NameCensus.

UK surname

Merrington

In the 1881 census there were 235 people recorded with the Merrington surname, ranking it #11,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 535, ranked #9,499, up from #11,573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dawley, Magna, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Sunderland and Gedling.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Merrington is 573 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 127.7%.

1881 census count

235

Ranked #11,573

Modern count

535

2016, ranked #9,499

Peak year

2002

573 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Merrington had 235 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 535 in 2016, ranked #9,499.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 425 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Merrington surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Merrington surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Merrington 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 217 #9,784
1861 historical 152 #15,126
1881 historical 235 #11,573
1891 historical 310 #10,812
1901 historical 361 #10,196
1911 historical 425 #8,877
1997 modern 540 #8,782
1998 modern 553 #8,892
1999 modern 558 #8,885
2000 modern 566 #8,744
2001 modern 554 #8,762
2002 modern 573 #8,710
2003 modern 540 #8,967
2004 modern 532 #9,083
2005 modern 530 #9,054
2006 modern 517 #9,246
2007 modern 525 #9,219
2008 modern 538 #9,115
2009 modern 540 #9,294
2010 modern 561 #9,214
2011 modern 543 #9,373
2012 modern 537 #9,348
2013 modern 556 #9,249
2014 modern 565 #9,191
2015 modern 550 #9,308
2016 modern 535 #9,499

Geography

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Where Merringtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dawley, Magna, London parishes, St Pancras, Wombridge and Downham Market, Stow Bardolph, Wimbotsham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Sunderland, Gedling and Central Bedfordshire. 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 Dawley, Magna Shropshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Wombridge Shropshire
5 Downham Market, Stow Bardolph, Wimbotsham Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 054 County Durham
2 Sunderland 030 Sunderland
3 Gedling 002 Gedling
4 Sunderland 035 Sunderland
5 Central Bedfordshire 005 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Merrington

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Merrington

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Merrington surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Merrington household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Merrington 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

Merrington is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Merrington falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Merrington 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 Merrington, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Merrington families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Merrington 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 42 Merringtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.82x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 42 1.82x
Shropshire 41 20.62x
Yorkshire 37 1.62x
Durham 26 3.80x
Essex 17 3.74x
Norfolk 14 3.96x
Hertfordshire 13 8.19x
Lancashire 9 0.33x
Bedfordshire 7 5.87x
Hampshire 7 1.48x
Surrey 7 0.62x
Kent 4 0.51x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.97x
Devon 2 0.42x
Lincolnshire 2 0.54x
Suffolk 2 0.71x
Isle of Man 1 2.34x
Staffordshire 1 0.13x
Warwickshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dawley in Shropshire leads with 36 Merringtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 497.24x.

Place Total Index
Dawley 36 497.24x
St Pancras London 17 9.17x
Downham Market 14 576.13x
Tunstall In Richmond 10 5263.16x
Margaretting 9 2195.12x
Brandon Byshottles 8 93.24x
Hackney London 7 5.42x
Headlam 7 8750.00x
Lambourne 7 1029.41x
Alverstoke 6 35.13x
Bradford 6 46.91x
Camberwell 6 4.08x
Kirkleatham 5 162.34x
Northchurch 5 295.86x
Paddington London 5 5.91x
Penshaw 5 242.72x
Shoreditch London 5 5.01x
Wombridge 5 203.25x
Cornforth 4 198.02x
Hunslet 4 11.25x
Kirby Fleetham 4 909.09x
Sandon 4 666.67x
Scriven Cum Tentergate 4 470.59x
Sutton 4 1739.13x
Deptford St Paul 3 4.95x
Hemel Hempstead 3 41.96x
Lenton 3 41.04x
Potton 3 189.87x
Arkendale 2 1333.33x
Chelsea London 2 2.88x
Darlington 2 7.56x
Mildenhall 2 67.11x
Seaton 2 108.11x
Tydd St Mary 2 273.97x
Aston 1 0.63x
Baldock 1 67.11x
Battersea 1 1.18x
Brompton In 1 98.04x
Checkley 1 49.51x
Edmonton 1 5.39x
Eston 1 20.12x
Garriston 1 5000.00x
Habergham Eaves 1 4.00x
Hornchurch 1 44.84x
Huyton With Roby 1 31.25x
Islington London 1 0.45x
Keighley 1 4.11x
Kensington London 1 0.78x
Liverpool 1 0.60x
Maughold 1 30.30x
Melsonby 1 238.10x
Middlesbrough 1 3.37x
Portsea 1 1.08x
Snape 1 270.27x
St George Bloomsbury 1 7.57x
St Marylebone London 1 0.81x
Thirn 1 1000.00x
Willesden 1 4.61x
Woolwich 1 3.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 20
Elizabeth 7
Jane 7
Sarah 7
Annie 5
Eliza 5
Harriet 4
Ann 3
Emily 3
Adelaide 2
Alice 2
Bertha 2
Edith 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Rebecca 2
Susan 2
Amelia 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Eleanor 1
Elenor 1
Elizabeh 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Flory 1
Frances 1
George 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Henny 1
Ida 1
Jessie 1
June 1
Kesiah 1
Letitia 1
Lizzie 1
Louise 1
Lousie 1
Marie 1
Minnie 1
S. 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 11
Thomas 11
John 10
William 9
Charles 8
Robert 7
Alfred 5
Arthur 3
David 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Henry 3
Matthew 3
Noah 3
Richard 3
Francis 2
James 2
Albert 1
Andrew 1
Anthoney 1
Byron 1
Caleb 1
Douglas 1
Dyson 1
E. 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Gilbert 1
H. 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
J. 1
Joseph 1
Lincoln 1
Louis 1
Michael 1
N. 1
Reppoth 1
S. 1
T. 1
W. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Geo. 1

FAQ

Merrington surname: questions and answers

How common was the Merrington surname in 1881?

In 1881, 235 people were recorded with the Merrington surname. That placed it at #11,573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Merrington surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 535 in 2016. That gives Merrington a modern rank of #9,499.

What does the Merrington map show?

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