NameCensus.

UK surname

Mendelsohn

Jewish surname derived from the given name Mendel, meaning "comforter" or "consoler" in Yiddish.

In the 1881 census there were 15 people recorded with the Mendelsohn surname, ranking it #31,451 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 159, ranked #22,798, up from #31,451 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Hull Holy Trinity and St Mary Stoke Newington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnet, Camden and Westminster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mendelsohn is 162 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 960.0%.

1881 census count

15

Ranked #31,451

Modern count

159

2016, ranked #22,798

Peak year

2015

162 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mendelsohn had 15 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,451 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016, ranked #22,798.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 147 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Mendelsohn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mendelsohn surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mendelsohn 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 #33,412
1861 historical 9 #32,724
1881 historical 15 #31,451
1891 historical 52 #30,061
1901 historical 98 #23,119
1911 historical 147 #18,104
1997 modern 124 #23,669
1998 modern 138 #22,814
1999 modern 128 #24,017
2000 modern 132 #23,562
2001 modern 136 #22,855
2002 modern 137 #23,198
2003 modern 148 #21,866
2004 modern 148 #22,000
2005 modern 149 #21,866
2006 modern 148 #22,111
2007 modern 144 #22,804
2008 modern 144 #23,037
2009 modern 144 #23,577
2010 modern 155 #22,985
2011 modern 157 #22,574
2012 modern 155 #22,762
2013 modern 157 #22,904
2014 modern 161 #22,728
2015 modern 162 #22,509
2016 modern 159 #22,798

Geography

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Where Mendelsohns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Hull Holy Trinity, St Mary Stoke Newington, Edinburgh and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnet, Camden and Westminster. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
3 St Mary Stoke Newington London (North Districts)
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnet 035 Barnet
2 Camden 002 Camden
3 Camden 005 Camden
4 Barnet 038 Barnet
5 Westminster 007 Westminster

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mendelsohn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mendelsohn

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

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Mendelsohn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Mendelsohn 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 includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Mendelsohn is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mendelsohn is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mendelsohn falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mendelsohn is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Mendelsohn

The surname Mendelsohn has its origins in the Yiddish language and is derived from the Hebrew phrase "ben Mendel", meaning "son of Mendel". Mendel was a common given name among Ashkenazi Jews in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Germany and Russia.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mendelsohn can be traced back to the 17th and 18th centuries in various regions of Germany and Poland, where large Jewish communities were established. The name likely evolved as a way to distinguish families and maintain lineage records within these communities.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Mendelsohn was the German-Jewish philosopher and theologian Moses Mendelsohn (1729-1786), who played a significant role in the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment movement. His writings and advocacy for religious tolerance and integration into broader European society had a profound impact on the intellectual landscape of his time.

Another prominent figure was the Russian-American biochemist Stanley Mendelsohn (1912-1997), who made significant contributions to the understanding of the biochemistry of cellular metabolism and the role of lipids in health and disease. His research paved the way for the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs and interventions for cardiovascular disease.

The name Mendelsohn can also be found in the records of early Jewish communities in various cities across Europe, such as the Memorbuch (memorial book) of the Jewish community in Frankfurt am Main, which dates back to the 16th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Mendelsohn include the American pediatrician Robert A. Mendelsohn (1926-1988), a vocal critic of many modern medical practices and a proponent of alternative medicine; and the German-British painter Lili Mendelsohn (1893-1976), whose works are held in collections worldwide.

Throughout history, variations in spelling and pronunciation of the surname Mendelsohn have emerged, including Mendelssohn, Mendelsohn, and Mendlsohn, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences on Jewish communities across different regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mendelsohn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mendelsohn 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. Middlesex leads with 15 Mendelsohns recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.27x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 15 10.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hackney London in Middlesex leads with 6 Mendelsohns recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.26x.

Place Total Index
Hackney London 6 73.26x
Stoke Newington London 5 438.60x
Clerkenwell London 2 57.97x
Paddington London 2 37.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Eliza 1
Ernestine 1
Ida 1
Lina 1
Matilda 1
Paula 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Albert 1
Bernhardt 1
Jacob 1
Julius 1
Leodlberd 1
Leopold 1
Louisa 1
Max 1
Rudolph 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mendelsohn households.

FAQ

Mendelsohn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mendelsohn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 15 people were recorded with the Mendelsohn surname. That placed it at #31,451 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mendelsohn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016. That gives Mendelsohn a modern rank of #22,798.

What does the Mendelsohn surname mean?

Jewish surname derived from the given name Mendel, meaning "comforter" or "consoler" in Yiddish.

What does the Mendelsohn map show?

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