NameCensus.

UK surname

Mildren

A locative surname denoting someone from a place called Mildren.

In the 1881 census there were 178 people recorded with the Mildren surname, ranking it #13,840 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 232, ranked #17,694, down from #13,840 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Keverne, Barking and Paul. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Torbay and Waltham Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mildren is 310 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.3%.

1881 census count

178

Ranked #13,840

Modern count

232

2016, ranked #17,694

Peak year

1911

310 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mildren had 178 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,840 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016, ranked #17,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 310 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mildren surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mildren surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mildren 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 91 #18,187
1861 historical 93 #22,009
1881 historical 178 #13,840
1891 historical 190 #15,486
1901 historical 238 #13,528
1911 historical 310 #11,180
1997 modern 222 #16,508
1998 modern 237 #16,272
1999 modern 238 #16,308
2000 modern 240 #16,186
2001 modern 236 #16,094
2002 modern 241 #16,243
2003 modern 234 #16,343
2004 modern 236 #16,335
2005 modern 232 #16,480
2006 modern 235 #16,439
2007 modern 240 #16,392
2008 modern 245 #16,295
2009 modern 257 #16,099
2010 modern 250 #16,791
2011 modern 244 #16,922
2012 modern 239 #17,027
2013 modern 240 #17,251
2014 modern 237 #17,528
2015 modern 234 #17,577
2016 modern 232 #17,694

Geography

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Where Mildrens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Keverne, Barking, Paul, Portsmouth, Portsea and Liskeard, St Cleer. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Torbay, Waltham Forest, South Gloucestershire and Plymouth. 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 St Keverne Cornwall
2 Barking Essex
3 Paul Cornwall
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Liskeard, St Cleer Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 070 Cornwall
2 Torbay 005 Torbay
3 Waltham Forest 008 Waltham Forest
4 South Gloucestershire 016 South Gloucestershire
5 Plymouth 029 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mildren

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mildren

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mildren, 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 Mildren surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mildren 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mildren is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mildren 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

Mildren falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mildren is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mildren

The surname Mildren is of English origin, believed to have originated in the 16th century. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the place name 'Mildrith', a parish near the town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire. The name 'Mildrith' is a combination of the Old English words 'myld' meaning 'mild' and 'rithe' meaning 'stream'.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Mildren appears in the parish records of Malmesbury in 1568, where a John Mildren is mentioned as a witness to a legal document. The variant spelling 'Myldren' is also found in these records, suggesting that the name may have evolved from 'Mildrith'.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the area now known as Mildrith is recorded as 'Mildride', lending further credence to the theory that the surname is derived from this place name. The Domesday Book also mentions a landowner named Alured de Mildride, who may have been an early ancestor of those bearing the Mildren surname.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Thomas Mildren, born in 1612 in Malmesbury. He was a renowned scholar and theologian, who served as the Rector of Purton in Wiltshire from 1642 until his death in 1679.

Another notable figure was Sir John Mildren (1620-1692), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1683. He was a prominent merchant and played a significant role in the city's governance during a tumultuous period of English history.

In the 18th century, the Mildren family had a strong presence in the village of Crudwell, also in Wiltshire. One of the village's notable residents was William Mildren (1735-1812), a successful farmer and landowner.

Moving into the 19th century, we find Captain James Mildren (1801-1876), a distinguished officer in the British Royal Navy. He served in the Napoleonic Wars and later commanded several ships during his long naval career.

Finally, in the 20th century, Mary Mildren (1906-1989) was a well-known artist and sculptor from Bristol. Her works were exhibited widely and are held in several public collections in the United Kingdom.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mildren families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mildren 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. Cornwall leads with 106 Mildrens recorded in 1881 and an index of 54.54x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 106 54.54x
Devon 27 7.56x
Lancashire 16 0.79x
Hampshire 15 4.26x
Kent 4 0.68x
Channel Islands 2 3.93x
Middlesex 2 0.12x
Yorkshire 2 0.12x
Cumberland 1 0.68x
Surrey 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. Stoke Damerel in Devon leads with 15 Mildrens recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.98x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Damerel 15 59.98x
Falmouth 13 188.95x
Portsea 13 18.85x
Crowan 12 779.22x
St Keverne 11 1028.04x
Ludgvan 10 645.16x
Liskeard 8 246.15x
Menheniot 8 987.65x
Habergham Eaves 7 37.59x
St Germans 7 514.71x
Widnes 7 47.65x
St Buryan 6 750.00x
St Cleer 5 295.86x
Camborne 4 49.94x
Merther 4 2857.14x
St Ive 4 320.00x
Breage 3 169.49x
Highweek 3 236.22x
Ugborough 3 348.84x
Callington 2 176.99x
Gwennap 2 54.50x
Holy Trinity St Mary 2 77.22x
Illogan 2 38.84x
Madron Penzance 2 28.29x
Modbury 2 219.78x
Plumstead 2 10.25x
Portsmouth 2 24.69x
St Martin 2 64.10x
Bermondsey 1 1.96x
Birkdale 1 19.42x
Cheriton 1 41.84x
Compton 1 416.67x
Devonport 1 24.33x
Hampstead London 1 3.74x
Liverpool 1 0.81x
Lydd 1 80.00x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 3.63x
Preston Quarter 1 24.15x
Quethiock 1 357.14x
Redruth 1 18.18x
St Gluvias Penryn 1 64.10x
St Sepulchre London 1 39.84x
Stoke 1 68.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Jane 12
Elizabeth 7
Ann 6
Eliza 4
Alice 3
Caroline 3
Charlotte 3
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Sarah 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Grace 2
Ruth 2
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Berrie 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Edna 1
Elizh.Jane 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Henrietta 1
Jessie 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Loveday 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Patience 1
Rossina 1
Sophia 1
Tamson 1
Unity 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 13
Richard 9
Edward 5
George 5
Thomas 5
Henry 3
James 3
Edmond 2
Harry 2
Samuel 2
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Francis 1
Jabez 1
Jas. 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Percy 1
Sidney 1
Stratton 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Vivian 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Mildren surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mildren surname in 1881?

In 1881, 178 people were recorded with the Mildren surname. That placed it at #13,840 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mildren surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016. That gives Mildren a modern rank of #17,694.

What does the Mildren surname mean?

A locative surname denoting someone from a place called Mildren.

What does the Mildren map show?

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