NameCensus.

UK surname

Moden

A surname derived from the old English word "mōd" meaning "mind" or "spirit".

In the 1881 census there were 148 people recorded with the Moden surname, ranking it #15,611 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 238, ranked #17,361, down from #15,611 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Cherry Hinton and Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Lindsey, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Fenland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moden is 262 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 60.8%.

1881 census count

148

Ranked #15,611

Modern count

238

2016, ranked #17,361

Peak year

1999

262 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moden had 148 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,611 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 238 in 2016, ranked #17,361.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 250 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Moden surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Moden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Moden 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 121 #15,049
1861 historical 156 #14,813
1881 historical 148 #15,611
1891 historical 207 #14,546
1901 historical 222 #14,169
1911 historical 250 #12,918
1997 modern 248 #15,363
1998 modern 250 #15,675
1999 modern 262 #15,308
2000 modern 250 #15,741
2001 modern 241 #15,870
2002 modern 262 #15,327
2003 modern 251 #15,563
2004 modern 251 #15,655
2005 modern 253 #15,514
2006 modern 254 #15,560
2007 modern 249 #15,943
2008 modern 242 #16,432
2009 modern 245 #16,646
2010 modern 245 #17,013
2011 modern 244 #16,922
2012 modern 244 #16,793
2013 modern 240 #17,251
2014 modern 246 #17,079
2015 modern 245 #17,040
2016 modern 238 #17,361

Geography

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Where Modens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Cherry Hinton, Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth, Soham and Sutton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Lindsey, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Fenland. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Cherry Hinton Cambridgeshire
3 Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth Cambridgeshire
4 Soham Cambridgeshire
5 Sutton Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Lindsey 004 West Lindsey
2 West Lindsey 002 West Lindsey
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 016 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 Fenland 009 Fenland
5 Fenland 003 Fenland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Moden

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Moden

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Moden is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Moden 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

Moden falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Moden

The surname Moden has its origins in the northern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.

The name Moden is thought to be derived from the Old English word "mod," which means "mind" or "courage." It is possible that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who exhibited a strong or determined character.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moden can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a certain John Moden is mentioned as a resident of the village of Knaresborough.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and legal documents from the northern English counties. For instance, a baptismal record from St. Mary's Church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, dated 1587, lists the birth of a child named Thomas Moden.

During the 17th century, the Moden surname spread to other parts of England, as well as to Scotland and Ireland. One notable figure from this period was William Moden (1625-1689), a successful merchant and landowner from the town of Hexham, Northumberland.

In the 18th century, the name Moden was found in various records, including the parish registers of Whitby, Yorkshire, where a family by the name of Moden resided for several generations. A notable individual from this time was John Moden (1742-1812), a prominent shipbuilder from the village of Hartlepool, County Durham.

As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many Moden families migrated to urban centers in search of employment. One such individual was Robert Moden (1823-1901), a skilled engineer from Newcastle who played a significant role in the development of early steam-powered machinery.

Throughout its history, the Moden surname has also been associated with various place names and their older spellings, such as Moden Hill in Northumberland and Moden Beck in Yorkshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Moden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moden 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 105 Modens recorded in 1881 and an index of 114.06x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 105 114.06x
Lancashire 15 0.87x
Staffordshire 8 1.63x
Somerset 5 2.14x
Middlesex 4 0.28x
Surrey 4 0.56x
Cheshire 3 0.94x
Lincolnshire 2 0.86x
Angus 1 0.74x
Norfolk 1 0.45x
Northumberland 1 0.46x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cherry Hinton in Cambridgeshire leads with 20 Modens recorded in 1881 and an index of 4651.16x.

Place Total Index
Cherry Hinton 20 4651.16x
St Andrewthe Less 20 190.11x
Downham 13 1326.53x
Soham 9 454.55x
Sutton 9 1184.21x
Holy Trinity Cambridge 8 800.00x
Pendleton In Salford 8 38.93x
Sedgley 8 43.91x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 7 174.56x
Fulbourn 7 795.45x
Bedminster 5 22.75x
Battersea 4 7.48x
Salford 4 7.89x
St Andrewthe Great 4 336.13x
All Saints Cambridge 3 461.54x
Hammersmith London 3 8.38x
Sale 3 76.14x
Spotland 3 15.65x
Holbeach 2 77.22x
Dundee 1 1.99x
Elythe College 1 2000.00x
Manea 1 172.41x
North Shields 1 23.15x
Southery 1 169.49x
St Benedict Cambridge 1 192.31x
St Edward Cambridge 1 344.83x
Wentworth 1 1000.00x
Willesden 1 7.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 10
Mary 10
Sarah 10
Emma 4
Alice 2
Ann 2
Bertha 2
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Esther 2
Fanny 2
Isabella 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Maud 2
Ada 1
Beatrice 1
Catharine 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Clarissa 1
ELIZTH. 1
Edy 1
Elizth.H. 1
Ellen 1
Eveline 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Joseph 1
Lizzie 1
Lydia 1
Matilda 1
Rebecca 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
William 8
Robert 6
Edward 5
David 4
James 4
Henry 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
George 2
Jacob 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
Annold 1
Charles 1
Earnest 1
Fredk 1
Fredk.C. 1
Fredk.Geo. 1
Harry 1
Joseph 1
Kenneth 1
Michael 1
Muriel 1
True 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Moden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 148 people were recorded with the Moden surname. That placed it at #15,611 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 238 in 2016. That gives Moden a modern rank of #17,361.

What does the Moden surname mean?

A surname derived from the old English word "mōd" meaning "mind" or "spirit".

What does the Moden map show?

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