NameCensus.

UK surname

Modley

In the 1881 census there were 41 people recorded with the Modley surname, ranking it #27,870 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 101, ranked #30,929, down from #27,870 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Willesden and Exeter City: St Mary Arches. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sedgemoor, Canterbury and Lancaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Modley is 114 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 146.3%.

1881 census count

41

Ranked #27,870

Modern count

101

2016, ranked #30,929

Peak year

1999

114 bearers

Map years

4

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Modley had 41 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,870 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 101 in 2016, ranked #30,929.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 103 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Modley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Modley surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Modley 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 56 #23,235
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 41 #27,870
1891 historical 69 #28,188
1901 historical 68 #26,598
1911 historical 102 #22,465
1997 modern 98 #27,179
1998 modern 109 #26,273
1999 modern 114 #25,766
2000 modern 99 #27,845
2001 modern 102 #27,093
2002 modern 98 #28,243
2003 modern 93 #28,829
2004 modern 88 #29,758
2005 modern 88 #29,831
2006 modern 91 #29,725
2007 modern 89 #30,383
2008 modern 88 #30,857
2009 modern 91 #30,944
2010 modern 89 #31,745
2011 modern 95 #30,877
2012 modern 94 #31,258
2013 modern 92 #31,909
2014 modern 93 #32,025
2015 modern 97 #31,499
2016 modern 101 #30,929

Geography

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Where Modleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Willesden, Exeter City: St Mary Arches, Bradford and Exeter City: St Olave. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sedgemoor, Canterbury and Lancaster. 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 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
2 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 Exeter City: St Mary Arches Devon
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Exeter City: St Olave Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sedgemoor 007 Sedgemoor
2 Canterbury 011 Canterbury
3 Sedgemoor 008 Sedgemoor
4 Lancaster 003 Lancaster
5 Sedgemoor 010 Sedgemoor

Forenames

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First names often paired with Modley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Modley

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Modley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Modley 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Modley is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Modley is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Modley falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Modley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Modley 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. Somerset leads with 11 Modleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.09x.

County Total Index
Somerset 11 17.09x
Worcestershire 9 17.23x
Middlesex 7 1.75x
Leicestershire 5 11.28x
Devon 3 3.60x
Lancashire 3 0.63x
Gloucestershire 1 1.27x
Hampshire 1 1.22x
Yorkshire 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nether Stowey in Somerset leads with 10 Modleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10000.00x.

Place Total Index
Nether Stowey 10 10000.00x
Worcester St Peter 8 808.08x
Leicester St Leonard 5 1190.48x
Castleton 3 63.29x
Paddington London 3 20.39x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 2 350.88x
Stonehouse East 2 476.19x
Bethnal Green London 1 5.76x
Bristol St Michael 1 149.25x
Clifton In York 1 120.48x
Southampton All Sts 1 70.92x
St Pancras London 1 3.11x
Stoke Damerel 1 17.15x
Taunton St Mary 1 84.75x
Worcester St John 1 161.29x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 2
George 2
John 2
William 2
A.Henry 1
Benjamin 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
F.L.John 1
Isaac 1
Lewis 1
Thomas 1
W.George 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Modley households.

FAQ

Modley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Modley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 41 people were recorded with the Modley surname. That placed it at #27,870 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Modley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 101 in 2016. That gives Modley a modern rank of #30,929.

What does the Modley map show?

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