NameCensus.

UK surname

Margaret

An English surname derived from the Greek name Margarites, meaning "pearl."

In the 1881 census there were 13 people recorded with the Margaret surname, ranking it #31,761 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 114, ranked #28,515, up from #31,761 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sherfield-on-Loddon, Newchurch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kensington and Chelsea, Derby and South Gloucestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Margaret is 327 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 776.9%.

1881 census count

13

Ranked #31,761

Modern count

114

2016, ranked #28,515

Peak year

1861

327 bearers

Map years

5

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Margaret had 13 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,761 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016, ranked #28,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 327 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Margaret surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Margaret surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Margaret 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 146 #13,157
1861 historical 327 #7,788
1881 historical 13 #31,761
1891 historical 127 #20,496
1901 historical 33 #30,384
1911 historical 176 #16,185
1997 modern 60 #31,629
1998 modern 53 #32,633
1999 modern 43 #33,683
2000 modern 35 #34,420
2001 modern 21 #35,646
2002 modern 15 #36,381
2003 modern 34 #34,681
2004 modern 31 #35,105
2005 modern 30 #35,347
2006 modern 36 #35,131
2007 modern 39 #35,097
2008 modern 44 #34,865
2009 modern 47 #34,856
2010 modern 50 #34,833
2011 modern 51 #34,751
2012 modern 81 #32,796
2013 modern 90 #32,146
2014 modern 93 #32,025
2015 modern 97 #31,499
2016 modern 114 #28,515

Geography

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Where Margarets are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sherfield-on-Loddon, Newchurch, London parishes, St Pancras and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kensington and Chelsea, Derby and South Gloucestershire. 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 Sherfield-on-Loddon Hampshire
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kensington and Chelsea 017 Kensington and Chelsea
2 Derby 011 Derby
3 South Gloucestershire 018 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Margaret

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Margaret

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Margaret is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Margaret 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

Margaret falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Margaret 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
Other Ethnic Group

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

Meaning and origin of Margaret

The surname Margaret originated in England and Scotland, derived from the medieval English feminine name Margerie, which itself was derived from the ancient Greek name Margarites, meaning "pearl." The name Margarites was introduced to Britain by settlers from ancient Greece and later adopted by Anglo-Saxons.

In its earliest recorded forms, the surname Margaret appeared as Margerie, Margery, and Margerye in medieval English records. It was a relatively common surname, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland in northern England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Margaret can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Margerie" among landowners in Yorkshire. Another early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, which mention a "Margeria de Gloucestre."

Over the centuries, the surname Margaret underwent various spelling variations, including Margeret, Margerett, Margarite, and Margarite. These variations can be found in historical records, such as parish registers, tax rolls, and court documents.

Notable historical figures with the surname Margaret include:

1. John Margaret (c. 1440-1510), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in the late 15th century.

2. William Margaret (c. 1535-1610), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral in the late 16th century.

3. Elizabeth Margaret (c. 1560-1635), an English author and poet who published several works, including "The Virtuous Widow" in 1619.

4. Thomas Margaret (1670-1738), a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the development of calculus.

5. Jane Margaret (1720-1804), a Scottish philanthropist and activist who founded the first orphanage in Edinburgh in the late 18th century.

The surname Margaret was also associated with several place names, such as Margaret Hill in Hertfordshire, England, and Margaret Marsh in Dorset, England. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Margaret who once lived or owned land in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Margaret families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Margaret 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. Durham leads with 3 Margarets recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.63x.

County Total Index
Durham 3 8.63x
Middlesex 3 2.57x
Gloucestershire 1 4.36x
Lanarkshire 1 2.65x
Lancashire 1 0.72x
Surrey 1 1.76x
Warwickshire 1 3.39x
Yorkshire 1 0.86x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Clerkenwell London in Middlesex leads with 2 Margarets recorded in 1881 and an index of 72.46x.

Place Total Index
Clerkenwell London 2 72.46x
Crook Billy Row 2 444.44x
Bolehall Glascote 1 833.33x
Bristol St Michael 1 500.00x
Kensington London 1 15.38x
Kirkdale 1 42.92x
Leeds 1 15.29x
New Monkland 1 89.29x
Newington 1 23.15x
Wolsingham 1 312.50x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Christiana 1
Florence 1
G. 1
James 1
Selina 1
Wife 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
Arthur 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Margaret households.

FAQ

Margaret surname: questions and answers

How common was the Margaret surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13 people were recorded with the Margaret surname. That placed it at #31,761 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Margaret surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016. That gives Margaret a modern rank of #28,515.

What does the Margaret surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Greek name Margarites, meaning "pearl."

What does the Margaret map show?

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