NameCensus.

UK surname

Marston

Derived from a place name meaning "marsh town" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a location.

In the 1881 census there were 2,785 people recorded with the Marston surname, ranking it #1,603 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,877, ranked #1,741, down from #1,603 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, London parishes and Nuneaton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Eden, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Harrogate.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Marston is 4,227 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.2%.

1881 census count

2,785

Ranked #1,603

Modern count

3,877

2016, ranked #1,741

Peak year

1999

4,227 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Marston had 2,785 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,603 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,877 in 2016, ranked #1,741.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,973 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Marston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Marston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Marston 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 1,770 #1,628
1861 historical 1,975 #1,477
1881 historical 2,785 #1,603
1891 historical 3,092 #1,522
1901 historical 3,696 #1,516
1911 historical 3,973 #1,288
1997 modern 4,030 #1,607
1998 modern 4,220 #1,601
1999 modern 4,227 #1,609
2000 modern 4,182 #1,618
2001 modern 4,104 #1,603
2002 modern 4,169 #1,617
2003 modern 4,043 #1,634
2004 modern 4,021 #1,641
2005 modern 3,905 #1,667
2006 modern 3,924 #1,659
2007 modern 3,933 #1,678
2008 modern 3,944 #1,679
2009 modern 4,022 #1,689
2010 modern 4,050 #1,712
2011 modern 3,983 #1,717
2012 modern 3,878 #1,734
2013 modern 3,932 #1,742
2014 modern 3,930 #1,749
2015 modern 3,884 #1,748
2016 modern 3,877 #1,741

Geography

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Where Marstons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, London parishes, Nuneaton, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Eden, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Harrogate. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Nuneaton Warwickshire
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Eden 007 Eden
2 Nuneaton and Bedworth 014 Nuneaton and Bedworth
3 Nuneaton and Bedworth 005 Nuneaton and Bedworth
4 Harrogate 018 Harrogate
5 Nuneaton and Bedworth 009 Nuneaton and Bedworth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Marston

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Marston

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

Marston is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Marston

The surname Marston is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is believed to have originated in the medieval era, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from a town or village called Marston.

There are several places in England named Marston, and the surname could have originated from any of these locations. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions Marston in various counties, including Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, and Staffordshire.

The name Marston is derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning "a pool or lake" and "tun" meaning "a farm or settlement." This suggests that the original place named Marston was likely situated near a pool or lake, lending credence to the theory that the surname originated from a place name.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Marston was John de Marston, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1199. Another early reference can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded a Richard de Merston in Oxfordshire.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Marston. These include:

1. John Marston (c. 1576-1634), an English playwright and satirist during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. 2. Philip Bourke Marston (1850-1887), an English poet and literary critic, best known for his sonnet sequences. 3. John Westland Marston (1819-1890), an English dramatist and novelist, who wrote plays and novels in the Victorian era. 4. John Marston (1836-1914), an English prelate who served as the Bishop of Pandera from 1888 to 1909. 5. Charles Marston (1890-1979), an American writer and creator of the comic book character Wonder Woman.

While the surname Marston has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Marston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Marston 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. Warwickshire leads with 433 Marstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.31x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 433 6.31x
Yorkshire 377 1.40x
Staffordshire 333 3.63x
Leicestershire 272 9.02x
Shropshire 241 10.26x
Middlesex 208 0.76x
Lancashire 121 0.37x
Surrey 109 0.82x
Worcestershire 105 2.96x
Nottinghamshire 96 2.62x
Norfolk 60 1.43x
Lincolnshire 52 1.20x
Montgomeryshire 50 8.02x
Derbyshire 29 0.68x
Durham 23 0.28x
Gloucestershire 23 0.43x
Radnorshire 22 10.03x
Cumberland 19 0.81x
Kent 18 0.19x
Monmouthshire 18 0.92x
Cheshire 17 0.28x
Devon 17 0.30x
Bedfordshire 16 1.14x
Northumberland 15 0.37x
Sussex 14 0.31x
Westmorland 13 2.18x
Hampshire 12 0.22x
Herefordshire 11 0.99x
Oxfordshire 10 0.60x
Dorset 7 0.39x
Essex 7 0.13x
Hertfordshire 6 0.32x
Northamptonshire 5 0.20x
Somerset 5 0.11x
Suffolk 5 0.15x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.18x
Midlothian 3 0.08x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.18x
Flintshire 2 0.27x
Glamorgan 2 0.04x
Royal Navy 2 0.62x
Berkshire 1 0.05x
Brecknockshire 1 0.18x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.06x
Denbighshire 1 0.10x
Wiltshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Willenhall in Staffordshire leads with 133 Marstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 77.35x.

Place Total Index
Willenhall 133 77.35x
Leicester St Margaret 86 11.70x
Birmingham 80 3.50x
Nuneaton 63 79.29x
Bedworth 56 111.89x
Foleshill 51 70.68x
Coventry Holy Trinity 46 22.46x
Aston 42 2.22x
Otley 35 53.48x
Churchstoke 33 280.61x
Coventry St Michael 29 13.16x
Nottingham St Mary 28 2.95x
Enderby 25 160.15x
Leicester St Mary 25 10.26x
Wednesfield 24 17.76x
Chirbury 23 166.19x
Wolverhampton 23 3.26x
Lambeth 22 0.93x
Mile End Old Town 22 5.12x
Newington 21 2.09x
Walsall Foreign 20 4.22x
Kidderminster Borough 19 9.14x
Leicester St Nicholas 19 111.31x
Ludlow St Lawrence 19 40.65x
Bingham 18 115.53x
Bromsgrove 18 15.06x
Preston 18 2.08x
Camberwell 17 0.98x
Hackney London 17 1.11x
Pendleton In Salford 17 4.42x
Shrewsbury St Mary 17 18.34x
Barrow In Furness 16 3.65x
Bethnal Green London 16 1.35x
Clifton Cum Norwood 16 512.82x
Manningham 16 4.82x
Church Stretton 15 95.18x
Sheffield 15 1.75x
Wrockwardine 15 29.03x
Chilvers Coton 14 49.63x
West Bromwich 14 2.66x
Wistanstow 14 184.45x
Battersea 13 1.30x
Islington London 13 0.49x
Yeadon 13 21.36x
Aismunderby Cum 12 157.48x
Burley In Wharfdale 12 50.42x
Chelsea London 12 1.46x
Great Timble 12 754.72x
Handsworth 12 5.30x
Newall Cum Clifton 12 357.14x
Normanton 12 902.26x
Wiggenhall St Mary Virgin 12 402.68x
Bishops Castle In 11 80.29x
Horsforth 11 18.62x
Kensington London 11 0.73x
Kings Norton 11 3.45x
Thurmaston 11 206.77x
Walsall Borough 11 15.44x
York St Mary 11 9.85x
Burton Upon Trent 10 4.66x
Cwmdauddwr 10 141.04x
Dudley 10 2.32x
Farnley In Bramley 10 29.73x
Leeds 10 0.66x
Sherburn 10 45.15x
St Woollos 10 4.56x
Worcester St Peter 10 14.88x
Yardley 10 11.00x
Colston Bassett 9 311.42x
Derby St Alkmund 9 7.05x
Elland Cum Greetland 9 7.41x
Gate Fulford 9 14.30x
Harborne 9 3.06x
Harefield 9 64.29x
Kidderminster Foreign 9 17.92x
Loughborough 9 6.58x
Oxford St Giles 9 11.23x
Shifnal 9 14.11x
St Marylebone London 9 0.62x
St Pancras London 9 0.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 190
Elizabeth 113
Sarah 108
Ann 72
Jane 47
Alice 44
Eliza 42
Emma 40
Ellen 37
Hannah 35
Emily 32
Annie 31
Harriet 30
Clara 24
Margaret 22
Martha 21
Edith 20
Fanny 18
Florence 18
Louisa 17
Ada 16
Caroline 16
Frances 15
Kate 15
Lucy 15
Anne 14
Catherine 12
Harriett 12
Maria 12
Charlotte 11
Esther 9
Laura 9
Rose 9
Rebecca 8
Susan 8
Ethel 7
Agnes 6
Eleanor 6
Grace 6
Minnie 6
Selina 6
Bertha 5
Gertrude 5
Isabella 5
Julia 5
Lizzie 5
Mabel 5
Sophia 5
Amelia 4
Amy 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 173
William 170
Thomas 104
George 96
Charles 82
James 64
Joseph 58
Henry 52
Edward 41
Arthur 36
Alfred 35
Robert 32
Samuel 26
Richard 25
Frederick 19
David 16
Harry 15
Albert 13
Edwin 13
Frank 12
Walter 12
Herbert 11
Benjamin 10
Francis 10
Daniel 9
Isaac 9
Thos. 9
Ernest 6
Job 6
Tom 6
Wm. 6
Edmund 5
Fred 5
Matthew 5
Abraham 4
Fredk. 4
Orlando 4
Willm. 4
Amos 3
Edwd. 3
Enoch 3
Hugh 3
Jonah 3
Joshua 3
Percy 3
Philip 3
Reuben 3
Laban 2
Mark 2
Nathan 2

FAQ

Marston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Marston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,785 people were recorded with the Marston surname. That placed it at #1,603 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Marston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,877 in 2016. That gives Marston a modern rank of #1,741.

What does the Marston surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "marsh town" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a location.

What does the Marston map show?

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