NameCensus.

UK surname

Missen

In the 1881 census there were 239 people recorded with the Missen surname, ranking it #11,446 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 375, ranked #12,457, down from #11,446 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Melksham, London parishes and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, Wiltshire and Bridgend.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Missen is 442 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.9%.

1881 census count

239

Ranked #11,446

Modern count

375

2016, ranked #12,457

Peak year

1911

442 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Missen had 239 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,446 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 375 in 2016, ranked #12,457.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 442 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Missen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Missen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Missen 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 98 #17,383
1861 historical 76 #24,114
1881 historical 239 #11,446
1891 historical 263 #12,261
1901 historical 383 #9,760
1911 historical 442 #8,625
1997 modern 364 #11,827
1998 modern 381 #11,812
1999 modern 381 #11,873
2000 modern 379 #11,855
2001 modern 364 #12,033
2002 modern 371 #12,096
2003 modern 355 #12,285
2004 modern 359 #12,222
2005 modern 350 #12,359
2006 modern 359 #12,216
2007 modern 356 #12,437
2008 modern 349 #12,723
2009 modern 357 #12,766
2010 modern 370 #12,701
2011 modern 358 #12,883
2012 modern 353 #12,877
2013 modern 373 #12,550
2014 modern 376 #12,553
2015 modern 368 #12,661
2016 modern 375 #12,457

Geography

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Where Missens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Melksham, London parishes, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict, Wilbraham, Little and Hundon. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, Wiltshire, Bridgend, Arun and South Cambridgeshire. 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 Melksham Wiltshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire
4 Wilbraham, Little Cambridgeshire
5 Hundon Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
2 Wiltshire 021 Wiltshire
3 Bridgend 018 Bridgend
4 Arun 003 Arun
5 South Cambridgeshire 001 South Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Missen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Missen

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Missen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Missen household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Missen is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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.

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Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Missen is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Missen 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 Missen 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 - Other

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

1881 census detail

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Missen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Missen 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 70 Missens recorded in 1881 and an index of 47.21x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 70 47.21x
Wiltshire 54 26.08x
Suffolk 36 12.63x
Somerset 21 5.57x
Middlesex 16 0.68x
Surrey 15 1.32x
Essex 10 2.16x
Gloucestershire 6 1.31x
Sussex 5 1.27x
Kent 4 0.50x
Leicestershire 2 0.77x
Norfolk 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Melksham in Wiltshire leads with 48 Missens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1337.05x.

Place Total Index
Melksham 48 1337.05x
Hundon 17 2394.37x
Barnardiston 14 8235.29x
Little Wilbraham 12 3636.36x
Borough Green 10 3125.00x
Backwell 9 1168.83x
Great Abington 9 4090.91x
West Ham 9 8.82x
Stetchworth 8 1632.65x
West Wickham 8 2162.16x
St Andrewthe Great 7 364.58x
Weston Colville 7 1666.67x
Bedminster 6 16.94x
Swindon 6 37.36x
Brighton 5 6.28x
Bristol St George 5 23.55x
Lambeth 5 2.45x
Twickenham 5 49.80x
Bathford 4 519.48x
Fulbourn 4 281.69x
Haverhill 4 158.10x
Kingston On Thames 4 14.60x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 8.49x
St Marylebone London 3 2.40x
Hammersmith London 2 3.47x
Kensington London 2 1.54x
Leicester St Martin 2 114.94x
Longfield 2 769.23x
St Andrewthe Less 2 11.81x
Sutton 2 24.24x
Bexley 1 14.16x
Bristol St James In 1 14.81x
Chelmsford 1 12.61x
Cherry Hinton 1 142.86x
Dullingham 1 149.25x
East Dereham 1 21.98x
Histon 1 128.21x
Ipswich St Mathew 1 12.52x
Limehouse London 1 3.89x
Lyncombe Widcombe 1 10.13x
Maidstone 1 4.20x
St George Hanover 1 3.27x
St Mary Aldermanbury 1 769.23x
St Pancras London 1 0.53x
Weston Super Mare 1 10.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Eliza 10
Emma 9
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 5
Fanny 5
Agnes 4
Annie 4
Ellen 4
Harriet 4
Jane 4
Alice 3
Louisa 3
Maria 3
Martha 3
Susan 3
Emily 2
Florence 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Lydia 2
Rosina 2
Agusta 1
Alrina 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Charlote 1
Clara 1
Dorcas 1
Grace 1
Honour 1
Jemima 1
Lily 1
Marie 1
Maud 1
Phillis 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
William 13
George 12
Charles 9
Edward 7
James 7
Robert 7
Thomas 6
Henry 4
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
Michael 3
David 2
Fredrick 2
Harrold 2
Joseph 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Allen 1
Benjamin 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Enos 1
Ernest 1
Evan 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederik 1
Fredk.W. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Jesse 1
Justly 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
W. 1
Walter 1
Wiliam 1

FAQ

Missen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Missen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 239 people were recorded with the Missen surname. That placed it at #11,446 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Missen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 375 in 2016. That gives Missen a modern rank of #12,457.

What does the Missen map show?

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