NameCensus.

UK surname

Molesworth

A locational surname originating from Molesworth, Huntingdonshire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 295 people recorded with the Molesworth surname, ranking it #9,842 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 260, ranked #16,349, down from #9,842 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Yardley and Kings Norton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wealden, South Holland and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Molesworth is 295 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.9%.

1881 census count

295

Ranked #9,842

Modern count

260

2016, ranked #16,349

Peak year

1881

295 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Molesworth had 295 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,842 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 260 in 2016, ranked #16,349.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 295 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Molesworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Molesworth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Molesworth 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 178 #11,397
1861 historical 203 #11,865
1881 historical 295 #9,842
1891 historical 272 #11,957
1901 historical 295 #11,783
1911 historical 272 #12,205
1997 modern 240 #15,678
1998 modern 252 #15,584
1999 modern 254 #15,638
2000 modern 250 #15,741
2001 modern 253 #15,403
2002 modern 258 #15,485
2003 modern 243 #15,911
2004 modern 249 #15,739
2005 modern 256 #15,407
2006 modern 246 #15,907
2007 modern 244 #16,186
2008 modern 243 #16,397
2009 modern 245 #16,646
2010 modern 249 #16,837
2011 modern 249 #16,684
2012 modern 253 #16,377
2013 modern 268 #16,005
2014 modern 259 #16,509
2015 modern 263 #16,224
2016 modern 260 #16,349

Geography

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Where Molesworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Yardley, Kings Norton, Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wealden, South Holland, Mid Suffolk, South Kesteven and Mid Devon. 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 Yardley Warwickshire
3 Kings Norton Worcestershire
4 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wealden 008 Wealden
2 South Holland 011 South Holland
3 Mid Suffolk 001 Mid Suffolk
4 South Kesteven 014 South Kesteven
5 Mid Devon 010 Mid Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Molesworth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Molesworth

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

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Molesworth is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Molesworth is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Molesworth

The surname Molesworth originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'mol', meaning 'cross', and 'worth', meaning 'enclosure' or 'farm'. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or settlement with a distinctive cross-shaped enclosure.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Molesworth can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a place called 'Moleswrde' in Huntingdonshire, England. This place name is likely the source of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the locations they were from.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Sir Walter de Molesworth was mentioned in records from Northamptonshire. He was a knight and landowner who lived during the reign of King Henry III (1207-1272).

Another early bearer of the name was Sir William Molesworth, who lived in the 14th century and served as a Member of Parliament for Huntingdonshire during the reign of King Edward III (1312-1377).

In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Molesworth family was Sir John Molesworth (c. 1525-1593), who was a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire and served as a Privy Councillor under Queen Elizabeth I.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Robert Molesworth (1605-1655) was a notable Parliamentarian soldier and politician who fought against the Royalist forces of King Charles I.

In the 18th century, John Molesworth (1679-1766) was a prominent philosopher and writer who published works on various subjects, including politics, history, and religion.

Throughout its history, the surname Molesworth has been associated with various locations in England, including Molesworth in Huntingdonshire, Molesworth in Northamptonshire, and Molesworth in Devon. While the spelling has remained relatively consistent over time, some variations, such as Mollesworthe and Molesworthe, can be found in historical records.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Molesworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Molesworth 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. Warwickshire leads with 67 Molesworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.23x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 67 9.23x
Worcestershire 42 11.18x
Lincolnshire 29 6.30x
Lancashire 21 0.62x
Middlesex 20 0.70x
Devon 16 2.67x
Staffordshire 13 1.34x
Surrey 13 0.93x
Cornwall 10 3.07x
Dorset 8 4.24x
Durham 8 0.93x
Leicestershire 8 2.51x
Rutland 8 37.86x
Kent 7 0.71x
Sussex 6 1.24x
Somerset 5 1.08x
Hampshire 4 0.68x
Cheshire 2 0.31x
Bedfordshire 1 0.67x
Gloucestershire 1 0.18x
Herefordshire 1 0.85x
Hertfordshire 1 0.50x
Northamptonshire 1 0.37x
Westmorland 1 1.58x
Wiltshire 1 0.39x
Yorkshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Coventry St Michael in Warwickshire leads with 21 Molesworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 90.09x.

Place Total Index
Coventry St Michael 21 90.09x
Kings Norton 15 44.51x
Birmingham 14 5.79x
Whaplode 14 891.72x
Redditch 11 144.36x
Blatchinworth 10 128.70x
Coventry Holy Trinity 10 46.15x
Abbotsham 9 1956.52x
Oldbury 9 48.68x
Ketton 8 727.27x
Ogley Hay 8 396.04x
Quorndon 8 446.93x
Radipole 8 615.38x
Washington 8 222.84x
Aston 7 3.50x
Market Deeping 7 588.24x
Chatham 6 22.21x
Stock And Bradley 6 2727.27x
Bermondsey 5 5.84x
Little Petherick 5 2380.95x
Rugby 5 50.92x
St George Hanover 5 13.31x
Gulval 4 190.48x
Spotland 4 10.54x
Ardwick 3 9.74x
Brighton 3 3.07x
Chichester St Olave 3 1363.64x
Coleshill 3 128.76x
Coughton 3 1304.35x
Hampstead London 3 6.69x
Paddington London 3 2.84x
Stoke Damerel 3 7.16x
Stoneleigh 3 250.00x
Wolverhampton 3 4.02x
Bedminster 2 4.59x
Bideford 2 31.15x
Hartford 2 138.89x
Holbeach 2 39.06x
Kensington London 2 1.25x
Poplar London 2 3.68x
Richmond 2 10.18x
Spalding 2 21.91x
St George Bloomsbury 2 12.11x
Walcot 2 8.11x
Applethwaite 1 52.91x
Brislington 1 116.28x
Cheetham 1 3.93x
Chiswick 1 6.36x
Christchurch 1 7.82x
Clapham 1 2.78x
Croydon 1 1.28x
Deeping St James 1 61.35x
Dowdeswell 1 204.08x
Edgbaston 1 4.44x
Frankley 1 666.67x
Frimley 1 25.06x
Grantham 1 16.67x
Hackney London 1 0.62x
Hereford All Sts 1 18.48x
Hulme 1 1.40x
Lambeth 1 0.40x
Langtoft 1 172.41x
Leeds 1 0.62x
Marlborough 1 232.56x
Mawgan In Pyder 1 142.86x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 2.17x
Portchester 1 131.58x
Putney 1 7.62x
Rusholme 1 10.98x
St Albans St Peter 1 14.95x
St Mary Extra 1 21.05x
St Michael Winchester 1 83.33x
Stafford St Mary 1 7.27x
Sutton St Mary 1 22.99x
Tottenham 1 2.18x
Wandsworth 1 3.61x
Wellingborough 1 7.35x
Widnes 1 4.06x
Wolborough 1 13.21x
Woolwich 1 2.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Sarah 9
Jane 7
Lucy 7
Elizabeth 6
Ann 5
Emma 5
Ellen 4
Louisa 4
Margaret 4
Alice 3
Caroline 3
Constance 3
Harriet 3
Martha 3
A. 2
Amy 2
Anne 2
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Georgina 2
Hannah 2
Isabella 2
Lizzie 2
Marianne 2
Minnie 2
Rosa 2
Susannah 2
Andalusia 1
Beatrice 1
Bertha 1
Cath. 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Evelyn 1
Henrietta 1
Imogen 1
Isabel 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Katherine 1
Wineford 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 17
Thomas 15
George 13
John 12
Henry 6
Arthur 5
James 4
Robert 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Guy 2
Harry 2
Hugh 2
Oliver 2
Paul 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Alexander 1
Algy 1
Anthony 1
Bagot 1
Basil 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Eric 1
Franes 1
Herbert 1
Hickman 1
Infant 1
Isaac 1
Jno. 1
Lawrence 1
Lewis 1
Matthew 1
Montague 1
Paisley 1
Percy 1
Reginald 1
Rennell 1
Robt. 1
Rodney 1
Samuel 1
St 1
Theodore 1
Visct. 1

FAQ

Molesworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Molesworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 295 people were recorded with the Molesworth surname. That placed it at #9,842 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Molesworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 260 in 2016. That gives Molesworth a modern rank of #16,349.

What does the Molesworth surname mean?

A locational surname originating from Molesworth, Huntingdonshire, England.

What does the Molesworth map show?

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