NameCensus.

UK surname

Maidens

A surname derived from the Old English 'maedene', referring to an unmarried woman or maiden.

In the 1881 census there were 252 people recorded with the Maidens surname, ranking it #11,012 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 321, ranked #14,065, down from #11,012 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wainfleet All Saints, North Holme, Huttoft and Boston (incl. Boston allotments). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, Redcar and Cleveland and Boston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maidens is 364 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.4%.

1881 census count

252

Ranked #11,012

Modern count

321

2016, ranked #14,065

Peak year

1911

364 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maidens had 252 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,012 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 321 in 2016, ranked #14,065.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 364 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Maidens surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maidens surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maidens 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 189 #10,896
1861 historical 177 #13,265
1881 historical 252 #11,012
1891 historical 269 #12,060
1901 historical 285 #12,063
1911 historical 364 #9,985
1997 modern 329 #12,734
1998 modern 333 #12,964
1999 modern 344 #12,776
2000 modern 340 #12,824
2001 modern 340 #12,620
2002 modern 335 #13,020
2003 modern 342 #12,627
2004 modern 330 #12,994
2005 modern 334 #12,818
2006 modern 326 #13,128
2007 modern 332 #13,087
2008 modern 316 #13,661
2009 modern 321 #13,770
2010 modern 327 #13,889
2011 modern 330 #13,664
2012 modern 322 #13,799
2013 modern 326 #13,893
2014 modern 325 #14,030
2015 modern 324 #13,965
2016 modern 321 #14,065

Geography

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Where Maidens' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wainfleet All Saints, North Holme, Huttoft, Boston (incl. Boston allotments), Brotton and Friskney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, Redcar and Cleveland, Boston and North Kesteven. 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 Wainfleet All Saints, North Holme Lincolnshire
2 Huttoft Lincolnshire
3 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire
4 Brotton Yorkshire, North Riding
5 Friskney Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 009 East Lindsey
2 Redcar and Cleveland 007 Redcar and Cleveland
3 Boston 007 Boston
4 North Kesteven 012 North Kesteven
5 Redcar and Cleveland 004 Redcar and Cleveland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maidens

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maidens

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Maidens surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Maidens household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Maidens is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Maidens is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Maidens falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Maidens is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Maidens

The surname Maidens is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "mædene," meaning "maiden" or "virgin." This name likely originated as a descriptive term referring to an unmarried woman or a young girl.

In medieval England, surnames were often derived from occupations, personal characteristics, or places of residence. The name Maidens may have been given to individuals who lived near a chapel or shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary, or to those who worked as servants or attendants in such establishments.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maidens can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from the year 1195, where a person named Richard Maidens is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.

The Maidens surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a person named John Maidens is recorded. This indicates that the name had spread to different regions of England by the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Maidens surname can be found in various parish records, such as the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where a child named Mary Maidens was christened in 1586.

One notable figure with the surname Maidens was Sir John Maidens, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1685. He was born in 1637 and played a significant role in the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666.

Another individual of historical note was Thomas Maidens, an English writer and clergyman born in 1738. He authored several works on theological subjects and served as the vicar of St. John's Church in Clerkenwell, London.

In the 18th century, the Maidens surname can be found in various places across England, including the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, where a couple named William and Elizabeth Maidens had their child baptized in 1756.

The name Maidens also appeared in Scotland, with records showing individuals bearing this surname in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. For instance, a person named John Maidens was a merchant in Aberdeen in the year 1597.

Throughout its history, the Maidens surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Maydens, Maidins, and Maydins, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects of the time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maidens families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maidens 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. Lincolnshire leads with 184 Maidens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 46.82x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 184 46.82x
Yorkshire 22 0.90x
Hampshire 10 1.98x
Devon 9 1.76x
Lancashire 7 0.24x
Rutland 5 27.70x
Sussex 4 0.97x
Middlesex 3 0.12x
Dorset 2 1.24x
Essex 2 0.41x
Surrey 2 0.17x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.64x
Northamptonshire 1 0.43x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leake in Lincolnshire leads with 18 Maidens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1000.00x.

Place Total Index
Leake 18 1000.00x
Skirbeck 16 727.27x
Wainfleet All Sts 11 964.91x
Boston 10 83.89x
Clee With Weelsby 10 116.28x
Huttoft 10 2000.00x
Portsea 10 10.13x
Withern 10 2631.58x
Exeter Heavitree 9 236.22x
Great Grimsby 9 36.09x
Hagnaby 8 10000.00x
Revesby 8 1666.67x
Sutterton 7 897.44x
East Kirkby 6 2142.86x
Brinkhill 5 3846.15x
Normanby In 5 76.80x
South Luffenham 5 1724.14x
Fletching 4 216.22x
Great Ayton 4 268.46x
Hogsthorpe 4 655.74x
Spotland 4 12.33x
Wrangle 4 408.16x
Bratoft 3 1666.67x
Doncaster 3 16.85x
Donington 3 212.77x
Friskney 3 240.00x
Leverton 3 600.00x
Maltby Le Marsh 3 1200.00x
Prestwich 3 41.21x
Sheffield 3 3.87x
Sibsey 3 337.08x
Spittlegate 3 55.15x
St Botolph Lincoln 3 106.01x
Thorpe St Peter 3 625.00x
West Keal 3 967.74x
Ashby Cum Fenby 2 909.09x
Brightside Bierlow 2 4.19x
Kirton 2 127.39x
Skirbeck Quarter 2 277.78x
St Pancras London 2 1.01x
Theddlethorpe All Sts 2 714.29x
West Fen 2 740.74x
West Ham 2 1.87x
Affpuddle 1 243.90x
Balby Cum Hexthorpe 1 34.36x
Bempton 1 384.62x
Boston Hall Hills 1 151.52x
Camberwell 1 0.64x
Coulsdon 1 45.87x
Ecclesfield 1 5.60x
Frieston 1 107.53x
Gedney 1 62.50x
Habrough 1 303.03x
Holy Trinity 1 1.71x
Kettering 1 10.70x
Kirton Simon Weir 1 250.00x
Melcombe Regis 1 14.95x
Mumby 1 185.19x
St Margaret Lincoln 1 285.71x
Stoke Newington London 1 5.22x
Thwing 1 270.27x
West Ashby 1 303.03x
Wisbech St Peter 1 12.80x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Elizabeth 10
Sarah 8
Annie 6
Ann 5
Betsy 5
Eliza 5
Kate 5
Alice 4
Ellen 3
Dorothy 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Lucy 2
Martha 2
Susan 2
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Betsey 1
Blanche 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliabeth 1
Ellin 1
Eloya 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Fen... 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
George 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Jemima 1
Linnie 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Marth 1
Milicent 1
Minnie 1
Naomi 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Rosina 1
Ruth 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 18
William 17
George 13
Robert 8
Thomas 7
Charles 6
Walter 5
Christopher 4
Arthur 3
Henry 3
Richard 3
Daniel 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Jonathan 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2
Alfred 1
Atkinson 1
Benjamin 1
Butter 1
Chris 1
Edmond 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Holland 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
James 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Martha 1
Sushanna 1
Thornton 1
Timothy 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Maidens surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maidens surname in 1881?

In 1881, 252 people were recorded with the Maidens surname. That placed it at #11,012 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maidens surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 321 in 2016. That gives Maidens a modern rank of #14,065.

What does the Maidens surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English 'maedene', referring to an unmarried woman or maiden.

What does the Maidens map show?

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