NameCensus.

UK surname

Maddern

An English surname derived from the medieval personal name Madden, of uncertain origin.

In the 1881 census there were 332 people recorded with the Maddern surname, ranking it #9,058 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 424, ranked #11,328, down from #9,058 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Tormoham with Torquay, Paul and St Buryan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maddern is 486 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.7%.

1881 census count

332

Ranked #9,058

Modern count

424

2016, ranked #11,328

Peak year

2000

486 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maddern had 332 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,058 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 424 in 2016, ranked #11,328.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 484 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Maddern surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maddern surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maddern 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 127 #14,547
1861 historical 154 #14,963
1881 historical 332 #9,058
1891 historical 351 #9,809
1901 historical 484 #8,244
1911 historical 455 #8,428
1997 modern 464 #9,831
1998 modern 474 #10,004
1999 modern 468 #10,160
2000 modern 486 #9,837
2001 modern 467 #9,965
2002 modern 477 #9,981
2003 modern 453 #10,241
2004 modern 455 #10,208
2005 modern 429 #10,597
2006 modern 432 #10,583
2007 modern 446 #10,409
2008 modern 457 #10,292
2009 modern 474 #10,251
2010 modern 467 #10,570
2011 modern 447 #10,847
2012 modern 430 #11,065
2013 modern 428 #11,304
2014 modern 436 #11,198
2015 modern 426 #11,320
2016 modern 424 #11,328

Geography

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Where Madderns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Tormoham with Torquay, Paul, St Buryan, St Just and Madron. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall. 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 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
2 Paul Cornwall
3 St Buryan Cornwall
4 St Just Cornwall
5 Madron Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 067 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 070 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 068 Cornwall
4 Cornwall 059 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 052 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maddern

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maddern

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Maddern, 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 Maddern surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Maddern 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Maddern 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

Maddern 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

Maddern falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Maddern is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Maddern

The surname Maddern originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from an occupational surname referring to someone who harvested or sold madder, a plant used for dyeing and coloring fabrics. The name likely arose from the Old English word "mædere," meaning "madder worker" or "seller of madder."

In the 13th century, the surname was documented in various forms, including Madder, Maddere, and Maddour, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling at the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it was listed as "Henricus le Maddere."

The Maddern surname has historical connections to several places in England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire, where the madder plant was cultivated and traded. The name is also associated with the village of Maddern in Cornwall, which may have derived its name from the surname or vice versa.

Notable individuals bearing the Maddern surname include John Maddern (c. 1350-1410), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Chichester and later as the Bishop of Salisbury. Another notable figure was Sir John Maddern (c. 1480-1545), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London during the reign of Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the Maddern family established a presence in the county of Worcestershire, with records showing Richard Maddern (c. 1520-1590) as a landowner and yeoman in the village of Hanbury. Later, in the 17th century, Thomas Maddern (1630-1698) was a prominent Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Chidingstone in Kent.

Moving into the 18th century, the Maddern surname gained recognition through the works of Thomas Maddern (1718-1788), a respected engraver and artist who specialized in mezzotint prints. His son, also named Thomas Maddern (1748-1828), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned engraver and illustrator.

Throughout the centuries, the Maddern surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of its bearers to British society and beyond.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maddern families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maddern 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. Cornwall leads with 280 Madderns recorded in 1881 and an index of 76.37x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 280 76.37x
Devon 11 1.63x
Yorkshire 10 0.31x
Middlesex 9 0.28x
Cumberland 8 2.87x
Surrey 8 0.51x
Glamorgan 2 0.35x
Berkshire 1 0.41x
Hertfordshire 1 0.45x
Lancashire 1 0.03x
Sussex 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Paul in Cornwall leads with 99 Madderns recorded in 1881 and an index of 1486.49x.

Place Total Index
Paul 99 1486.49x
Madron 44 1486.49x
St Just In Penwith 42 590.72x
Madron Penzance 23 172.54x
St Ives 13 181.31x
St Buryan 11 728.48x
Uny Lelant 11 555.56x
St Erth 10 450.45x
Tormoham 10 35.06x
Battersea 8 6.71x
Redruth 7 67.50x
St Levan 7 1060.61x
Langcliffe 6 779.22x
Cleator 5 43.07x
Paddington London 4 3.36x
Sancreed 4 384.62x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 4 26.83x
Falmouth 3 23.11x
Gulval 3 127.12x
Camborne 2 13.24x
Egremont 2 30.08x
Llanwonno 2 9.87x
Ardwick 1 2.89x
Chipping Barnet 1 117.65x
Chiswick 1 5.65x
Gwinear 1 57.47x
Hackney London 1 0.55x
Millom 1 11.70x
Plymouth Charles The 1 3.37x
Shoreditch London 1 0.71x
Slaugham 1 56.82x
St George Hanover 1 2.37x
Totteridge 1 142.86x
Wokingham 1 18.02x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 27
Elizabeth 19
Jane 14
Eliza 9
Ellen 7
Ann 6
Catherine 6
Annie 5
Emma 5
Grace 5
Edith 4
Esther 4
Louisa 3
Sarah 3
Sophia 3
Ada 2
Alice 2
Amelia 2
Asenath 2
Bridget 2
Caroline 2
Catharine 2
Charlotte 2
Johanna 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Nanny 2
Phillis 2
Susan 2
Bessie 1
Bessy 1
Celia 1
Chrissy 1
Christiana 1
Dina 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Harriet 1
Honor 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Minnie 1
Orpha 1
Rhoda 1
Selina 1
Thomasine 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 29
William 27
James 17
Thomas 16
Richard 15
Charles 8
George 5
Edwin 4
Edward 3
Henry 3
Joseph 3
Benjamin 2
Francis 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Matthias 2
Owen 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Christopher 1
David 1
Ernest 1
Henery 1
Isaac 1
Percy 1
Phillimon 1
Phillip 1
Solomon 1
Stephen 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Maddern surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maddern surname in 1881?

In 1881, 332 people were recorded with the Maddern surname. That placed it at #9,058 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maddern surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 424 in 2016. That gives Maddern a modern rank of #11,328.

What does the Maddern surname mean?

An English surname derived from the medieval personal name Madden, of uncertain origin.

What does the Maddern map show?

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