NameCensus.

UK surname

Mawson

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the son of Matthew".

In the 1881 census there were 2,422 people recorded with the Mawson surname, ranking it #1,837 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,707, ranked #2,480, down from #1,837 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Otley, Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Copeland and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mawson is 3,240 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.8%.

1881 census count

2,422

Ranked #1,837

Modern count

2,707

2016, ranked #2,480

Peak year

1911

3,240 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mawson had 2,422 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,837 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,707 in 2016, ranked #2,480.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,240 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Mawson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mawson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mawson 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 1,593 #1,808
1861 historical 1,592 #1,791
1881 historical 2,422 #1,837
1891 historical 2,565 #1,854
1901 historical 2,992 #1,871
1911 historical 3,240 #1,605
1997 modern 2,717 #2,352
1998 modern 2,821 #2,368
1999 modern 2,841 #2,366
2000 modern 2,789 #2,390
2001 modern 2,761 #2,371
2002 modern 2,811 #2,381
2003 modern 2,712 #2,403
2004 modern 2,703 #2,410
2005 modern 2,648 #2,427
2006 modern 2,655 #2,424
2007 modern 2,687 #2,422
2008 modern 2,704 #2,427
2009 modern 2,749 #2,437
2010 modern 2,818 #2,437
2011 modern 2,801 #2,419
2012 modern 2,732 #2,436
2013 modern 2,784 #2,436
2014 modern 2,777 #2,459
2015 modern 2,746 #2,464
2016 modern 2,707 #2,480

Geography

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Where Mawsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Otley, Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall, Bradford, Sheffield and Leeds. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Copeland and Wakefield. 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 Otley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 012 County Durham
2 Copeland 008 Copeland
3 County Durham 059 County Durham
4 Wakefield 011 Wakefield
5 County Durham 040 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mawson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mawson

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Mawson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mawson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mawson 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

Mawson 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mawson

The surname MAWSON is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "maw" meaning "mow" or "stack of hay" and "son" meaning son, thus translating to "son of the haymaker" or "son of the mower".

The name was originally found in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Northumberland, where it is thought to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked with hay or mowing crops. It is possible that the name was also used as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a haystack or a meadow.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname MAWSON appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Records of 1379, where a certain William Maweson is listed. Another early reference can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Northumberland in 1568, which mentions a John Mawson.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name MAWSON was prevalent in the Yorkshire area, particularly around the towns of Guisborough and Whitby. During this time, several variations of the spelling were used, including Maweson, Maweson, and Mawsonne.

One notable bearer of the MAWSON surname was Sir Joseph Mawson (1798-1879), a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist from Yorkshire. He made his fortune in the coal mining industry and was a significant benefactor to the town of Barnsley, where he funded the construction of several public buildings and institutions.

Another famous MAWSON was the English explorer Sir Douglas Mawson (1882-1958), known for his expeditions to Antarctica and his contributions to the study of geology and glaciology. He led the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 and was instrumental in mapping large parts of the Antarctic continent.

Other notable individuals with the MAWSON surname include:

1. Thomas Hayton Mawson (1861-1933), an English landscape architect and garden designer who designed several public gardens and parks in the United Kingdom and abroad.

2. Robert Mawson (1753-1833), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.

3. John Mawson (1819-1898), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Yorkshire, including the Wakefield Town Hall and the Leeds Corn Exchange.

While the MAWSON surname has its roots in northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to countries with significant British migration, such as Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mawson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mawson 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,362 Mawsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.83x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,362 5.83x
Lancashire 328 1.17x
Durham 246 3.51x
Cumberland 168 8.28x
Middlesex 65 0.28x
Northumberland 36 1.03x
Lincolnshire 28 0.74x
Nottinghamshire 24 0.76x
Westmorland 21 4.05x
Cheshire 20 0.38x
Derbyshire 17 0.46x
Warwickshire 17 0.29x
Leicestershire 15 0.57x
Suffolk 12 0.42x
Shropshire 7 0.34x
Ayrshire 6 0.34x
Surrey 6 0.05x
Dorset 5 0.32x
Staffordshire 5 0.06x
Glamorgan 4 0.10x
Bedfordshire 3 0.25x
Cardiganshire 3 0.52x
Kent 3 0.04x
Gloucestershire 2 0.04x
Hampshire 2 0.04x
Sussex 2 0.05x
Wiltshire 2 0.10x
Berkshire 1 0.06x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.07x
Essex 1 0.02x
Hertfordshire 1 0.06x
Monmouthshire 1 0.06x
Norfolk 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 132 Mawsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.01x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 132 10.01x
Idle 56 51.71x
Hunslet 55 15.10x
Otley 46 81.11x
Armley 40 38.84x
Wortley In Bramley 40 21.63x
Lancaster 39 23.44x
Millom 38 61.11x
Knaresborough 37 100.87x
Chapel Allerton 35 100.14x
Bradford 33 5.84x
Gate Fulford 28 51.34x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 24 30.05x
Horton In Bradford 24 6.58x
Adel Cum Eccup 23 238.34x
Bishopwearmouth 23 3.82x
Mexborough 23 49.61x
Brightside Bierlow 22 4.80x
Toxteth Park 22 2.32x
Auckland St Andrew 21 113.45x
Carlton In Skipton 19 139.19x
Gateshead 19 3.62x
Yeadon 19 36.03x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 18 8.27x
Ecclesall Bierlow 18 3.79x
Everton 18 2.02x
Potter Newton 18 43.69x
St Bees 18 191.90x
Gildersome 17 60.56x
Long Marston 17 578.23x
Wath On Dearne 17 36.48x
Bingley 16 10.76x
Bradleys Both 16 385.54x
East Rainton 16 117.91x
Manningham 16 5.56x
Stanhope 16 22.10x
Wigan 16 4.09x
Barrow In Furness 15 3.94x
Farnley In Bramley 15 51.44x
Newfield 15 161.29x
Rawdon 15 54.55x
Shipley 15 12.38x
York St Cuthbert 15 70.16x
Cockermouth 14 32.77x
Doncaster 14 8.20x
Moss Side 14 9.51x
Bardsey Cum Rigton 13 503.88x
Bedlington 13 11.10x
Eccleshill 13 22.88x
St Giles 13 29.70x
St Pancras London 13 0.69x
Whitehaven 13 12.02x
East Thickley 12 84.45x
Wyke In Bradford 12 28.74x
Althorpe 11 128.21x
Campsea Ash 11 355.99x
Castleford 11 12.93x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 2.48x
Headingley Cum Burley 11 7.32x
Hetton Le Hole 11 12.38x
Keswick 11 42.41x
Oldham 11 1.22x
Wyke In Wetherby 11 956.52x
Arthington 10 276.24x
Aston 10 0.61x
Elswick 10 3.57x
Menwith Cum Darley 10 215.05x
Moss 10 442.48x
Sale 10 15.67x
Sheffield 10 1.35x
Shildon 10 17.75x
Swinton In Rotherham 10 16.19x
Wakefield 10 5.58x
West Broughton 10 105.82x
West Derby 10 1.22x
Whitworth 10 19.48x
Great Bolton 9 2.43x
Kirkby In Ashfield 9 26.49x
Moulton 8 44.10x
Parr 8 8.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 179
Elizabeth 87
Sarah 85
Jane 69
Ann 60
Hannah 53
Annie 41
Margaret 38
Alice 32
Emma 32
Eliza 31
Ellen 31
Martha 25
Emily 21
Harriet 17
Ada 16
Agnes 14
Edith 14
Louisa 14
Lucy 14
Isabella 13
Maria 13
Anne 12
Florence 11
Clara 10
Elizth. 9
Susannah 9
Esther 8
Fanny 8
Kate 8
Eleanor 7
Ethel 7
Frances 7
Caroline 6
Catherine 6
Anna 5
Dinah 5
Dorothy 5
Eliz. 5
Harriett 5
Lydia 5
Matilda 5
Betsy 4
Catharine 4
Helen 4
Jessie 4
Laura 4
Nancy 4
Phoebe 4
Bertha 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 186
William 141
Thomas 105
George 80
James 71
Joseph 51
Charles 41
Robert 33
Henry 32
Arthur 31
Samuel 24
Edward 19
Isaac 19
Alfred 16
Frederick 15
Richard 15
Frank 14
Harry 13
Walter 13
Albert 11
Tom 10
Fred 9
Edwin 8
Francis 8
Moses 8
Wm. 8
Jonathan 7
Matthew 7
Benjamin 6
David 6
Herbert 5
Mathew 5
Ernest 4
Thos. 4
Christopher 3
Elias 3
Geo. 3
Jno. 3
Jonah 3
Mark 3
Michael 3
Percy 3
Andrew 2
Anthony 2
Fleming 2
Jas. 2
Joshua 2
Keighley 2
Myles 2
Nicholas 2

FAQ

Mawson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mawson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,422 people were recorded with the Mawson surname. That placed it at #1,837 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mawson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,707 in 2016. That gives Mawson a modern rank of #2,480.

What does the Mawson surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the son of Matthew".

What does the Mawson map show?

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