NameCensus.

UK surname

Mitford

In the 1881 census there were 194 people recorded with the Mitford surname, ranking it #13,097 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 227, ranked #17,992, down from #13,097 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Astbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Tyneside, Dover and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mitford is 235 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.0%.

1881 census count

194

Ranked #13,097

Modern count

227

2016, ranked #17,992

Peak year

2013

235 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mitford had 194 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,097 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 227 in 2016, ranked #17,992.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 205 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mitford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mitford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mitford 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 82 #23,321
1881 historical 194 #13,097
1891 historical 189 #15,547
1901 historical 189 #15,684
1911 historical 205 #14,733
1997 modern 220 #16,607
1998 modern 217 #17,207
1999 modern 204 #18,021
2000 modern 211 #17,603
2001 modern 211 #17,376
2002 modern 230 #16,730
2003 modern 212 #17,454
2004 modern 215 #17,384
2005 modern 209 #17,629
2006 modern 211 #17,662
2007 modern 208 #18,013
2008 modern 211 #17,997
2009 modern 217 #18,070
2010 modern 225 #18,000
2011 modern 218 #18,206
2012 modern 214 #18,358
2013 modern 235 #17,515
2014 modern 229 #17,925
2015 modern 228 #17,899
2016 modern 227 #17,992

Geography

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Where Mitfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Astbury, Long Benton and Morpeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Tyneside, Dover, Cheshire East and County Durham. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 Astbury Cheshire
4 Long Benton Northumberland
5 Morpeth Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Tyneside 030 North Tyneside
2 Dover 003 Dover
3 Cheshire East 041 Cheshire East
4 County Durham 024 County Durham
5 Dover 004 Dover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mitford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mitford

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Mitford is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mitford 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

Mitford 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 Mitford 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 Mitford, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Mitford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mitford 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. Northumberland leads with 47 Mitfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.69x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 47 16.69x
Durham 34 6.04x
Middlesex 25 1.32x
Cheshire 23 5.51x
Yorkshire 9 0.48x
Warwickshire 8 1.68x
Essex 6 1.61x
Glamorgan 6 1.82x
Wiltshire 5 2.99x
Derbyshire 4 1.35x
Devon 4 1.02x
Midlothian 4 1.58x
Oxfordshire 4 3.42x
Surrey 4 0.43x
Gloucestershire 3 0.81x
Monmouthshire 3 2.19x
Worcestershire 2 0.81x
Kent 1 0.15x
Staffordshire 1 0.16x
Sussex 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Odd Rode in Cheshire leads with 18 Mitfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 869.57x.

Place Total Index
Odd Rode 18 869.57x
Longbenton 15 125.84x
Morpeth 11 332.33x
Newcastle On Tyne St 11 75.39x
Chelsea London 10 17.54x
Darlington 10 46.02x
Middlesbrough 9 36.86x
Edgbaston 8 54.05x
Heworth 6 54.10x
Stranton 6 31.66x
Urpeth 6 545.45x
West Ham 6 7.28x
Ystradyfodwg 6 20.76x
Downton 5 228.31x
Kensington London 5 4.75x
Newburn 5 625.00x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 3.92x
Fulham London 4 14.58x
Kidlington 4 444.44x
Littleham 4 138.89x
Newbold Dunston 4 141.84x
St Marylebone London 4 3.96x
Tattenhall 4 563.38x
Whickham 4 77.22x
Cheltenham 3 10.48x
Matherne 3 909.09x
Wallsend 3 33.59x
Wimbledon 3 28.99x
Gateshead 2 4.75x
Great Malvern 2 38.76x
St George Hanover 2 8.10x
Chirton 1 15.70x
Golborne Bellow 1 2000.00x
Lee 1 10.67x
Norton In Moors 1 29.59x
Storrington 1 113.64x
Westgate 1 5.74x
Windlesham 1 57.80x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 11
Mary 10
Jane 7
Ann 5
Frances 4
Margaret 4
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Eleanor 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Sarah 3
Sybil 3
Alice 2
Dora 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Lucy 2
Bessie 1
Betsey 1
Catherine 1
Christiana 1
Christina 1
Clementine 1
Diaina 1
Edith 1
Evelina 1
Evelyn 1
Grace 1
Iris 1
Kate 1
Maragret 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Mildrid 1
Olive 1
Prudence 1
Susan 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
William 10
Thomas 9
Bertram 5
Henry 5
Edward 4
George 4
James 4
Robert 4
Charles 3
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Percy 2
Alfred 1
Algernon 1
Andrew 1
Bertrim 1
Betram 1
Chas. 1
Clement 1
Cristopher 1
Cuthbert 1
David 1
Francis 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Jno. 1
Noah 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Robt.E. 1
Samuel 1
Septimus 1
Sidney 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Mitford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mitford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 194 people were recorded with the Mitford surname. That placed it at #13,097 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mitford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 227 in 2016. That gives Mitford a modern rank of #17,992.

What does the Mitford map show?

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