NameCensus.

UK surname

Major

An occupational surname referring to a high-ranking military officer or a person of great importance or authority.

In the 1881 census there were 4,020 people recorded with the Major surname, ranking it #1,124 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,521, ranked #1,216, down from #1,124 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mendip, East Lindsey and Teignbridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Major is 5,836 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.3%.

1881 census count

4,020

Ranked #1,124

Modern count

5,521

2016, ranked #1,216

Peak year

1999

5,836 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Major had 4,020 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,124 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,521 in 2016, ranked #1,216.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,516 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Major surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Major surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Major 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 2,534 #1,172
1861 historical 2,544 #1,149
1881 historical 4,020 #1,124
1891 historical 4,146 #1,162
1901 historical 5,189 #1,082
1911 historical 5,516 #942
1997 modern 5,607 #1,160
1998 modern 5,809 #1,166
1999 modern 5,836 #1,170
2000 modern 5,793 #1,167
2001 modern 5,708 #1,159
2002 modern 5,792 #1,169
2003 modern 5,585 #1,179
2004 modern 5,557 #1,182
2005 modern 5,440 #1,190
2006 modern 5,406 #1,201
2007 modern 5,423 #1,207
2008 modern 5,447 #1,202
2009 modern 5,610 #1,202
2010 modern 5,719 #1,207
2011 modern 5,604 #1,217
2012 modern 5,483 #1,219
2013 modern 5,586 #1,218
2014 modern 5,623 #1,216
2015 modern 5,574 #1,211
2016 modern 5,521 #1,216

Geography

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Where Majors are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Lambeth and Norton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mendip, East Lindsey, Teignbridge, East Riding of Yorkshire and Tewkesbury. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Norton Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mendip 005 Mendip
2 East Lindsey 018 East Lindsey
3 Teignbridge 017 Teignbridge
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 002 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Tewkesbury 003 Tewkesbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Major

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Major

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Major is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Major is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Major falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Major

The surname Major is of English origin, derived from the Latin word 'major', meaning 'greater' or 'superior'. It emerged as an occupational surname in medieval times, initially used to refer to a person who held a position of authority or rank.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various English counties, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 contain references to individuals bearing the name Major or its variants, like le Mair or Mair.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Geoffrey le Mair, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1230. Another notable individual was John le Maire, a merchant from York, whose name appeared in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1301.

The surname Major was sometimes derived from place names, such as Major's Green in Hertfordshire or Major's Croft in Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the occupational surname Major who lived or owned land in those areas.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Major. One of the most prominent was Sir Thomas Major (c. 1469-1550), an English cartographer and scholar who produced influential works on geography and navigation. Another notable bearer was Richard Major (c. 1635-1722), an English philosopher and theologian who served as a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge.

In the 18th century, John Major (1698-1779) was a British army officer who served as a Major-General during the French and Indian War. He played a significant role in the capture of Havana in 1762.

In the 19th century, Richard Henry Major (1818-1891) was a respected British geographer and writer who served as the Keeper of Maps and Plans at the British Museum. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

More recently, John Major (born 1943) served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997, leading the Conservative Party during a tumultuous period in British politics.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Major families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Major 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 527 Majors recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.34x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 527 1.34x
Yorkshire 388 0.99x
Lancashire 252 0.54x
Surrey 236 1.23x
Devon 230 2.80x
Lincolnshire 218 3.46x
Northamptonshire 188 5.07x
Kent 169 1.26x
Dorset 153 5.92x
Gloucestershire 133 1.72x
Cheshire 121 1.39x
Hampshire 117 1.45x
Durham 109 0.93x
Somerset 101 1.59x
Berkshire 94 3.18x
Essex 92 1.18x
Glamorgan 73 1.06x
Bedfordshire 71 3.48x
Cornwall 71 1.59x
Suffolk 64 1.33x
Sussex 63 0.95x
Wiltshire 61 1.75x
Buckinghamshire 51 2.14x
Nottinghamshire 45 0.85x
Lanarkshire 44 0.35x
Westmorland 43 4.96x
Leicestershire 42 0.96x
Staffordshire 37 0.28x
Warwickshire 37 0.37x
Worcestershire 25 0.49x
Hertfordshire 21 0.77x
Derbyshire 19 0.31x
Oxfordshire 19 0.78x
Channel Islands 15 1.28x
Northumberland 15 0.26x
Monmouthshire 14 0.49x
Kirkcudbrightshire 13 2.28x
Cambridgeshire 9 0.36x
Norfolk 9 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 8 0.64x
Renfrewshire 8 0.26x
Dunbartonshire 6 0.57x
Shropshire 5 0.15x
Cumberland 4 0.12x
Royal Navy 4 0.85x
Ayrshire 3 0.10x
Angus 2 0.05x
Cardiganshire 2 0.21x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.12x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.23x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
East Lothian 1 0.19x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.13x
Midlothian 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. Folkestone in Kent leads with 51 Majors recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.55x.

Place Total Index
Folkestone 51 19.55x
St Pancras London 50 1.58x
Camberwell 49 1.95x
Islington London 49 1.28x
Flamborough 48 253.83x
Norton 43 783.24x
Bethnal Green London 41 2.39x
Wigan 41 6.27x
Hackney London 40 1.81x
Kensington London 38 1.73x
Brighton 34 2.54x
Lambeth 34 0.99x
Scarborough 32 9.02x
Moreton Hampstead 31 146.16x
Bishopwearmouth 30 2.98x
Winchcomb 30 78.23x
Toxteth Park 27 1.71x
Great Grimsby 26 6.50x
Paddington London 26 1.79x
Cheltenham 25 4.19x
Northampton St Sepulchre 25 13.26x
Portsea 25 1.58x
Sculcoates 25 4.04x
Southwark St George Martyr 25 3.15x
St Ives 25 28.63x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 24 3.30x
Keelby 24 240.00x
Leighton Buzzard 24 27.34x
Ringstead 24 186.34x
St George Hanover 24 4.67x
Kendal 23 14.51x
Wolborough 23 22.18x
Brightside Bierlow 22 2.87x
Bromley London 22 2.54x
Holy Trinity 22 2.34x
Leicester St Margaret 22 2.06x
Llangynwyd Middle 22 248.87x
Mile End Old Town 22 3.54x
Shoreditch London 22 1.29x
Daventry 19 36.23x
Deptford St Paul 19 1.83x
Glasgow 19 0.84x
Liverpool 19 0.67x
Bideford 18 20.48x
Gorleston 18 14.76x
Plymouth St Andrew 18 2.85x
Barony 17 0.53x
Chelsea London 17 1.43x
Ecclesall Bierlow 17 2.14x
Lewisham 17 2.37x
Orsett 17 83.79x
West Ham 17 0.99x
Bulwell 16 13.85x
Chulmleigh 16 85.65x
Haslington 16 65.39x
Seaton 16 50.60x
Symondsbury 16 97.15x
Wantage 16 33.93x
Westoe 16 2.41x
Bridgewater 15 8.71x
Greenwich 15 2.39x
Hulme 15 1.54x
Luton 15 4.25x
Mareham Le Fen 15 151.06x
Salford 15 1.09x
Birmingham 14 0.42x
Clifton 14 3.58x
Croydon 14 1.31x
Heworth 14 6.06x
Kirton In Lindsey 14 56.07x
Wanborough 14 117.55x
Clerkenwell London 13 1.40x
Godalming 13 10.75x
Sherborne 13 17.06x
Weston Super Mare 13 8.12x
Livesey 12 14.62x
St Helier 12 3.16x
Tiverton 12 8.49x
Uplyme 12 97.64x
Batcombe 11 635.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 279
Elizabeth 153
Sarah 135
Jane 79
Annie 71
Ann 70
Alice 66
Eliza 65
Emily 60
Ellen 54
Emma 51
Margaret 34
Martha 31
Charlotte 28
Fanny 28
Hannah 28
Louisa 27
Frances 26
Maria 26
Clara 24
Lucy 24
Edith 22
Caroline 21
Harriet 21
Catherine 19
Florence 18
Harriett 18
Susan 18
Kate 17
Ada 16
Amelia 15
Anne 15
Sophia 14
Amy 13
Matilda 12
Elizth. 11
Isabella 11
Julia 11
Esther 10
Rebecca 10
Agnes 9
Anna 9
Jessie 9
Minnie 9
Ruth 9
Lilly 8
Rose 8
Betsy 7
Lydia 7
Bessie 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 241
William 234
George 142
Thomas 137
James 117
Henry 82
Charles 72
Joseph 68
Robert 51
Richard 45
Arthur 37
Edward 37
Samuel 34
Harry 31
Alfred 29
Frederick 29
Albert 25
Herbert 21
Walter 20
Francis 18
Frank 18
David 15
Ernest 14
Fred 14
Wm. 14
Edwin 13
Stephen 10
Isaac 9
Benjamin 8
Fredk. 8
Geo. 8
Tom 7
Alexander 6
Chas. 6
Edwd. 6
Fredrick 6
Edmund 5
Mark 5
Thos. 5
Eli 4
Gregory 4
Matthew 4
Richd. 4
Willie 4
Earnest 3
Hugh 3
Jacob 3
Reginald 3
Sydney 3
Timothy 3

FAQ

Major surname: questions and answers

How common was the Major surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,020 people were recorded with the Major surname. That placed it at #1,124 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Major surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,521 in 2016. That gives Major a modern rank of #1,216.

What does the Major surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a high-ranking military officer or a person of great importance or authority.

What does the Major map show?

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