NameCensus.

UK surname

Mather

One who mows hay or grass, or a dweller near a meadow.

In the 1881 census there were 7,433 people recorded with the Mather surname, ranking it #573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,892, ranked #834, down from #573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Eccles, Manchester and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland and St. Helens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mather is 9,182 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.2%.

1881 census count

7,433

Ranked #573

Modern count

7,892

2016, ranked #834

Peak year

1901

9,182 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mather had 7,433 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,892 in 2016, ranked #834.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,182 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Mather surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mather surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mather 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 4,921 #563
1861 historical 4,535 #625
1881 historical 7,433 #573
1891 historical 7,718 #579
1901 historical 9,182 #569
1911 historical 8,942 #553
1997 modern 8,077 #787
1998 modern 8,289 #799
1999 modern 8,444 #791
2000 modern 8,361 #795
2001 modern 8,192 #792
2002 modern 8,326 #797
2003 modern 8,063 #807
2004 modern 8,021 #811
2005 modern 7,839 #814
2006 modern 7,799 #817
2007 modern 7,911 #815
2008 modern 7,942 #815
2009 modern 8,107 #818
2010 modern 8,265 #823
2011 modern 8,115 #825
2012 modern 7,933 #825
2013 modern 8,097 #821
2014 modern 8,080 #829
2015 modern 7,941 #835
2016 modern 7,892 #834

Geography

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Where Mathers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Eccles, Manchester, Edinburgh, Blackburn and Bolton-le-Moors. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland and St. Helens. 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 Eccles Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 006 Northumberland
3 St. Helens 006 St. Helens
4 St. Helens 004 St. Helens
5 St. Helens 008 St. Helens

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mather

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mather

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Mather surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mather household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mather 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

Mather 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

Mather falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mather

The surname Mather is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from an occupational name for a maker of mats or matting, which comes from the Old English word "matt" meaning "mat" or "matting." The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Mattere."

During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records with different spellings such as Mathar, Mathare, and Mather. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is John le Mather, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.

The Mather family had a strong presence in Lancashire and Yorkshire, where several place names were derived from the surname, including Mather, a township in the parish of Whalley, Lancashire. The name was also found in other parts of England, such as Nottinghamshire and Suffolk.

Notable individuals with the surname Mather include:

1. Richard Mather (1596-1669), an influential Puritan minister in colonial Massachusetts and one of the founders of the Congregational church in New England.

2. Increase Mather (1639-1723), a Puritan minister and author who served as the president of Harvard College from 1685 to 1701.

3. Cotton Mather (1663-1728), a Puritan minister and influential figure in the Salem Witch Trials. He was also a prolific author and is known for his work "Magnalia Christi Americana."

4. Samuel Mather (1626-1671), a Puritan minister and president of Harvard College from 1685 to 1687.

5. William Williams Mather (1804-1859), an American businessman and industrialist who founded the Mather Iron Works in Cleveland, Ohio.

Throughout history, the Mather surname has been associated with individuals who made significant contributions to religious, academic, and industrial fields, particularly in England and colonial America.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mather families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mather 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. Lancashire leads with 3,682 Mathers recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.28x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 3,682 4.28x
Northumberland 556 5.16x
Derbyshire 405 3.57x
Cheshire 382 2.39x
Yorkshire 292 0.41x
Durham 257 1.19x
Lanarkshire 249 1.06x
Middlesex 195 0.27x
Nottinghamshire 172 1.76x
Angus 128 1.91x
Midlothian 115 1.19x
Kent 85 0.34x
Surrey 84 0.24x
Warwickshire 66 0.36x
Roxburghshire 65 4.95x
Staffordshire 62 0.25x
Renfrewshire 42 0.75x
Cumberland 40 0.64x
Flintshire 36 1.85x
Berwickshire 32 3.65x
Aberdeenshire 31 0.46x
Selkirkshire 30 4.58x
Perthshire 28 0.86x
Cornwall 23 0.28x
Fife 23 0.54x
Ayrshire 22 0.41x
Gloucestershire 22 0.15x
Essex 21 0.15x
Devon 20 0.13x
Worcestershire 20 0.21x
Shropshire 19 0.30x
Dunbartonshire 17 0.87x
Oxfordshire 15 0.34x
Clackmannanshire 14 2.34x
Hampshire 14 0.09x
Northamptonshire 13 0.19x
Inverness-shire 12 0.55x
Norfolk 12 0.11x
Somerset 12 0.10x
Sutherland 12 2.15x
Caithness 11 1.11x
Leicestershire 10 0.12x
Lincolnshire 8 0.07x
Hertfordshire 7 0.14x
Nairnshire 7 3.17x
Suffolk 7 0.08x
Westmorland 6 0.38x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.11x
West Lothian 5 0.46x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.25x
East Lothian 4 0.42x
Kincardineshire 4 0.45x
Sussex 4 0.03x
Channel Islands 3 0.14x
Royal Navy 3 0.35x
Stirlingshire 3 0.11x
Rutland 2 0.38x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.03x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.02x
Denbighshire 1 0.04x
Herefordshire 1 0.03x
Isle of Man 1 0.07x
Merionethshire 1 0.08x
Wigtownshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Salford in Lancashire leads with 154 Mathers recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.09x.

Place Total Index
Salford 154 6.09x
Great Bolton 147 12.91x
Little Bolton 141 12.76x
Warrington 120 11.78x
Manchester 107 2.77x
Windle 106 21.92x
Bury 96 9.78x
Worsley 96 18.12x
Pilkington 80 24.50x
Nottingham St Mary 66 2.61x
Prestwich 64 29.85x
Stockport 64 7.78x
Barony 63 1.06x
Eccleston In Prescot 61 14.14x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 59 1.51x
Pendleton In Salford 57 5.57x
Wigan 57 4.75x
Blackburn 56 2.45x
Billinge Chapel End 55 114.06x
Little Hulton 55 38.65x
Over Darwen 55 8.01x
Tynemouth 54 9.36x
Ashton Under Lyne 51 2.72x
Hulme 50 2.79x
Farnworth 49 9.52x
Hyde 49 10.39x
Liverpool 47 0.90x
St Pancras London 47 0.81x
Atherton 46 14.70x
Westoe 46 3.77x
Parr 45 14.63x
West Derby 45 1.79x
Chorley 41 8.50x
Radcliffe 41 9.90x
Turton 41 29.13x
Govan 40 0.69x
Haydock 40 27.01x
Westhoughton 40 17.44x
Toxteth Park 39 1.34x
Barton Upon Irwell 38 5.87x
Broughton In Salford 38 4.84x
Glasgow 38 0.91x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 38 15.36x
Droylsden 37 13.20x
Oldham 37 1.33x
Ashton In Makerfield 36 14.71x
Dukinfield 36 4.87x
Halliwell 36 11.51x
Brinnington 35 23.43x
Newton In Makerfield 35 13.30x
Preston 35 1.52x
Runcorn 34 9.22x
Chorlton On Medlock 33 2.42x
Middleton In Oldham 33 12.81x
Sutton 33 11.45x
Ardwick 32 4.13x
Longbenton 32 7.01x
Islington London 31 0.44x
Newton 31 4.68x
Birmingham 29 0.48x
Dronfield 29 19.96x
Edgeworth 29 62.83x
Coal Aston 28 143.30x
Heaton Norris 28 5.72x
Rainhill 28 50.84x
Adlington 27 33.55x
Cowpen 26 10.48x
Hindley 26 7.10x
Unstone 26 58.32x
Clifton 25 38.77x
Kelso 25 19.12x
St Vigeans 25 6.90x
Blackrod 24 22.47x
Bradford 24 5.97x
Little Heaton 24 116.90x
Newington 24 0.90x
Arbroath 23 10.34x
Headingley Cum Burley 23 4.98x
Radford 23 4.64x
Westgate 23 3.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 497
Elizabeth 325
Sarah 284
Jane 189
Ann 168
Margaret 146
Ellen 144
Alice 132
Martha 93
Eliza 78
Annie 76
Emma 70
Hannah 65
Isabella 46
Emily 41
Catherine 32
Esther 31
Harriet 30
Maria 29
Louisa 26
Agnes 25
Charlotte 25
Edith 25
Fanny 25
Ada 23
Betsy 23
Clara 23
Frances 20
Elizth. 19
Lucy 19
Nancy 18
Anne 17
Florence 17
Jessie 17
Susannah 16
Betty 15
Margt. 15
Rebecca 15
Caroline 14
Gertrude 14
Ethel 12
Grace 12
Amelia 11
Helen 11
Matilda 11
Dorothy 10
Rachel 10
Ruth 10
Susan 10
Amy 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 493
William 376
James 289
Thomas 261
George 166
Joseph 156
Robert 117
Henry 114
Samuel 93
Charles 86
Richard 70
Edward 48
Alfred 47
Walter 39
Arthur 32
Frederick 31
Peter 29
Adam 24
Harry 23
Thos. 23
Isaac 20
Albert 19
Andrew 19
Edwin 18
Herbert 18
Wm. 18
David 13
Ellis 13
Ernest 13
Matthew 11
Ralph 11
Frank 10
Francis 9
Fred 9
Luke 9
Benjamin 8
Chas. 8
Jas. 8
Joshua 8
Sam 8
Alexander 7
Mark 7
Tom 7
Amos 6
Geo. 6
Hugh 6
Mathew 6
Percy 6
Philip 6
Saml. 6

FAQ

Mather surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mather surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,433 people were recorded with the Mather surname. That placed it at #573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mather surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,892 in 2016. That gives Mather a modern rank of #834.

What does the Mather surname mean?

One who mows hay or grass, or a dweller near a meadow.

What does the Mather map show?

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