NameCensus.

UK surname

Megson

In the 1881 census there were 487 people recorded with the Megson surname, ranking it #6,914 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 867, ranked #6,471, up from #6,914 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Thornhill, Batley and Wakefield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Leeds and Hambleton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Megson is 875 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 78.0%.

1881 census count

487

Ranked #6,914

Modern count

867

2016, ranked #6,471

Peak year

2009

875 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Megson had 487 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,914 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 867 in 2016, ranked #6,471.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 650 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Megson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Megson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Megson 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 309 #7,449
1861 historical 247 #9,977
1881 historical 487 #6,914
1891 historical 534 #7,037
1901 historical 630 #6,801
1911 historical 650 #6,443
1997 modern 838 #6,306
1998 modern 862 #6,364
1999 modern 870 #6,373
2000 modern 866 #6,358
2001 modern 854 #6,314
2002 modern 866 #6,378
2003 modern 859 #6,299
2004 modern 837 #6,420
2005 modern 819 #6,485
2006 modern 828 #6,442
2007 modern 838 #6,447
2008 modern 845 #6,462
2009 modern 875 #6,413
2010 modern 868 #6,582
2011 modern 843 #6,657
2012 modern 854 #6,508
2013 modern 866 #6,547
2014 modern 865 #6,575
2015 modern 863 #6,523
2016 modern 867 #6,471

Geography

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Where Megsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Thornhill, Batley, Wakefield, Sheffield and Huddersfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Leeds, Hambleton and Kirklees. 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 Thornhill Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Wakefield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 042 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Leeds 067 Leeds
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 039 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Hambleton 006 Hambleton
5 Kirklees 028 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Megson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Megson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Megson, 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 Megson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Megson 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, Megson 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

Megson is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Megson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Megson 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 330 Megsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.01x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 330 7.01x
Lancashire 76 1.35x
Middlesex 25 0.53x
Durham 19 1.34x
Westmorland 11 10.54x
Cheshire 7 0.67x
Leicestershire 5 0.95x
Surrey 4 0.17x
Derbyshire 3 0.40x
Midlothian 3 0.47x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.31x
Northumberland 1 0.14x
Sussex 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Beverley St Nicholas in Yorkshire leads with 33 Megsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 854.92x.

Place Total Index
Beverley St Nicholas 33 854.92x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 24 142.69x
Sheffield 23 15.35x
Thornhill 17 123.73x
Manningham 16 27.59x
Wortley In Bramley 15 40.24x
Dewsbury 13 26.93x
Huddersfield 13 18.96x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 13 59.44x
Wakefield 13 35.97x
Bedale 10 584.80x
Darlington 10 18.33x
Kensington London 10 3.79x
Kirkland 10 448.43x
Manchester 10 3.94x
Oldham 10 5.50x
Bradford 9 7.90x
Low Dinsdale 9 2195.12x
Ardwick 8 15.74x
Dewsbury Ossett Cum 8 784.31x
Sculcoates 8 10.72x
Ecclesall Bierlow 7 7.31x
Hackney London 7 2.63x
Hunslet 7 9.54x
Islington London 7 1.52x
Sale 7 54.43x
Salford 7 4.22x
Colne 6 35.74x
Holy Trinity 6 5.30x
Leeds 6 2.26x
Nether Hallam 6 9.42x
South Skirlaugh 6 1250.00x
Almondbury 5 21.97x
Altofts 5 96.15x
Birkdale 5 35.06x
Chorlton On Medlock 5 5.58x
Beswick 4 27.74x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 4 24.84x
Bootle Cum Linacre 4 8.94x
Burneston 4 975.61x
Dalton In Thirsk 4 1000.00x
Denby 4 157.48x
Hulme 4 3.40x
Lambeth 4 0.97x
Layton With Warbreck 4 19.33x
Sandal Magna 4 57.47x
Scarborough 4 9.35x
Soothill 4 23.53x
Leicester St Mary 3 7.05x
New Village 3 212.77x
Pendleton In Salford 3 4.47x
Pontefract 3 29.59x
Potter Newton 3 36.14x
South Leith 3 4.19x
Southcoates 3 11.48x
Thornaby 3 17.06x
Barlborough 2 72.73x
Beverley St Mary 2 29.07x
Holbeck 2 6.41x
Leicester St Nicholas 2 67.11x
Newark Upon Trent 2 8.69x
Silpho 2 1428.57x
Beverley St Martin 1 12.72x
Boynton 1 400.00x
Brightside Bierlow 1 1.08x
Broughton In Salford 1 1.94x
Crofton 1 86.21x
Cuckfield 1 12.36x
Farnley In Bramley 1 17.01x
Keighley 1 1.99x
Lockwood 1 5.90x
Mappleton Rowlston 1 344.83x
Middlesbrough 1 1.63x
Nafferton 1 49.75x
Preston Richard 1 104.17x
Seamer In Scarborough 1 65.79x
Walton On Hill 1 3.27x
Wardleworth 1 3.10x
Weel 1 526.32x
West Derby 1 0.61x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 33
Sarah 20
Elizabeth 19
Ann 16
Hannah 12
Annie 7
Ellen 7
Harriet 7
Jane 7
Alice 6
Edith 6
Clara 5
Emily 5
Margaret 5
Ada 4
Eliza 4
Esther 4
Grace 4
Martha 4
Frances 3
Rachel 3
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Charlotte 2
Emma 2
Gertrude 2
Isabella 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Susan 2
Adelina 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Carrie 1
Elizth. 1
Elsie 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Evelyn 1
Evlina 1
Hellen 1
Henrietta 1
Henriette 1
Isabelle 1
J.K. 1
Jimima 1
Laura 1
Lilian 1
Lillian 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 29
William 18
Alfred 12
Albert 11
Henry 10
Thomas 10
George 9
Richard 9
James 8
Christopher 6
Fred 6
Joseph 6
David 5
Edward 5
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Frank 4
Frederick 4
Robert 4
Ernest 3
Harry 3
Allen 2
Benjamin 2
Edmund 2
Edwin 2
Fredrick 2
Gervase 2
Herbert 2
Percy 2
Tom 2
Walter 2
Willie 2
Angelo 1
Bertram 1
C.H.D. 1
Canova 1
Chrispr. 1
Earnest 1
Edwd. 1
Eli 1
Faithful 1
Francis 1
Horace 1
J.H. 1
Joah 1
Joe 1
Jonath. 1
Joshuae 1
Laurance 1
Wm.Dearden 1

FAQ

Megson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Megson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 487 people were recorded with the Megson surname. That placed it at #6,914 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Megson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 867 in 2016. That gives Megson a modern rank of #6,471.

What does the Megson map show?

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