NameCensus.

UK surname

Maxey

Derived from a place name meaning "Mack's island" in Old English, referring to an island belonging to someone named Mack.

In the 1881 census there were 302 people recorded with the Maxey surname, ranking it #9,673 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 576, ranked #8,983, up from #9,673 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Louth, London parishes and Bedford St Paul. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fenland, Kettering and Doncaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maxey is 586 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 90.7%.

1881 census count

302

Ranked #9,673

Modern count

576

2016, ranked #8,983

Peak year

2014

586 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maxey had 302 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,673 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 576 in 2016, ranked #8,983.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 434 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Maxey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maxey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maxey 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 208 #10,107
1861 historical 131 #17,052
1881 historical 302 #9,673
1891 historical 312 #10,744
1901 historical 412 #9,283
1911 historical 434 #8,740
1997 modern 535 #8,852
1998 modern 550 #8,937
1999 modern 544 #9,055
2000 modern 553 #8,908
2001 modern 540 #8,919
2002 modern 558 #8,876
2003 modern 559 #8,725
2004 modern 554 #8,812
2005 modern 545 #8,842
2006 modern 539 #8,954
2007 modern 534 #9,102
2008 modern 538 #9,115
2009 modern 550 #9,169
2010 modern 570 #9,106
2011 modern 569 #9,030
2012 modern 568 #8,958
2013 modern 575 #9,014
2014 modern 586 #8,954
2015 modern 567 #9,082
2016 modern 576 #8,983

Geography

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Where Maxeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Louth, London parishes, Bedford St Paul, St Mary Islington and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fenland, Kettering, Doncaster and North East Derbyshire. 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 Louth Lincolnshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Bedford St Paul Bedfordshire
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fenland 001 Fenland
2 Kettering 005 Kettering
3 Doncaster 015 Doncaster
4 Doncaster 009 Doncaster
5 North East Derbyshire 011 North East Derbyshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maxey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maxey

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

Maxey 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

Maxey falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Maxey 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
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Maxey

The surname Maxey is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English place name "Maccesieg," which means "the meadow or pasture of a man named Macca." This place name is thought to have referred to a location in the county of Gloucestershire.

The earliest recorded mention of the Maxey surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Maccesie." This entry suggests that individuals bearing this name were landowners or tenants in the region during the Norman conquest of England.

In the 13th century, records show variations of the name spelling, such as "Makey," "Macksey," and "Makesy." These variations likely emerged due to dialectal differences and the evolving nature of language over time.

One notable bearer of the Maxey surname was Sir Henry Maxey (c. 1440-1516), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Henry VIII.

Another historical figure with this surname was John Maxey (1637-1720), an English Puritan minister and author who emigrated to New England in the late 17th century and served as the second president of Harvard College from 1692 to 1701.

In the 18th century, the Maxey surname was also found in the records of the American colonies. Jeremiah Maxey (1722-1784) was a Revolutionary War soldier from Massachusetts who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill and later settled in Vermont.

Moving into the 19th century, Edwin Maxey (1825-1898) was an American soldier and politician who served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and later became a U.S. Senator from Texas.

Another notable bearer of the Maxey surname was Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (1840-1916), an American-born British inventor best known for the development of the Maxim machine gun, one of the first fully automatic firearms.

Throughout history, the Maxey surname has been associated with various places in England, including the villages of Maxey in Northamptonshire and Maxey in Wiltshire, both of which likely derived their names from the same Old English origins as the surname itself.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maxey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maxey 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. Lincolnshire leads with 70 Maxeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.86x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 70 14.86x
Middlesex 58 1.97x
Bedfordshire 46 30.16x
Yorkshire 24 0.82x
Cambridgeshire 17 9.11x
Derbyshire 11 2.39x
Surrey 10 0.70x
Glamorgan 9 1.75x
Norfolk 9 1.99x
Hertfordshire 8 3.94x
Oxfordshire 8 4.40x
Durham 7 0.80x
Monmouthshire 5 2.35x
Kent 4 0.40x
Devon 3 0.49x
Gloucestershire 3 0.52x
Cornwall 2 0.60x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.37x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.56x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.81x
Essex 1 0.17x
Hampshire 1 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.25x
Royal Navy 1 2.85x
Somerset 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bedford St Peter in Bedfordshire leads with 14 Maxeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 353.54x.

Place Total Index
Bedford St Peter 14 353.54x
Louth 14 129.75x
Bedford St Paul 11 105.16x
Brightside Bierlow 11 19.21x
Islington London 11 3.85x
Kensington London 11 6.72x
Biddenham 9 2903.23x
Bow London 9 24.00x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 9 66.18x
Sharnbrook 9 1071.43x
Litchurch 8 43.10x
Swinstead 8 2285.71x
Foston 7 1944.44x
Gelligaer 7 59.78x
Keisby 7 7777.78x
New Sleaford 7 231.79x
Tydd St Mary 7 744.68x
Westminster St John 7 19.51x
Whitworth 7 109.03x
Wisbech St Peter 6 64.10x
Bushey 5 103.52x
Croydon 5 6.28x
Hackney London 5 3.03x
Leverington 5 406.50x
Oxford St Giles 5 57.60x
Bourn 4 105.26x
Idle 4 29.54x
Battersea 3 2.77x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 3 28.38x
Gunby In Grantham 3 2727.27x
Irnham 3 1034.48x
Llanover 3 41.27x
Norton 3 78.95x
Oxford St Ebbe 3 56.07x
Shepreth 3 810.81x
Shipley 3 19.80x
Spalding 3 32.09x
St George Hanover 3 7.80x
Tydd St Giles 3 337.08x
Watford 3 19.06x
Whitechapel London 3 10.33x
Aberystruth 2 10.66x
Cawood 2 178.57x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 3.37x
Knotting 2 1052.63x
Lambeth 2 0.78x
Lewisham 2 3.73x
Madron 2 74.35x
Shoreditch London 2 1.57x
Skirbeck 2 75.76x
St Luke London 2 4.23x
Sutton St Mary 2 44.94x
Tormoham 2 7.71x
Ystradyfodwg 2 4.44x
Aberdeen Old Machar 1 1.76x
Basford 1 5.46x
Bethnal Green London 1 0.78x
Brixham 1 14.06x
Bromham 1 303.03x
Canterbury St Mary 1 14.81x
Chiswick 1 6.21x
Easton In Gordano 1 52.36x
Grays Thurrock 1 18.48x
Ingoldsby 1 270.27x
Mile End Old Town 1 2.15x
Nether Hallam 1 2.53x
Newchurch 1 140.85x
North Marston 1 151.52x
Northwood 1 11.63x
Royal Navy 1 3.33x
Sittingbourne 1 12.59x
St Clement Danes 1 20.96x
Stoke Newington London 1 4.36x
Sutton St Mary St James 1 181.82x
Swineshead 1 64.52x
Upper Hallam 1 39.37x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Maxey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maxey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 302 people were recorded with the Maxey surname. That placed it at #9,673 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maxey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 576 in 2016. That gives Maxey a modern rank of #8,983.

What does the Maxey surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Mack's island" in Old English, referring to an island belonging to someone named Mack.

What does the Maxey map show?

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