NameCensus.

UK surname

Monks

An occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked in a monastery.

In the 1881 census there were 2,429 people recorded with the Monks surname, ranking it #1,827 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,889, ranked #1,738, up from #1,827 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ribble Valley, Burnley and Warrington.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Monks is 4,106 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 60.1%.

1881 census count

2,429

Ranked #1,827

Modern count

3,889

2016, ranked #1,738

Peak year

1999

4,106 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Monks had 2,429 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,827 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,889 in 2016, ranked #1,738.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,700 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Monks surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Monks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Monks 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 1,452 #1,982
1861 historical 1,621 #1,756
1881 historical 2,429 #1,827
1891 historical 2,754 #1,714
1901 historical 3,397 #1,638
1911 historical 3,700 #1,404
1997 modern 4,019 #1,614
1998 modern 4,100 #1,647
1999 modern 4,106 #1,654
2000 modern 4,098 #1,652
2001 modern 4,001 #1,651
2002 modern 4,073 #1,657
2003 modern 3,977 #1,664
2004 modern 3,954 #1,678
2005 modern 3,882 #1,680
2006 modern 3,861 #1,693
2007 modern 3,909 #1,686
2008 modern 3,918 #1,693
2009 modern 4,006 #1,697
2010 modern 4,073 #1,703
2011 modern 3,990 #1,714
2012 modern 3,890 #1,731
2013 modern 3,964 #1,727
2014 modern 3,973 #1,732
2015 modern 3,865 #1,756
2016 modern 3,889 #1,738

Geography

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Where Monks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Manchester, Stapleton and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ribble Valley, Burnley, Warrington and Craven. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Stapleton Gloucestershire
5 Warrington Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ribble Valley 006 Ribble Valley
2 Burnley 004 Burnley
3 Warrington 012 Warrington
4 Warrington 001 Warrington
5 Craven 003 Craven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Monks

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Monks

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Monks is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Monks 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

Monks falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Monks is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Monks, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Monks

The surname MONKS is of English origin and derives from the occupational name 'monk', referring to a man who was part of a religious order or monastery. It emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, when surnames began to be adopted in Britain.

The name likely originated in areas where monasteries were prominent, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and the West Country. It may have been given initially as a nickname to someone who lived near a monastery or had some association with monastic life.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a William Monks. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include references to individuals with the surname Monks or Monck in counties like Norfolk and Oxfordshire.

In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled as 'Munk' or 'Munck', reflecting the Old English word 'munuc' from which the modern English word 'monk' is derived. Variations like 'Monke' and 'Monkes' were also common in medieval records.

Notable historical figures with the surname MONKS include John Monks (c.1610-1661), an English Puritan minister and author who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony. William Monks (1765-1828) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

George Monks (1765-1826) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several churches and other buildings in Yorkshire. Thomas Monks (1805-1883) was a British railway engineer and contractor involved in the construction of railways across the country.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Thelonious Monk (1917-1982), an American jazz pianist and composer widely regarded as one of the pioneers of bebop and a highly influential figure in the history of jazz music.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Monks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Monks 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. Lancashire leads with 1,332 Monks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.75x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,332 4.75x
Gloucestershire 223 4.81x
Yorkshire 203 0.87x
Cheshire 76 1.46x
Middlesex 76 0.32x
Nottinghamshire 75 2.35x
Derbyshire 62 1.67x
Surrey 60 0.52x
Lincolnshire 37 0.98x
Warwickshire 33 0.55x
Staffordshire 28 0.35x
Stirlingshire 25 2.87x
Somerset 23 0.60x
Northumberland 21 0.60x
Northamptonshire 14 0.63x
Durham 13 0.18x
Glamorgan 13 0.32x
Kent 13 0.16x
Leicestershire 11 0.42x
Suffolk 9 0.31x
Lanarkshire 8 0.10x
Worcestershire 8 0.26x
Devon 7 0.14x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.27x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.40x
Essex 6 0.13x
Hampshire 5 0.10x
Shropshire 5 0.24x
Angus 4 0.18x
Bedfordshire 4 0.33x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.30x
Peeblesshire 2 1.80x
Berkshire 1 0.06x
Berwickshire 1 0.35x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.07x
Cumberland 1 0.05x
Dorset 1 0.06x
Hertfordshire 1 0.06x
Monmouthshire 1 0.06x
Norfolk 1 0.03x
Royal Navy 1 0.35x
Selkirkshire 1 0.47x
Sussex 1 0.03x
Wigtownshire 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Warrington in Lancashire leads with 118 Monks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.47x.

Place Total Index
Warrington 118 35.47x
Stapleton 102 115.95x
Great Bolton 69 18.57x
Salford 67 8.12x
Manchester 60 4.76x
Little Bolton 57 15.80x
Mangotsfield 51 110.32x
Preston 46 6.13x
Aspull 37 56.06x
Glossop Dale 32 18.46x
Hindley 32 26.75x
Radcliffe 32 23.66x
Oldham 31 3.42x
Poulton With Fearnhead 31 515.81x
Wigan 28 7.14x
Culcheth 26 141.46x
Farnworth 26 15.47x
Worsley 26 15.03x
Liverpool 25 1.47x
Seacroft 23 207.21x
Ashton In Makerfield 22 27.53x
Ashton Under Lyne 22 3.59x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 22 5.04x
Doncaster 22 12.85x
Newchurch 21 9.15x
Ecclesall Bierlow 20 4.20x
Ince In Makerfield 20 15.32x
Alva 19 45.67x
Birmingham 19 0.96x
Sheffield 19 2.55x
Chorley 18 11.43x
Pendleton In Salford 18 5.38x
Hulme 17 2.90x
Bedminster 16 4.47x
Camberwell 16 1.06x
Bedford 15 25.56x
Everton 15 1.68x
Golborne 15 41.02x
Leeds 15 1.13x
Openshaw 15 11.41x
Aston 14 0.85x
Chester St John Baptist 14 14.92x
Tonge With Haulgh 14 25.63x
Winterbourne 14 54.62x
Lancaster 13 7.79x
Stoke Upon Trent 13 1.54x
Westleigh 13 20.40x
Breightmet 12 97.24x
Deptford St Paul 12 1.93x
Hackney London 12 0.91x
Levenshulme 12 41.55x
Newton 12 5.55x
Sutton 12 14.40x
Ardwick 11 4.35x
Barnoldswick 11 33.63x
Bradford 11 8.38x
Gorton 11 4.17x
Heaton Norris 11 6.89x
Islington London 11 0.48x
Nottingham St Mary 11 1.33x
Tottington Lower End 11 8.25x
Turton 11 23.94x
Westhoughton 11 14.69x
Darcy Lever 10 61.88x
Latchford 10 28.84x
North Meols 10 3.64x
Rainhill 10 55.62x
Bingham 9 66.42x
Bolton On Dearne 9 110.97x
Carlton 9 24.75x
Great Budworth 9 97.30x
Hipperholme Cum 9 8.74x
Lambeth 9 0.44x
New Sealford 9 115.68x
Newton In Makerfield 9 10.47x
Over Darwen 9 4.02x
Shoreditch London 9 0.88x
Spotland 9 2.89x
Walmersley Cum 9 20.08x
Mansfield Woodhouse 8 37.72x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 169
Elizabeth 115
Sarah 73
Ann 67
Ellen 55
Alice 52
Jane 47
Martha 41
Margaret 37
Annie 34
Eliza 34
Hannah 31
Emma 23
Emily 21
Edith 13
Ada 12
Isabella 12
Fanny 11
Esther 10
Clara 9
Rose 9
Harriet 8
Louisa 8
Anne 7
Charlotte 7
Florence 7
Caroline 6
Catherine 6
Elizth. 6
Frances 6
Henrietta 6
Lucy 6
Maria 6
Rachel 6
Agnes 5
Amelia 5
Betsy 5
Harriett 5
Margt. 5
Matilda 5
Susan 5
Anna 4
Eleanor 4
Kate 4
Nellie 4
Rebecca 4
Amy 3
Jessie 3
Lily 3
Polly 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 188
William 143
James 116
Thomas 103
George 82
Joseph 56
Henry 36
Richard 31
Robert 27
Edward 26
Arthur 20
Charles 20
Samuel 18
Albert 17
Walter 17
Alfred 15
Peter 12
Frederick 11
Fred 10
Harry 10
Adam 9
Enoch 7
Ernest 7
Isaac 7
Herbert 6
Jesse 6
Matthew 6
Thos. 6
Wm. 6
Edwin 5
Francis 5
Jonathan 5
Stephen 5
David 4
Edmund 4
Fredrick 4
Jas. 4
Ralph 4
Saml. 4
Christopher 3
Daniel 3
Elijah 3
Frank 3
Oliver 3
Robt. 3
Tom 3
Willm. 3
Aquila 2
Laurance 2
Nelson 2

FAQ

Monks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Monks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,429 people were recorded with the Monks surname. That placed it at #1,827 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Monks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,889 in 2016. That gives Monks a modern rank of #1,738.

What does the Monks surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked in a monastery.

What does the Monks map show?

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