NameCensus.

UK surname

Mellor

An English occupational surname referring to a miller or one who grinds grain.

In the 1881 census there were 10,568 people recorded with the Mellor surname, ranking it #404 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,743, ranked #557, down from #404 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Manchester and Prestwich. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include High Peak, Cheshire East and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mellor is 13,652 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.1%.

1881 census count

10,568

Ranked #404

Modern count

11,743

2016, ranked #557

Peak year

1911

13,652 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mellor had 10,568 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #404 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,743 in 2016, ranked #557.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 13,652 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Mellor surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mellor surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mellor 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 6,456 #426
1861 historical 4,897 #576
1881 historical 10,568 #404
1891 historical 10,112 #436
1901 historical 12,890 #408
1911 historical 13,652 #358
1997 modern 11,318 #537
1998 modern 12,088 #523
1999 modern 12,160 #525
2000 modern 12,112 #525
2001 modern 11,832 #525
2002 modern 11,991 #533
2003 modern 11,671 #535
2004 modern 11,685 #536
2005 modern 11,421 #538
2006 modern 11,455 #538
2007 modern 11,454 #543
2008 modern 11,455 #546
2009 modern 11,766 #545
2010 modern 12,026 #552
2011 modern 11,964 #545
2012 modern 11,688 #554
2013 modern 11,919 #551
2014 modern 11,965 #555
2015 modern 11,810 #556
2016 modern 11,743 #557

Geography

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Where Mellors are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Manchester, Prestwich, Ashton-under-Lyne and Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to High Peak, Cheshire East, Staffordshire Moorlands and Derbyshire Dales. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Prestwich Lancashire
4 Ashton-under-Lyne Lancashire
5 Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 High Peak 012 High Peak
2 Cheshire East 037 Cheshire East
3 Staffordshire Moorlands 005 Staffordshire Moorlands
4 Derbyshire Dales 003 Derbyshire Dales
5 High Peak 011 High Peak

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mellor

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mellor

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

Mellor 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

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

Meaning and origin of Mellor

The surname Mellor has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "mellere," which means "miller" or someone who operates a mill. This suggests that the original bearers of this name were likely millers by trade or lived near a mill.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places named "Mellor" or variations thereof. These place names were likely derived from the same Old English word and may have been the original locations associated with the surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mellor was Richard le Mellere, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another early bearer of the name was William le Melur, who was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1199.

Over time, the surname Mellor has seen various spelling variations, including Melior, Mellour, and Melyor, among others. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the individual preferences of scribes who recorded the name.

Historically, the Mellor surname has been associated with several notable individuals, such as:

1. Andrew Mellor (1565-1637), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Oriel College, Oxford. 2. John Mellor (1637-1696), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works. 3. Joseph Mellor (1789-1855), a British businessman and industrialist who founded the Mellor Foundry in Oldham, Lancashire. 4. Thomas Mellor (1813-1894), a British architect known for his work on the design of churches and other buildings in the Gothic Revival style. 5. John Mellor (1853-1933), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire.

The surname Mellor has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Mellor in Derbyshire, Mellor in Lancashire, and Mellor in Greater Manchester, among others. These place names may have influenced the distribution and migration patterns of individuals bearing the Mellor surname over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mellor families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mellor 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 3,638 Mellors recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.98x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 3,638 2.98x
Yorkshire 2,731 2.68x
Staffordshire 1,270 3.66x
Cheshire 1,111 4.89x
Derbyshire 1,056 6.55x
Middlesex 129 0.13x
Nottinghamshire 83 0.60x
Surrey 80 0.16x
Leicestershire 61 0.53x
Warwickshire 50 0.19x
Gloucestershire 34 0.17x
Kent 24 0.07x
Durham 23 0.08x
Lanarkshire 21 0.06x
Sussex 21 0.12x
Worcestershire 18 0.13x
Devon 16 0.07x
Berkshire 15 0.19x
Northamptonshire 15 0.16x
Northumberland 14 0.09x
Shropshire 13 0.15x
Cumberland 12 0.14x
Hampshire 12 0.06x
Bedfordshire 11 0.21x
Hertfordshire 11 0.16x
Suffolk 11 0.09x
Renfrewshire 9 0.11x
Glamorgan 8 0.04x
Lincolnshire 8 0.05x
Anglesey 7 0.38x
Huntingdonshire 6 0.29x
Flintshire 5 0.18x
Herefordshire 4 0.09x
Norfolk 4 0.03x
Essex 3 0.01x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.05x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.03x
Royal Navy 2 0.16x
Angus 1 0.01x
Banffshire 1 0.05x
Dorset 1 0.01x
Midlothian 1 0.01x
Monmouthshire 1 0.01x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.04x
Wiltshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Oldham in Lancashire leads with 801 Mellors recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.32x.

Place Total Index
Oldham 801 20.32x
Ashton Under Lyne 443 16.60x
Royton 252 67.47x
Manchester 231 4.21x
Stoke Upon Trent 213 5.78x
Macclesfield 175 17.33x
Almondbury 141 28.60x
Huddersfield 141 9.49x
Dukinfield 136 12.96x
Glossop Dale 134 17.76x
Saddleworth 112 14.24x
Leek Lowe 109 23.59x
Hulme 104 4.08x
Meltham 96 60.54x
Stretford 95 14.14x
Chapel En Le Frith 90 61.18x
Sutton In Macclesfield 82 34.79x
Chadderton 81 13.57x
Linthwaite 78 36.40x
Lockwood 75 20.44x
Sheffield 74 2.28x
Chorlton On Medlock 73 3.76x
Golcar 67 24.85x
Honley 67 37.54x
Salford 67 1.87x
South Crosland 65 60.54x
Over 63 27.29x
Burslem 61 6.13x
Hartington Upper 61 79.37x
Wooldale 61 35.27x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 59 22.94x
Mirfield 58 10.36x
Congleton 56 14.27x
Leeds 55 0.96x
Wolstanton 55 5.21x
Castleton 54 4.43x
Crompton 54 15.53x
Gorton 54 4.70x
Ardwick 51 4.63x
Stockport 51 4.36x
Stone 51 11.48x
Warrington 51 3.52x
Openshaw 50 8.74x
Blackburn 49 1.51x
Austonley 47 81.41x
Hollinsclough 47 382.42x
Rusholme 46 14.12x
Wakefield 45 5.75x
Upperthong 43 49.58x
Walsall Foreign 43 2.40x
Checkley 42 46.56x
Ecclesall Bierlow 42 2.02x
Heaton Norris 42 6.04x
Nottingham St Mary 42 1.17x
Everton 41 1.05x
Nether Hallam 41 2.97x
Toxteth Park 39 0.94x
Norton In Moors 38 20.67x
Spotland 37 2.73x
Uttoxeter 37 20.81x
Ecclesfield 36 4.81x
Hyde 36 5.37x
Pendleton In Salford 36 2.47x
Dalton In Huddersfield 35 15.32x
Wuerdle Wardle 35 9.44x
Bradford 34 1.38x
Newton In Ashton Under 34 15.17x
Ashover 33 41.16x
Longnor 33 175.07x
Newton 33 3.51x
Slaithwaite 33 31.08x
Beard Ollerset Whitle 32 30.19x
Derby St Peter 32 6.24x
West Derby 32 0.90x
Barton Upon Irwell 30 3.26x
Bury 30 2.15x
Church Gresley 30 11.70x
Fulstone 29 38.87x
Liversedge 29 6.39x
Wardleworth 29 4.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 826
Sarah 518
Elizabeth 409
Hannah 262
Ann 236
Jane 200
Alice 176
Annie 170
Martha 167
Emma 151
Ellen 127
Eliza 126
Emily 96
Margaret 76
Harriet 75
Clara 67
Ada 57
Maria 53
Lucy 52
Charlotte 48
Edith 48
Louisa 48
Betty 47
Esther 44
Florence 44
Fanny 42
Agnes 40
Frances 39
Anne 34
Ruth 29
Isabella 28
Catherine 27
Bertha 26
Gertrude 26
Caroline 23
Nancy 23
Amelia 22
Rachel 22
Lydia 21
Elizth. 20
Kate 20
Harriett 19
Rebecca 17
Sophia 17
Susannah 17
Betsy 16
Ethel 16
Eleanor 14
Matilda 14
Minnie 14

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 695
William 522
James 394
Thomas 385
George 338
Joseph 328
Samuel 148
Charles 141
Henry 141
Robert 110
Arthur 103
Alfred 81
Edward 69
Benjamin 60
Fred 58
Albert 57
Walter 56
Harry 54
Richard 51
Wm. 45
Herbert 43
Joe 43
Frederick 37
Frank 30
David 29
Edwin 29
Tom 29
Joshua 24
Abraham 22
Wright 22
Ralph 20
Daniel 19
Jonathan 19
Thos. 19
Ernest 18
Sam 18
Peter 17
Edmund 16
Moses 16
Willie 16
Francis 15
Ben 14
Isaac 14
Allen 13
Harold 13
Matthew 13
Andrew 11
Jonas 11
Saml. 11
Eli 10

FAQ

Mellor surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mellor surname in 1881?

In 1881, 10,568 people were recorded with the Mellor surname. That placed it at #404 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mellor surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,743 in 2016. That gives Mellor a modern rank of #557.

What does the Mellor surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a miller or one who grinds grain.

What does the Mellor map show?

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