NameCensus.

UK surname

Milsted

A locative surname referring to a dweller at the mill stead or mill homestead.

In the 1881 census there were 136 people recorded with the Milsted surname, ranking it #16,433 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 172, ranked #21,648, down from #16,433 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Maidstone, Leeds and North Dorset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Milsted is 255 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 26.5%.

1881 census count

136

Ranked #16,433

Modern count

172

2016, ranked #21,648

Peak year

1911

255 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Milsted had 136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,433 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 172 in 2016, ranked #21,648.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 255 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Milsted surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Milsted surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Milsted 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 142 #13,428
1861 historical 113 #19,151
1881 historical 136 #16,433
1891 historical 164 #17,205
1901 historical 205 #14,884
1911 historical 255 #12,719
1997 modern 186 #18,448
1998 modern 189 #18,737
1999 modern 193 #18,642
2000 modern 190 #18,806
2001 modern 190 #18,520
2002 modern 188 #19,012
2003 modern 178 #19,489
2004 modern 189 #18,855
2005 modern 189 #18,807
2006 modern 194 #18,627
2007 modern 189 #19,146
2008 modern 191 #19,195
2009 modern 183 #20,135
2010 modern 198 #19,577
2011 modern 201 #19,213
2012 modern 186 #20,141
2013 modern 187 #20,436
2014 modern 185 #20,739
2015 modern 182 #20,856
2016 modern 172 #21,648

Geography

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Where Milsteds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras, Goodnestone and Yalding, Aylesford, Burham, Mereworth, Wateringbury, Nettlestead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Maidstone, Leeds, North Dorset, Taunton Deane and St Edmundsbury. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Goodnestone Kent
5 Yalding, Aylesford, Burham, Mereworth, Wateringbury, Nettlestead Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Maidstone 014 Maidstone
2 Leeds 057 Leeds
3 North Dorset 001 North Dorset
4 Taunton Deane 014 Taunton Deane
5 St Edmundsbury 007 St Edmundsbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Milsted

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Milsted

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Milsted surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Milsted household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Milsted is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Milsted 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

Milsted falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Milsted is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Milsted

The surname MILSTED is believed to have originated in England, possibly in the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that may have referred to a mill or a settlement near a mill.

One possible origin of the name is from the Old English words "myllen" meaning "mill" and "stede" meaning "place" or "site". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a mill or worked at a mill.

Another theory is that the name is derived from a place called Milstead or Milsted, which is an existing location in Kent, England. Records show that a family by the name of MILSTED was present in this area as early as the 16th century.

The earliest recorded instance of the MILSTED surname appears to be in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, dated 1524, which mentions a John Milsted. Other early records include the marriage of Joane Milsted in Essex in 1558 and the baptism of Edmund Milsted in London in 1603.

One notable individual with the MILSTED surname was Sir John Milsted (1591-1660), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Winchelsea, Sussex in the 17th century. Another was Edward Milsted (1632-1703), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Lewes from 1695 until his death.

In the 18th century, a family of MILSTEDs was recorded in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Woodbridge, Suffolk. This included William MILSTED (1715-1787) and his son, also named William MILSTED (1753-1827), who were both merchants and ship owners.

Another notable individual was Richard MILSTED (1817-1894), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Kent and other parts of southern England in the 19th century.

While the name MILSTED is not extremely common, it has been documented in various parts of England for several centuries, reflecting its probable origins as a locational surname related to mills or specific place names.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Milsted families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Milsted 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. Kent leads with 55 Milsteds recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.15x.

County Total Index
Kent 55 12.15x
Middlesex 26 1.96x
Surrey 23 3.56x
Sussex 16 7.15x
Durham 6 1.52x
Essex 5 1.91x
Northamptonshire 2 1.60x
Yorkshire 2 0.15x
Gloucestershire 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Clapham in Surrey leads with 12 Milsteds recorded in 1881 and an index of 72.38x.

Place Total Index
Clapham 12 72.38x
Lamberhurstsussex 10 3448.28x
Bethnal Green London 9 15.62x
Chelsea London 9 22.51x
Faversham 9 208.33x
Selling 9 2432.43x
Tenterden 9 562.50x
Milton In Gravesend 7 103.09x
Hackney London 6 8.07x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 6 35.11x
Penge 6 70.84x
Sutton Valence 5 980.39x
West Ham 5 8.65x
Camberwell 3 3.54x
Hastings St Leonards 3 91.19x
Maidstone 3 22.26x
Borden 2 350.88x
East Wickham 2 370.37x
Hastings St Mary 2 35.91x
Leeds 2 2.69x
Rolvenden 2 338.98x
Staplehurst 2 270.27x
Stelling 2 1538.46x
Stoke Newington London 2 19.36x
Warkworth 2 178.57x
Bristol St Augustine 1 23.81x
Dover St James 1 50.51x
Kingston On Thames 1 6.44x
Lamberhurst 1 178.57x
Lambeth 1 0.86x
Upper Hardres 1 769.23x
Whitstable 1 45.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 8
Mary 7
Annie 6
Edith 4
Sarah 4
Alice 3
Amelia 3
Kate 3
Ann 2
Elizabeth 2
Elizebeth 2
Ellen 2
Florence 2
Harriett 2
Laura 2
Louisa 2
Matilda 2
Adelaide 1
Bessie 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Cordeila 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Ellem 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Harriet 1
Hester 1
Hilda 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Lilian 1
Lucy 1
Sahah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
George 6
Henry 6
William 6
Charles 4
James 3
Stephen 3
Thomas 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Jeremiah 2
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Edmund 1
Emery 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Healey 1
Hy. 1
Lawrence 1
Robert 1
Stanley 1
Thos. 1
W.P. 1

FAQ

Milsted surname: questions and answers

How common was the Milsted surname in 1881?

In 1881, 136 people were recorded with the Milsted surname. That placed it at #16,433 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Milsted surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 172 in 2016. That gives Milsted a modern rank of #21,648.

What does the Milsted surname mean?

A locative surname referring to a dweller at the mill stead or mill homestead.

What does the Milsted map show?

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