NameCensus.

UK surname

Maydew

An English surname derived from an Old English place name meaning "meadow dwelling".

In the 1881 census there were 71 people recorded with the Maydew surname, ranking it #23,517 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 223, ranked #18,222, up from #23,517 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Sedgley and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wolverhampton, South Derbyshire and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maydew is 234 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 214.1%.

1881 census count

71

Ranked #23,517

Modern count

223

2016, ranked #18,222

Peak year

2010

234 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maydew had 71 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,517 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 223 in 2016, ranked #18,222.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 127 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Maydew surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maydew surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maydew 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 35 #27,037
1861 historical 50 #27,636
1881 historical 71 #23,517
1891 historical 76 #27,290
1901 historical 112 #21,382
1911 historical 127 #19,749
1997 modern 177 #19,018
1998 modern 213 #17,431
1999 modern 221 #17,126
2000 modern 225 #16,891
2001 modern 215 #17,159
2002 modern 217 #17,388
2003 modern 211 #17,513
2004 modern 211 #17,590
2005 modern 211 #17,520
2006 modern 209 #17,784
2007 modern 208 #18,013
2008 modern 210 #18,052
2009 modern 225 #17,631
2010 modern 234 #17,544
2011 modern 233 #17,426
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 222 #18,198
2014 modern 224 #18,202
2015 modern 226 #17,995
2016 modern 223 #18,222

Geography

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Where Maydews are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Sedgley, London parishes, Leek and Cheddleton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wolverhampton, South Derbyshire and Walsall. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Sedgley Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Leek Staffordshire
5 Cheddleton Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wolverhampton 027 Wolverhampton
2 South Derbyshire 006 South Derbyshire
3 Walsall 025 Walsall
4 Wolverhampton 023 Wolverhampton
5 Wolverhampton 029 Wolverhampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maydew

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maydew

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Maydew is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Maydew is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Maydew

The surname MAYDEW has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from an Old English place name, possibly a combination of the words "mæd" meaning meadow and "dæw" meaning dew, indicating a location characterized by a dewy meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the MAYDEW surname was already established in parts of England by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the MAYDEW name was predominant in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, where it is thought to have originated from the village of Maidew or a similar-sounding place. Historical records from this period often show variations in spelling, such as Maydew, Maidew, and Maydough.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the MAYDEW name was John Maydew, a prominent landowner and wool merchant from the town of Lacock in Wiltshire. He was born around 1320 and played a significant role in the local economy and community affairs.

Another prominent individual with the MAYDEW surname was William Maydew, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century. He was born in Gloucestershire in 1452 and served as a professor at the University of Oxford, where he made valuable contributions to the study of philosophy and theology.

During the Tudor period, the MAYDEW family gained prominence in the town of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Sir Thomas Maydew, born in 1518, was a respected magistrate and landowner who held significant influence in the region.

In the 17th century, the MAYDEW name appeared in various historical records, such as parish registers and legal documents. One notable figure was Robert Maydew, a successful merchant born in 1645 in Bristol, who amassed a considerable fortune through his trading ventures.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the MAYDEW surname continued to be prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. Several individuals bearing this name contributed to various fields, including agriculture, education, and local politics.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maydew families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maydew 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. Staffordshire leads with 37 Maydews recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.61x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 37 15.61x
Cheshire 16 10.32x
Shropshire 6 9.89x
Middlesex 4 0.57x
Lancashire 3 0.36x
Worcestershire 2 2.18x
Derbyshire 1 0.91x
Devon 1 0.68x
Somerset 1 0.88x
Yorkshire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Audley in Staffordshire leads with 11 Maydews recorded in 1881 and an index of 468.09x.

Place Total Index
Audley 11 468.09x
Cheddleton 9 1800.00x
Drayton In Hales 6 480.00x
Walsall Foreign 6 48.98x
Cheadle 5 438.60x
Chorlton In Nantwich 5 25000.00x
Macclesfield 5 72.57x
Sutton In Macclesfield 4 248.45x
Tipton 3 41.32x
Bow London 2 22.37x
Didsbury 2 180.18x
Heaton 2 2500.00x
Kings Norton 2 24.33x
Ashover 1 181.82x
Charlcombe 1 666.67x
Cranage 1 909.09x
Heaton Norris 1 21.10x
Rattery 1 1000.00x
Sheffield 1 4.51x
St George Hanover 1 10.91x
St Marylebone London 1 2.67x
Stockport 1 12.53x
Wolstanton 1 13.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Thomas 9
John 6
James 3
Samuel 3
Benjamin 2
George 2
Joseph 2
Matthew 2
William 2
Albert 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
J. 1
Leonard 1

FAQ

Maydew surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maydew surname in 1881?

In 1881, 71 people were recorded with the Maydew surname. That placed it at #23,517 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maydew surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 223 in 2016. That gives Maydew a modern rank of #18,222.

What does the Maydew surname mean?

An English surname derived from an Old English place name meaning "meadow dwelling".

What does the Maydew map show?

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