NameCensus.

UK surname

Moody

Derived from a nickname for a person with a moody or temperamental disposition.

In the 1881 census there were 7,791 people recorded with the Moody surname, ranking it #542 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,559, ranked #671, down from #542 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, South Stoneham and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Conwy and Mansfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moody is 10,409 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.7%.

1881 census count

7,791

Ranked #542

Modern count

9,559

2016, ranked #671

Peak year

1911

10,409 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moody had 7,791 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #542 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,559 in 2016, ranked #671.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 10,409 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Moody surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Moody surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Moody 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 5,161 #535
1861 historical 4,675 #607
1881 historical 7,791 #542
1891 historical 8,075 #544
1901 historical 9,550 #548
1911 historical 10,409 #468
1997 modern 10,022 #618
1998 modern 10,339 #620
1999 modern 10,354 #628
2000 modern 10,241 #631
2001 modern 10,092 #624
2002 modern 10,236 #631
2003 modern 9,881 #641
2004 modern 9,760 #650
2005 modern 9,563 #656
2006 modern 9,549 #657
2007 modern 9,511 #661
2008 modern 9,521 #666
2009 modern 9,668 #667
2010 modern 9,821 #670
2011 modern 9,713 #668
2012 modern 9,533 #671
2013 modern 9,671 #672
2014 modern 9,700 #675
2015 modern 9,618 #671
2016 modern 9,559 #671

Geography

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Where Moodys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, South Stoneham and Gateshead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Conwy, Mansfield and Test Valley. 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 London parishes London 1
2 South Stoneham Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 062 Wiltshire
2 Conwy 013 Conwy
3 Mansfield 008 Mansfield
4 Test Valley 010 Test Valley
5 Mansfield 002 Mansfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Moody

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Moody

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Moody is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Moody is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Moody falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Moody

The surname Moody is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "mody," meaning moody or temperamental. It likely emerged as a descriptive nickname for someone with a changeable or unpredictable disposition.

The name is believed to have originated in the county of Lancashire, England, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. Some of the earliest documented instances of the surname can be found in Lancashire parish records from that period.

Interestingly, the Moody surname also appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a vast survey of landholdings and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name may have even older Anglo-Saxon roots.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Moody surname was Sir Henry Moody, a prominent English landowner and military commander who lived during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century (1312-1377). Another notable figure was Sir Ralph Moody, a member of the English Parliament in the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Moody surname spread across various regions of England, with concentrations found in counties like Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. Some examples include Richard Moody (1513-1583), an English clergyman and academic, and Sir Henry Moody (1590-1668), a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London.

In the 18th century, the Moody name gained further recognition with individuals like James Moody (1707-1785), a British navigator and explorer who conducted extensive surveys of the Caribbean and Florida regions. Another notable figure was John Moody (1727-1812), an English dissenting minister and tutor who established a prestigious academy in Warwickshire.

As the British Empire expanded, the Moody surname spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other former British colonies. One prominent example is Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899), an American evangelist and publisher who was instrumental in the growth of the evangelical Christian movement in the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Moody families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moody 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,279 Moodys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.69x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,279 1.69x
Hampshire 865 5.53x
Middlesex 841 1.10x
Durham 568 2.50x
Surrey 542 1.46x
Lincolnshire 461 3.78x
Wiltshire 383 5.68x
Lancashire 362 0.40x
Kent 286 1.10x
Somerset 232 1.89x
Northumberland 209 1.84x
Gloucestershire 167 1.12x
Nottinghamshire 151 1.47x
Staffordshire 133 0.52x
Cheshire 87 0.52x
Warwickshire 87 0.45x
Sussex 81 0.63x
Derbyshire 77 0.64x
Berkshire 71 1.24x
Buckinghamshire 67 1.45x
Renfrewshire 58 0.98x
Leicestershire 57 0.67x
Dorset 53 1.06x
Worcestershire 53 0.53x
Shropshire 51 0.77x
Devon 49 0.31x
Essex 47 0.31x
Lanarkshire 44 0.18x
Hertfordshire 43 0.82x
Bedfordshire 42 1.06x
Suffolk 41 0.44x
Cumberland 29 0.44x
Oxfordshire 28 0.59x
Cambridgeshire 26 0.54x
Channel Islands 24 1.06x
Cornwall 24 0.28x
Glamorgan 23 0.17x
Northamptonshire 22 0.31x
Montgomeryshire 17 0.97x
Norfolk 16 0.14x
Stirlingshire 15 0.53x
Monmouthshire 13 0.24x
Herefordshire 12 0.38x
Midlothian 12 0.12x
Royal Navy 10 1.10x
East Lothian 9 0.89x
Angus 7 0.10x
Berwickshire 7 0.76x
Orkney 7 0.83x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.25x
Denbighshire 5 0.17x
Dunbartonshire 5 0.24x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.26x
Ayrshire 3 0.05x
Perthshire 2 0.06x
Brecknockshire 1 0.07x
Caithness 1 0.10x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.09x
Radnorshire 1 0.16x
Selkirkshire 1 0.14x
Shetland 1 0.13x
West Lothian 1 0.09x
Westmorland 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsea in Hampshire leads with 102 Moodys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.33x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 102 3.33x
Camberwell 87 1.79x
Leeds 81 1.90x
Downton 79 89.47x
St Pancras London 75 1.22x
Millbrook 74 18.79x
Hackney London 72 1.68x
Newington 72 2.55x
Bermondsey 64 2.82x
Frome 64 21.79x
Holy Trinity 63 3.46x
Lambeth 63 0.95x
Shoreditch London 57 1.72x
South Stoneham 57 16.80x
Kensington London 54 1.27x
Islington London 50 0.68x
Great Grimsby 48 6.20x
Southampton St Mary 46 4.68x
Gateshead 44 2.59x
Lockerley 40 255.75x
Sculcoates 40 3.34x
Stranton 40 5.23x
Barnsley 39 5.00x
Brinkworth 39 128.50x
Hammersmith London 39 2.08x
Greenwich 37 3.05x
Luton 37 5.41x
Titchfield 37 31.39x
Brighton 36 1.39x
Huddersfield 35 3.18x
Liverpool 35 0.64x
Birmingham 34 0.53x
Hoyland Nether 34 18.34x
St Marylebone London 33 0.81x
Stourbridge 33 12.87x
Deptford St Paul 32 1.59x
Sutton Stoneferry 32 14.79x
Mile End Old Town 31 2.57x
Southwark St George Martyr 30 1.95x
Warminster 30 20.29x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 29 4.12x
Bishopwearmouth 29 1.49x
Mirfield 29 6.99x
Willesden 29 4.03x
Basingstoke 28 15.57x
Heworth 28 6.26x
Ramsgate 28 6.59x
Alverstoke 27 4.77x
Walcot 27 4.13x
Battersea 26 0.93x
Hampstead London 26 2.19x
Kirkdale 26 1.71x
Elswick 25 2.76x
Romsey Extra 25 26.88x
St Martin 25 33.92x
Chelsea London 24 1.04x
Clerkenwell London 24 1.33x
Croydon 24 1.16x
Enfield 23 4.59x
Mason 23 88.70x
Paddington London 23 0.82x
Salford 23 0.86x
Bradford 22 1.20x
Gillingham 22 4.10x
Manchester 22 0.54x
Newbottle 22 17.75x
Sherfield English 22 297.70x
St Luke London 22 1.80x
Stockton On Tees 22 2.01x
Barrow In Furness 21 1.71x
Hart Thorpe Bulmer 21 248.82x
Haxey 21 40.55x
Edmonton 20 3.25x
Eling 20 12.63x
Laxton 20 158.60x
Newmarket St Mary 20 28.04x
Nottingham St Mary 20 0.75x
Sedgley 20 2.09x
Skegness 20 57.24x
Trowbridge 20 6.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 496
Elizabeth 319
Sarah 276
Jane 153
Ann 151
Eliza 139
Alice 119
Annie 119
Ellen 106
Emma 102
Emily 98
Hannah 82
Margaret 71
Ada 58
Edith 54
Fanny 54
Harriet 54
Martha 52
Charlotte 48
Florence 48
Louisa 48
Kate 40
Isabella 35
Maria 34
Anne 33
Caroline 31
Catherine 31
Susan 31
Frances 29
Clara 27
Harriett 27
Rose 27
Lucy 26
Amelia 25
Matilda 24
Eleanor 23
Agnes 22
Jessie 20
Julia 19
Sophia 18
Laura 16
Rebecca 16
Esther 15
Maud 15
Rosa 15
Ethel 14
Henrietta 13
Minnie 13
Rachel 13
Gertrude 12

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 464
John 426
George 336
James 231
Thomas 230
Charles 207
Henry 167
Joseph 108
Robert 103
Arthur 86
Edward 86
Alfred 75
Frederick 62
Richard 59
Harry 58
Walter 48
Albert 44
Frank 42
Samuel 42
Ernest 38
Edwin 30
Francis 27
Wm. 25
Herbert 24
Tom 23
Fred 19
Benjamin 17
Stephen 17
Andrew 16
David 16
Geo. 16
Mark 15
Chas. 14
Fredrick 14
Sidney 14
Isaac 12
Thos. 12
Matthew 11
Alexander 9
Christopher 9
Fredk. 9
Jesse 9
Oliver 8
Moses 7
Frances 6
Horace 6
Job 6
Robt. 6
Silas 6
Ralph 5

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 Moody households.

FAQ

Moody surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moody surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,791 people were recorded with the Moody surname. That placed it at #542 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moody surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,559 in 2016. That gives Moody a modern rank of #671.

What does the Moody surname mean?

Derived from a nickname for a person with a moody or temperamental disposition.

What does the Moody map show?

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