

The surname Long is also associated with several place names in England, such as Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire and Long Melford in Suffolk. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "lang" as well, referring to the elongated shape or layout of the settlements.

One notable figure in history with the surname Long was Henry Long (c. 1556-1634), an English soldier and explorer who served under Sir Walter Raleigh in colonial Virginia. He played a significant role in the early English colonization efforts in North America.

Another prominent individual was Edward Long (1734-1813), a British historian and jurist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Jamaica, where he lived for several years. His work, "The History of Jamaica," published in 1774, is considered a seminal work on the island's colonial past.

In the realm of literature, George Long (1800-1879) was a renowned English classical scholar and translator. He is best known for his translations of various ancient Greek and Roman works, including those of Plutarch and Epictetus.

The Long family also left its mark in the field of science. John Long (1785-1865) was an English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their cultivation.

Finally, Huey Long (1893-1935) was a influential American politician who served as the Governor of Louisiana and later as a U.S. Senator. He gained national attention for his populist policies and his Share Our Wealth program, aimed at redistributing wealth more equitably.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Long families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Long 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 2,799 Longs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.48x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 2,799 1.48x
Yorkshire 1,641 0.87x
Gloucestershire 1,322 3.56x
Surrey 1,190 1.29x
Hampshire 1,083 2.79x
Lancashire 1,081 0.48x
Norfolk 1,072 3.68x
Kent 922 1.43x
Somerset 722 2.37x
Wiltshire 634 3.78x
Suffolk 566 2.45x
Devon 547 1.39x
Sussex 423 1.32x
Warwickshire 396 0.83x
Oxfordshire 376 3.21x
Essex 357 0.95x
Durham 352 0.62x
Dorset 279 2.24x
Cambridgeshire 273 2.27x
Glamorgan 264 0.80x
Staffordshire 240 0.38x
Worcestershire 227 0.92x
Monmouthshire 212 1.55x
Lincolnshire 203 0.67x
Berkshire 202 1.42x
Hertfordshire 198 1.52x
Cumberland 172 1.05x
Northumberland 170 0.60x
Cheshire 148 0.35x
Lanarkshire 141 0.23x
Nottinghamshire 136 0.53x
Derbyshire 128 0.43x
Bedfordshire 101 1.03x
Buckinghamshire 97 0.85x
Leicestershire 87 0.41x
Northamptonshire 84 0.47x
Cornwall 80 0.37x
Channel Islands 50 0.89x
Herefordshire 48 0.62x
Shropshire 44 0.27x
Westmorland 41 0.98x
Pembrokeshire 38 0.63x
Renfrewshire 38 0.26x
Royal Navy 35 1.55x
Nairnshire 28 4.84x
Inverness-shire 26 0.46x
Midlothian 21 0.08x
Ayrshire 14 0.10x
Angus 13 0.07x
Huntingdonshire 13 0.35x
Rutland 13 0.93x
Stirlingshire 13 0.19x
Carmarthenshire 12 0.15x
Brecknockshire 10 0.26x
Montgomeryshire 8 0.18x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.03x
Denbighshire 5 0.07x
West Lothian 5 0.18x
Cardiganshire 4 0.09x
Merionethshire 4 0.12x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.04x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.04x
Isle of Man 2 0.06x
Anglesey 1 0.03x
Flintshire 1 0.02x
Kincardineshire 1 0.04x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.04x
Perthshire 1 0.01x
Radnorshire 1 0.07x
Ross-shire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 339 Longs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.85x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 339 1.85x
Lambeth 205 1.24x
Portsea 187 2.46x
Hackney London 176 1.66x
St Pancras London 175 1.15x
Camberwell 157 1.30x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 137 3.91x
St Marylebone London 136 1.34x
Bethnal Green London 135 1.64x
Kensington London 133 1.26x
Aston 125 0.95x
Birmingham 120 0.75x
Yeadon 120 28.30x
Brighton 116 1.80x
Shoreditch London 114 1.39x
Paddington London 112 1.61x
Bradford 110 2.42x
Bermondsey 105 1.86x
Bromley London 101 2.42x
Mile End Old Town London 95 2.36x
Toxteth Park 94 1.23x
St George Hanover Square 90 2.70x
Bristol St George 89 5.18x
Chelsea London 88 1.54x
Colyton 86 56.77x
Deptford St Paul 86 1.72x
Leeds 84 0.79x
Cheltenham 81 2.82x
Croydon 81 1.58x
Newington 76 1.09x
Battersea 74 1.06x
Liverpool 74 0.54x
Trowbridge 72 9.72x
Horton In Bradford 70 2.39x
Barony 69 0.44x
Handborough 69 109.77x
Great Yarmouth 67 2.78x
Clifton 65 3.46x
Bedminster 64 2.23x
Manningham 64 2.77x
Westminster St John 62 2.69x
Southampton St Mary 61 2.50x
Swindon 61 4.69x
Chard 60 16.24x
Clerkenwell London 60 1.34x
Stapleton 59 8.37x
Woolwich 58 2.43x
Southwark St George Martyr 57 1.49x
Oxford St Thomas 56 10.25x
St George In East London 55 3.09x
Alverstoke 53 3.77x
Wymondham 53 17.79x
Manchester 52 0.51x
Bishopwearmouth 51 1.05x
Bury St Edmunds St James 51 8.27x
Kingston On Thames 51 2.30x
West Ham 50 0.61x
West Bromwich 49 1.34x
Hammersmith London 48 1.03x
Lowestoft 47 4.31x
Withycombe Rawleigh 46 22.38x
Thorpe Morieux 45 166.73x
Great Barton 44 82.30x
Greenwich 44 1.46x
Willesden 44 2.46x
Worstead 44 88.09x
Downham Market 43 21.48x
Salford 43 0.65x
Stockton On Tees 43 1.58x
Bedwellty 41 1.70x
Brightside Bierlow 40 1.09x
Everton 40 0.56x
Nottingham St Mary 40 0.61x
Rotherhithe 40 1.71x
Stoke Damerel 40 1.45x
Bristol St Paul In 39 3.94x
Lewisham 39 1.13x
Poplar London 39 1.09x
Portsmouth 39 4.36x
West Derby 39 0.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,183
Elizabeth 739
Sarah 614
Ann 344
Jane 339
Emma 331
Ellen 310
Eliza 293
Annie 292
Alice 281
Emily 271
Martha 185
Hannah 161
Louisa 160
Margaret 152
Florence 131
Harriet 131
Charlotte 126
Fanny 120
Maria 119
Edith 118
Caroline 114
Ada 112
Catherine 112
Kate 99
Frances 71
Sophia 69
Susan 69
Amelia 65
Anna 63
Anne 62
Rose 55
Clara 54
Elizth. 54
Agnes 52
Lucy 52
Esther 50
Harriett 50
Julia 49
Matilda 49
Rebecca 48
Isabella 45
Amy 42
Laura 42
Susannah 41
Jessie 38
Minnie 38
Ruth 38
Ethel 35
Lydia 35

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,222
John 978
George 667
James 641
Charles 477
Thomas 459
Henry 414
Robert 272
Joseph 234
Alfred 228
Walter 216
Edward 199
Frederick 196
Arthur 195
Albert 170
Samuel 155
Harry 132
Richard 125
David 91
Frank 84
Herbert 83
Ernest 82
Francis 74
Edwin 66
Daniel 64
Wm. 55
Fred 43
Benjamin 41
Patrick 36
Thos. 36
Stephen 33
Michael 31
Edmund 30
Isaac 28
Sidney 27
Fredk. 24
Chas. 21
Matthew 21
Edgar 20
Fredrick 19
Geo. 19
Tom 19
Christopher 18
Frederic 18
Percy 18
Philip 18
Sydney 18
Willm. 18
Abraham 16
Jacob 16

FAQ

Long surname: questions and answers

How common was the Long surname in 1881?

In 1881, 19,379 people were recorded with the Long surname. That placed it at #193 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Long surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 26,250 in 2016. That gives Long a modern rank of #214.

What does the Long surname mean?

A English and Chinese surname referring to a person's tall stature or a long, narrow geographical feature.

What does the Long map show?

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