NameCensus.

UK surname

Magor

A Welsh surname derived from a place name, likely from a farmstead.

In the 1881 census there were 314 people recorded with the Magor surname, ranking it #9,417 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 306, ranked #14,543, down from #9,417 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), St Columb Major and Padstow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Magor is 430 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.5%.

1881 census count

314

Ranked #9,417

Modern count

306

2016, ranked #14,543

Peak year

1891

430 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Magor had 314 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,417 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 306 in 2016, ranked #14,543.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 430 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Magor surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Magor surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Magor 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 254 #8,683
1861 historical 286 #8,793
1881 historical 314 #9,417
1891 historical 430 #8,344
1901 historical 318 #11,187
1911 historical 358 #10,110
1997 modern 281 #14,110
1998 modern 282 #14,472
1999 modern 284 #14,474
2000 modern 280 #14,601
2001 modern 282 #14,294
2002 modern 303 #13,909
2003 modern 302 #13,752
2004 modern 299 #13,904
2005 modern 281 #14,411
2006 modern 291 #14,175
2007 modern 293 #14,272
2008 modern 300 #14,135
2009 modern 311 #14,069
2010 modern 316 #14,198
2011 modern 303 #14,506
2012 modern 292 #14,770
2013 modern 299 #14,780
2014 modern 312 #14,430
2015 modern 303 #14,646
2016 modern 306 #14,543

Geography

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Where Magors are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), St Columb Major, Padstow, Redruth and Breage. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees, Cornwall and Wiltshire. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 St Columb Major Cornwall
3 Padstow Cornwall
4 Redruth Cornwall
5 Breage Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Redcar and Cleveland 013 Redcar and Cleveland
2 Stockton-on-Tees 012 Stockton-on-Tees
3 Cornwall 024 Cornwall
4 Redcar and Cleveland 016 Redcar and Cleveland
5 Wiltshire 029 Wiltshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Magor

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Magor

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Magor is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Magor is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Magor

The surname Magor originated in Wales during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Welsh word "mawr," meaning "great" or "large," and likely referred to someone of great stature or importance. Magor may also be related to the place name "Magor," a village in Monmouthshire, Wales, suggesting that early bearers of the name may have hailed from this area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Magor can be found in the Register of the Gild of the Corpus Christi in the town of York, England, where a Thomas Magor is mentioned in 1399. This suggests that the name had already spread beyond its Welsh origins by the late 14th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1558, which mentions a William Magor. Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Magor, a Puritan minister and author who was born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1573 and died in 1634.

During the 17th century, the surname Magor continued to appear in various records across England and Wales. One notable figure was Sir Samuel Magor, a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire from 1661 to 1679.

In the 18th century, the name Magor can be found in the parish records of several English counties, such as Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One notable bearer of the name during this period was John Magor, a Gloucestershire landowner and magistrate who lived from 1706 to 1778.

The 19th century saw the surname Magor spread further across the British Isles and beyond. One notable figure was Samuel Magor, an English surgeon and author who was born in Gloucestershire in 1805 and wrote several medical treatises. Another was William Magor, a Welsh industrialist and coal mine owner who lived from 1817 to 1878.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Magor families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Magor 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 156 Magors recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.57x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 156 45.57x
Yorkshire 20 0.67x
Middlesex 18 0.60x
Cardiganshire 17 23.05x
Wiltshire 13 4.86x
Devon 12 1.91x
Lancashire 12 0.33x
Glamorgan 10 1.90x
Somerset 8 1.64x
Gloucestershire 6 1.01x
Denbighshire 5 4.38x
Northumberland 5 1.11x
Kent 4 0.39x
Buckinghamshire 3 1.64x
Cheshire 3 0.45x
Berkshire 2 0.88x
Caernarfonshire 2 1.64x
Carmarthenshire 2 1.57x
Lincolnshire 2 0.41x
Surrey 2 0.14x
Bedfordshire 1 0.64x
Durham 1 0.11x
Herefordshire 1 0.81x
Lanarkshire 1 0.10x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.25x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.04x
Suffolk 1 0.27x
Sussex 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gwennap in Cornwall leads with 23 Magors recorded in 1881 and an index of 356.04x.

Place Total Index
Gwennap 23 356.04x
Trefeirig 15 1304.35x
Seend 11 2075.47x
Skinningrove 10 543.48x
Breage 9 288.46x
Kenwyn 9 100.56x
Padstow 9 394.74x
Whitgift 9 2368.42x
Illogan 8 88.30x
St Wenn 8 1428.57x
Leyland 7 112.18x
Llanwonno 7 37.00x
Redruth 7 72.31x
St Clement 7 196.08x
Feock 6 280.37x
St Teath 6 291.26x
Horton 5 225.23x
Llanrwst 5 126.58x
Madron Penzance 5 40.16x
Plymouth St Andrew 5 10.31x
St Erme 5 961.54x
St Ewe 5 480.77x
St Tudy 5 925.93x
Winchcomb 5 170.07x
Bow London 4 10.39x
Camborne 4 28.35x
Cricket Malherbie 4 8000.00x
Gillingham 4 18.81x
Probus 4 285.71x
Saltash 4 150.38x
St Austell 4 34.19x
St Blazey 4 132.89x
St Pancras London 4 1.64x
Stoke Damerel 4 9.08x
Weston Super Mare 4 32.55x
Birkenhead 3 5.64x
Chesham 3 44.51x
Lanhydrock 3 1578.95x
Bodmin 2 35.34x
Cardinham 2 645.16x
Highweek 2 89.29x
Kea 2 78.43x
Livesey 2 31.75x
Llandudno 2 45.87x
Llandyfeisant 2 1000.00x
Llantrisant 2 15.07x
Putney 2 14.51x
Ratcliffe London 2 11.98x
Shadwell London 2 23.64x
Sithney 2 57.80x
St Agnes 2 41.75x
Sutton 2 16.63x
Bedford St Paul 1 9.31x
Bethnal Green London 1 0.76x
Cardiff St Mary 1 3.45x
Crantock 1 277.78x
Creed 1 400.00x
Fowey 1 63.69x
Greencroft 1 60.61x
Gunwalloe 1 526.32x
Hatfield 1 714.29x
Hove 1 4.47x
Ipswich St Nicholas 1 49.26x
Islington London 1 0.34x
Leckhampstead 1 312.50x
Linkinhorne 1 42.02x
Liskeard 1 17.45x
Liverpool 1 0.46x
Louth 1 9.03x
Mawgan In Meneage 1 112.36x
Pembroke St Mary 1 8.08x
Rosedale East Side 1 243.90x
St Columb Minor 1 34.84x
St George Martyr 1 19.61x
St Martin Lincoln 1 22.27x
Sutton Veney 1 133.33x
Tavistock 1 13.95x
Truro St Mary 1 34.72x
Whitchurch 1 107.53x
Withiel 1 238.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 26
Elizabeth 10
Jane 9
Sarah 8
Ellen 6
Emily 6
Grace 6
Eliza 5
Alice 4
Annie 4
Anne 3
Maria 3
Bessie 2
Catherine 2
E.M. 2
Edith 2
Fanny 2
Gertrude 2
Harriet 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Phillipa 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Susanna 2
Amealia 1
Anna 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Christian 1
Christina 1
Eliz. 1
Elizbth 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Jecoliah 1
Joanna 1
Kitty 1
L. 1
Laura 1
Leminiah 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
M.C. 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 24
John 23
James 10
Richard 10
George 7
Thomas 7
Samuel 6
Charles 4
Ernest 3
Joseph 3
Walter 3
David 2
Emmanuel 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Martin 2
Simon 2
A.C. 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Christopher 1
E.J.P. 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Fredrick 1
G.F.A. 1
Levi 1
Lewis 1
Marlin 1
Michael 1
Morgan 1
Nicholas 1
Paul 1
Percy 1
Reubin 1
Robert 1
Silas 1
Stephen 1
Susiau 1
Sydney 1
T.G. 1
Thos. 1
W. 1
W.T. 1

FAQ

Magor surname: questions and answers

How common was the Magor surname in 1881?

In 1881, 314 people were recorded with the Magor surname. That placed it at #9,417 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Magor surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 306 in 2016. That gives Magor a modern rank of #14,543.

What does the Magor surname mean?

A Welsh surname derived from a place name, likely from a farmstead.

What does the Magor map show?

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