UK surname
A surname of Dutch origin meaning "soil" or "earth".
In the 1881 census there were 1 people recorded with the Mols surname, ranking it #34,027 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 15, ranked #37,092, down from #34,027 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Rosthern, Halifax and Holt. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mols is 106 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1400.0%.
1881 census count
1
Ranked #34,027
Modern count
15
2016, ranked #37,092
Peak year
1861
106 bearers
Map years
1
1861 to 1861
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Mols surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Mols surname density by area, 1861 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe 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 | 3 | #32,890 |
| 1861 | historical | 106 | #20,147 |
| 1881 | historical | 1 | #34,027 |
| 1891 | historical | 13 | #33,099 |
| 1901 | historical | 1 | #34,548 |
| 1911 | historical | 1 | #34,332 |
| 1997 | modern | 3 | #38,317 |
| 1998 | modern | 6 | #37,703 |
| 1999 | modern | 9 | #37,217 |
| 2000 | modern | 9 | #37,119 |
| 2001 | modern | 9 | #36,980 |
| 2002 | modern | 13 | #36,570 |
| 2003 | modern | 14 | #36,512 |
| 2004 | modern | 17 | #36,342 |
| 2005 | modern | 15 | #36,621 |
| 2006 | modern | 13 | #36,902 |
| 2007 | modern | 9 | #37,435 |
| 2008 | modern | 9 | #37,473 |
| 2009 | modern | 13 | #37,140 |
| 2010 | modern | 13 | #37,215 |
| 2011 | modern | 13 | #37,191 |
| 2012 | modern | 14 | #37,078 |
| 2013 | modern | 14 | #37,127 |
| 2014 | modern | 15 | #37,070 |
| 2015 | modern | 14 | #37,157 |
| 2016 | modern | 15 | #37,092 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Rosthern, Halifax, Holt, Paddington and Toxteth Park. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosthern | Cheshire |
| 2 | Halifax | Yorkshire, West Riding |
| 3 | Holt | Denbighshire |
| 4 | Paddington | London (West Districts) |
| 5 | Toxteth Park | Lancashire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Mols surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mols, 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
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Mols surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Mols household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Mols is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mols is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Mols, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname MOLS is of Dutch origin, and can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. The name is derived from the Old Dutch word "mol," meaning "mole" or "small hill," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or on a small hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOLS surname can be found in the Dutch baptismal records from the city of Leiden in the year 1587, where a child named Pieter MOLS was baptized. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the Netherlands by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the MOLS surname appears in various historical records from the Dutch provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zeeland. For example, a Cornelis MOLS was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Goes, Zeeland, in the 1650s.
As the Dutch expanded their colonial reach in the 17th and 18th centuries, the MOLS surname began to appear in records from Dutch settlements around the world. Notably, a Willem MOLS (1612-1672) was a Dutch explorer and navigator who charted parts of the coast of Australia and New Zealand.
In the 19th century, the MOLS surname gained some literary prominence with the Dutch author and poet Hendrik MOLS (1810-1859), whose works were influential in the development of Dutch Romantic literature.
Other notable historical figures with the MOLS surname include Johannes MOLS (1808-1873), a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands from 1866 to 1868, and Pieter MOLS (1870-1943), a Dutch sculptor known for his portraiture and religious works.
While the MOLS surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread around the world, with bearers of the name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, among others.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mols surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Essex leads with 1 Mols' recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.63x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Essex | 1 | 52.63x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Maldon St Marys in Essex leads with 1 Mols' recorded in 1881 and an index of 0.00x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Maldon St Marys | 1 | 0.00x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mols surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Sarah | 1 |
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 Mols households.
| Occupation | Count |
|---|---|
| Servant | 1 |
FAQ
In 1881, 1 people were recorded with the Mols surname. That placed it at #34,027 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 15 in 2016. That gives Mols a modern rank of #37,092.
A surname of Dutch origin meaning "soil" or "earth".
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mols bearers relative to the surrounding population.
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.