NameCensus.

UK surname

Mawdesley

In the 1881 census there were 171 people recorded with the Mawdesley surname, ranking it #14,212 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 167, ranked #22,055, down from #14,212 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Croston, North Meols and Burslem. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley, Wigan and Sefton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mawdesley is 257 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.3%.

1881 census count

171

Ranked #14,212

Modern count

167

2016, ranked #22,055

Peak year

1891

257 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mawdesley had 171 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,212 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016, ranked #22,055.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 257 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Mawdesley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mawdesley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mawdesley 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 120 #15,144
1861 historical 119 #18,393
1881 historical 171 #14,212
1891 historical 257 #12,476
1901 historical 257 #12,898
1911 historical 215 #14,290
1997 modern 199 #17,668
1998 modern 203 #17,949
1999 modern 205 #17,960
2000 modern 203 #18,043
2001 modern 197 #18,108
2002 modern 195 #18,590
2003 modern 173 #19,834
2004 modern 176 #19,731
2005 modern 175 #19,727
2006 modern 161 #20,972
2007 modern 167 #20,719
2008 modern 163 #21,238
2009 modern 169 #21,190
2010 modern 177 #21,034
2011 modern 173 #21,172
2012 modern 167 #21,598
2013 modern 175 #21,320
2014 modern 173 #21,639
2015 modern 178 #21,149
2016 modern 167 #22,055

Geography

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Where Mawdesleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Croston, North Meols, Burslem, Wigan and Sefton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chorley, Wigan and Sefton. 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 Croston Lancashire
2 North Meols Lancashire
3 Burslem Staffordshire
4 Wigan Lancashire
5 Sefton Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chorley 005 Chorley
2 Chorley 010 Chorley
3 Wigan 015 Wigan
4 Sefton 002 Sefton
5 Chorley 013 Chorley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mawdesley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mawdesley

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Mawdesley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Mawdesley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Mawdesley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mawdesley is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Mawdesley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mawdesley 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 142 Mawdesleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.18x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 142 7.18x
Cheshire 12 3.26x
Staffordshire 7 1.24x
Yorkshire 7 0.42x
Huntingdonshire 1 3.02x
Middlesex 1 0.06x
West Lothian 1 3.98x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. North Meols in Lancashire leads with 31 Mawdesleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 160.04x.

Place Total Index
North Meols 31 160.04x
Wigan 20 72.31x
Leyland 11 319.77x
Wybunbury 10 2941.18x
Shevington 8 888.89x
Ince In Makerfield 7 76.00x
Skelmersdale 7 212.12x
Bickerstaffe 6 461.54x
Everton 5 7.93x
Great Crosby 5 92.59x
Kirkdale 5 15.02x
York St Helen Stonegate 5 2000.00x
Altcar 4 1290.32x
Barton Upon Irwell 4 26.85x
Halsall 4 512.82x
Liverpool 4 3.33x
Orell Ford 4 1111.11x
Stoke Upon Trent 4 6.70x
Mawdesley 3 566.04x
Moss Side 3 28.82x
Wolstanton 3 17.54x
Halliwell 2 27.78x
Ardwick 1 5.60x
Birkenhead 1 3.41x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 6.36x
Dalmeny 1 104.17x
Hammersmith London 1 2.43x
Heskin 1 454.55x
Knowsley 1 140.85x
Latchford 1 40.82x
Lowton 1 74.07x
Musbury 1 172.41x
Newton In Makerfield 1 16.50x
Orrell 1 40.65x
Ramsey 1 37.74x
West Bradford 1 555.56x
Wrightington 1 116.28x
York St Mary 1 14.60x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
Thomas 11
William 9
James 8
Henry 6
Richard 4
Evan 3
Hugh 3
Nicholas 3
Robert 3
Charles 2
George 2
Peter 2
Edward 1
Frederick 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
J.C. 1
Joseph 1
Joshua 1
Leigh 1
Sam 1
Saml. 1
T.F. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Mawdesley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mawdesley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 171 people were recorded with the Mawdesley surname. That placed it at #14,212 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mawdesley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016. That gives Mawdesley a modern rank of #22,055.

What does the Mawdesley map show?

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