NameCensus.

UK surname

Mildenhall

A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Mildenhall, England.

In the 1881 census there were 236 people recorded with the Mildenhall surname, ranking it #11,540 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 344, ranked #13,347, down from #11,540 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lambourn, Buckland with Carswell and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, West Berkshire and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mildenhall is 419 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.8%.

1881 census count

236

Ranked #11,540

Modern count

344

2016, ranked #13,347

Peak year

1911

419 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mildenhall had 236 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,540 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 344 in 2016, ranked #13,347.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 419 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mildenhall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mildenhall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mildenhall 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 151 #12,840
1861 historical 148 #15,452
1881 historical 236 #11,540
1891 historical 325 #10,426
1901 historical 380 #9,823
1911 historical 419 #8,985
1997 modern 363 #11,849
1998 modern 403 #11,275
1999 modern 389 #11,678
2000 modern 384 #11,759
2001 modern 375 #11,774
2002 modern 385 #11,771
2003 modern 371 #11,901
2004 modern 375 #11,820
2005 modern 371 #11,842
2006 modern 353 #12,363
2007 modern 345 #12,714
2008 modern 347 #12,786
2009 modern 355 #12,832
2010 modern 365 #12,825
2011 modern 346 #13,192
2012 modern 355 #12,816
2013 modern 358 #12,952
2014 modern 356 #13,098
2015 modern 351 #13,135
2016 modern 344 #13,347

Geography

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Where Mildenhalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lambourn, Buckland with Carswell, London parishes, Ham and Ramsbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, West Berkshire, Cornwall and Swindon. 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 Lambourn Berkshire
2 Buckland with Carswell Berkshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Ham Berkshire
5 Ramsbury Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 012 Wiltshire
2 West Berkshire 012 West Berkshire
3 Cornwall 041 Cornwall
4 Swindon 012 Swindon
5 West Berkshire 018 West Berkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mildenhall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mildenhall

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Mildenhall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mildenhall 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

City Support Workers

Within London, Mildenhall is most associated with areas classed as City Support Workers, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

Scattered throughout Inner London, these areas house relatively few workers in the most senior roles within organisations, and greater prevalence of administrative roles relative to the Supergroup mean. Residents are less likely to be of Chinese ethnicity and are more likely to have been born in Africa. Relative to the Supergroup average, residents are also more likely to live in social housing and live in overcrowded conditions.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mildenhall is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mildenhall falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mildenhall

The surname Mildenhall has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Mildenhall, located in the county of Suffolk. The name likely stems from the Old English words "mylde" meaning "gentle" and "healh" meaning "nook" or "corner," referring to a gentle or mild area.

The name Mildenhall can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which records the settlement as "Mildenhale." This indicates that the name and its spelling were already established by the late 11th century. The Domesday Book mentions several landholders in Mildenhall, suggesting the surname may have emerged among the local gentry or landowners.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mildenhall is found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, which mention a Radulphus de Mildenhale. This demonstrates that the surname had begun to spread beyond its place of origin by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John de Mildenhall, a Knight of the Shire for Suffolk in 1300. Another early figure was William de Mildenhall, who served as the Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1349.

During the Tudor period, the name gained further prominence with Richard Mildenhall (c. 1510-1576), an English merchant and explorer who traveled to the East Indies and became one of the earliest Englishmen to visit the Spice Islands. His accounts of his voyages contributed to the growth of England's trade and colonial interests in the region.

In the 17th century, Sir Ralph Mildenhall (1587-1668) was a notable figure, serving as the Governor of the East India Company's factory in Surat, India, from 1627 to 1628. His son, John Mildenhall (c. 1620-1692), also played a role in the East India Company and served as the Governor of the Company's settlement on the island of Pulo Run (now Sumatra, Indonesia) in the 1670s.

Other bearers of the surname include the 19th-century English artist, Thomas Mildenhall (1798-1868), known for his landscapes and portraiture, and the 20th-century British author and journalist, Ranald Mildenhall (1906-1982), who wrote several novels and biographies.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mildenhall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mildenhall 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. Berkshire leads with 102 Mildenhalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.03x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 102 59.03x
Wiltshire 49 24.07x
Middlesex 21 0.91x
Surrey 16 1.43x
Hampshire 13 2.76x
Lancashire 9 0.33x
Buckinghamshire 8 5.75x
Norfolk 8 2.26x
Kent 5 0.64x
Durham 2 0.29x
Essex 1 0.22x
Oxfordshire 1 0.70x
Sussex 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Buckland in Berkshire leads with 23 Mildenhalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 4035.09x.

Place Total Index
Buckland 23 4035.09x
Ramsbury 17 923.91x
Lambourn 14 818.71x
Marlborough St Mary Virgin 11 769.23x
Uffington 10 2222.22x
East West Challow 9 2000.00x
Mile End Old Town 9 24.77x
Stanford In Vale 9 1304.35x
Eton 8 253.16x
Hampstead Norris 8 733.95x
Hungerford 8 341.88x
Sanderstead 8 2666.67x
Shalbourn 7 1076.92x
Spotland 7 23.05x
Aldbourn 6 504.20x
Foulsham 6 800.00x
Mildenhall 6 1666.67x
Speen 6 212.01x
Croydon 5 8.03x
St Faith Winchester 5 227.27x
Clewer 4 56.50x
Hampstead London 4 11.16x
Kensington London 4 3.13x
Basingstoke 3 55.25x
Greenwich 3 8.19x
Purton 3 165.75x
Wimbledon 3 23.83x
Englefield 2 645.16x
Gateshead 2 3.90x
Kingsclere 2 92.59x
Little Bedwyn 2 500.00x
Newchurch 2 8.95x
Norwich St George Colegate 2 155.04x
Bampton 1 90.91x
Buttermere 1 1000.00x
Dartford 1 12.45x
Eltham 1 21.74x
Feltham 1 43.48x
Great Bedwin 1 68.97x
Hastings Holy Trinity 1 34.97x
Holdenhurst 1 8.08x
Matching 1 212.77x
Overton 1 5000.00x
Preshute 1 80.00x
Reading St Giles 1 5.90x
Shellingford 1 500.00x
Shoreditch London 1 1.00x
St Marylebone London 1 0.81x
St Maurice Winchester 1 51.02x
St Pancras London 1 0.54x
Stratfield Turgis 1 625.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 15
Mary 15
Louisa 6
Alice 5
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Hannah 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Charlotte 3
Edith 3
Harriett 3
Jane 3
Ada 2
Dinah 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Isabella 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Rosina 2
Amy 1
Betsy 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Harriet 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
June 1
Kezia 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Nora 1
Rohda 1
Rosanna 1
Ruth 1
Susanah 1
Thirsa 1
Thirza 1
Thursa 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Mildenhall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mildenhall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 236 people were recorded with the Mildenhall surname. That placed it at #11,540 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mildenhall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 344 in 2016. That gives Mildenhall a modern rank of #13,347.

What does the Mildenhall surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Mildenhall, England.

What does the Mildenhall map show?

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