NameCensus.

UK surname

Manson

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Magnus, meaning "great" or "mighty" in Latin.

In the 1881 census there were 3,517 people recorded with the Manson surname, ranking it #1,294 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,040, ranked #1,680, down from #1,294 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Canisbay, Wick and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lerwick North, Caithness North East and North Mainland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Manson is 4,040 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.9%.

1881 census count

3,517

Ranked #1,294

Modern count

4,040

2016, ranked #1,680

Peak year

2016

4,040 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Manson had 3,517 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,294 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,040 in 2016, ranked #1,680.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,917 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Manson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Manson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Manson 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 2,774 #1,054
1861 historical 3,263 #878
1881 historical 3,517 #1,294
1891 historical 3,860 #1,239
1901 historical 3,917 #1,440
1911 historical 1,101 #4,218
1997 modern 3,592 #1,802
1998 modern 3,748 #1,798
1999 modern 3,797 #1,786
2000 modern 3,840 #1,758
2001 modern 3,738 #1,764
2002 modern 3,861 #1,756
2003 modern 3,767 #1,766
2004 modern 3,772 #1,756
2005 modern 3,791 #1,721
2006 modern 3,807 #1,720
2007 modern 3,792 #1,740
2008 modern 3,873 #1,717
2009 modern 3,936 #1,729
2010 modern 4,012 #1,728
2011 modern 3,933 #1,739
2012 modern 3,906 #1,722
2013 modern 3,966 #1,725
2014 modern 4,030 #1,713
2015 modern 4,004 #1,704
2016 modern 4,040 #1,680

Geography

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Where Mansons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Canisbay, Wick, Edinburgh, Halkirk and Thurso. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lerwick North, Caithness North East, North Mainland, Lerwick South and Shetland South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Canisbay Caithness
2 Wick Caithness
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Halkirk Caithness
5 Thurso Caithness

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lerwick North Shetland Islands
2 Caithness North East Highland
3 North Mainland Shetland Islands
4 Lerwick South Shetland Islands
5 Shetland South Shetland Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Manson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Manson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Manson, 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 Manson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Manson 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Manson 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

Manson 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

Manson falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Manson

The surname Manson is of British origin, originating from the northern regions of England and Scotland. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mann" meaning "man" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "homestead." This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a specific settlement or enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Manson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "Mannesun." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. Additionally, the Manson surname is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, there are records of a John Manson who was a landowner in Northumberland, England. Another notable figure was Sir Walter Manson, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

Moving into the 16th century, the Manson surname appears in various historical documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Westmorland in 1524, where a Richard Manson is listed. During this time, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Manson in Cumbria, England, and Mansontown in Ayrshire, Scotland.

In the 17th century, one notable individual was William Manson, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who lived from 1620 to 1683. Another was John Manson, an English clergyman and author, born in 1659, who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, James Manson, a Scottish architect and civil engineer, was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh, where he worked from 1789 to 1826.

As the centuries progressed, the Manson surname continued to be associated with various individuals across different fields. For example, in the 19th century, there was Patrick Manson, a Scottish physician and pioneer in the field of tropical medicine, who lived from 1844 to 1922. He is credited with discovering the transmission of elephantiasis and other parasitic diseases by mosquitoes.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Manson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Manson 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. Caithness leads with 876 Mansons recorded in 1881 and an index of 187.29x.

County Total Index
Caithness 876 187.29x
Shetland 498 142.74x
Midlothian 297 6.49x
Lanarkshire 232 2.10x
Orkney 176 46.83x
Aberdeenshire 157 4.96x
Lancashire 146 0.36x
Ayrshire 141 5.52x
Middlesex 132 0.39x
Durham 126 1.24x
Yorkshire 98 0.29x
Surrey 63 0.38x
Northumberland 41 0.81x
Renfrewshire 41 1.55x
Dunbartonshire 39 4.25x
Kirkcudbrightshire 36 7.28x
Sutherland 34 12.94x
Banffshire 32 4.52x
Stirlingshire 29 2.30x
Ross-shire 28 2.98x
Angus 23 0.73x
Inverness-shire 21 2.06x
Fife 19 0.94x
Morayshire 17 3.20x
Cheshire 14 0.19x
Warwickshire 14 0.16x
Essex 13 0.19x
Kent 13 0.11x
Perthshire 13 0.85x
Cornwall 12 0.31x
Staffordshire 10 0.09x
Sussex 10 0.17x
Dumfriesshire 9 1.19x
Glamorgan 8 0.13x
Gloucestershire 7 0.10x
Clackmannanshire 6 2.13x
Leicestershire 6 0.16x
Argyllshire 5 0.53x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.46x
Royal Navy 5 1.23x
Wigtownshire 5 1.10x
Cumberland 4 0.14x
Hampshire 4 0.06x
Kinross-shire 4 4.63x
Bedfordshire 3 0.17x
Derbyshire 3 0.06x
Devon 3 0.04x
Hertfordshire 3 0.13x
Nairnshire 3 2.88x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.07x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.14x
Lincolnshire 2 0.04x
Oxfordshire 2 0.09x
West Lothian 2 0.39x
Berwickshire 1 0.24x
Denbighshire 1 0.08x
Dorset 1 0.04x
East Lothian 1 0.22x
Northamptonshire 1 0.03x
Shropshire 1 0.03x
Somerset 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. Wick in Caithness leads with 273 Mansons recorded in 1881 and an index of 180.70x.

Place Total Index
Wick 273 180.70x
Thurso 207 283.72x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 164 8.91x
Canisbay 118 384.24x
Bressay Burra Quarff 82 539.12x
Govan 81 2.96x
Halkirk 77 243.36x
Barony 75 2.68x
Olrig 71 303.94x
Dunrossness 67 145.87x
Northmavine 65 244.64x
Bower 59 313.16x
South Leith 57 11.07x
Lerwick Gulberwick 55 101.85x
Walls 46 271.87x
Glasgow 42 2.14x
Kirkwall St Ola 40 71.06x
Turriff 35 68.53x
Westoe 35 6.07x
Dunnet 33 175.53x
Delting 28 142.71x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 28 6.36x
Monkton Prestwick 28 112.54x
Sandsting Aitsting 28 88.55x
Walls Flotta 28 159.09x
Hoy Graemsay 27 382.98x
Reay 27 105.30x
Stromness 26 92.23x
Unst 26 101.88x
Yell Mid 26 225.50x
Old Kilpatrick 23 21.20x
Everton 21 1.63x
Kirkdale 20 2.93x
Nesting Lunnas Whalsay 20 65.06x
Tingwall 20 114.68x
Tongue 20 88.11x
Camberwell 19 0.87x
Falkirk 19 6.44x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 18 3.04x
Aberdeen Old Machar 17 2.57x
Meldrum 17 63.79x
Cathcart 16 11.17x
Toxteth Park 16 1.17x
Whiteness Weisdale 16 151.80x
Belhelvie 15 69.35x
Kiltearn 15 108.54x
Manchester 15 0.82x
Birsay Harray 13 47.65x
Holm 13 103.26x
North Leith 13 6.14x
South Shields 13 14.36x
St Pancras London 13 0.47x
Bishopwearmouth 12 1.38x
Chorlton On Medlock 12 1.86x
Dailly 12 46.01x
Dundonald 12 12.73x
Lambeth 12 0.40x
Leeds 12 0.63x
Marnoch 12 31.54x
Newton On Ayr 12 15.67x
Sorn 12 23.89x
West Greenock 12 2.53x
Bootle Cum Linacre 11 3.42x
Elgin 11 10.65x
Scarborough 11 3.58x
West Derby 11 0.93x
Ayr 10 8.29x
Colinton 10 19.60x
Edinburgh St Marys 10 11.24x
Hammersmith London 10 1.19x
Insch 10 55.56x
Poplar London 10 1.55x
Tynemouth 10 3.67x
Alvah 9 56.39x
Amble 9 38.91x
Aston 9 0.38x
Islington London 9 0.27x
Lancaster 9 3.73x
Southwark St John 9 8.61x
St Quivox 9 10.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 54
Elizabeth 28
Jane 25
Margaret 23
Sarah 12
Agnes 11
Alice 10
Catherine 10
Ann 9
Isabella 9
Emily 8
Eliza 7
Annie 6
Clara 6
Harriet 6
Louisa 6
Ada 5
Ellen 5
Emma 5
Jessie 5
Maud 5
Grace 4
Janet 4
Charlotte 3
Christiana 3
Christina 3
Edith 3
Eleanor 3
Elizth. 3
Gertrude 3
Hannah 3
Margret 3
Maria 3
Amy 2
Anne 2
Barbara 2
Catharine 2
E. 2
Elizebeth 2
Ethel 2
Florence 2
Georgina 2
Hagar 2
Helen 2
Kate 2
Lavinia 2
Maggie 2
Margarate 2
Matilda 2
Ruth 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 48
William 46
James 36
Thomas 31
George 22
David 12
Robert 12
Charles 11
Alexander 9
Andrew 9
Edward 8
Richard 6
Chas. 4
Donald 4
Frank 4
Joseph 4
Thos. 4
Frederick 3
Henry 3
Herbert 3
Lawrence 3
Samuel 3
Daniel 2
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Gilbert 2
Hugh 2
Magnus 2
Malcolm 2
Martin 2
Nedby 2
Wm. 2
Anthony 1
Archibald 1
Cato 1
Cecil 1
Cornelius 1
Ed.Thos. 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Findlay 1
Francis 1
Frankland 1
Infant 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Jno. 1
Kenred 1
Laurence 1
Wm.Bradley 1

FAQ

Manson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Manson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,517 people were recorded with the Manson surname. That placed it at #1,294 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Manson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,040 in 2016. That gives Manson a modern rank of #1,680.

What does the Manson surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Magnus, meaning "great" or "mighty" in Latin.

What does the Manson map show?

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