NameCensus.

UK surname

Mooring

An English occupational surname referring to a person who operated or lived near a mooring for boats.

In the 1881 census there were 213 people recorded with the Mooring surname, ranking it #12,328 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 198, ranked #19,713, down from #12,328 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, Houghton Regis and Dunstable. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Bedford and Vale of White Horse.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mooring is 365 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.0%.

1881 census count

213

Ranked #12,328

Modern count

198

2016, ranked #19,713

Peak year

1911

365 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mooring had 213 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,328 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 198 in 2016, ranked #19,713.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 365 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mooring surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mooring surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mooring 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 137 #13,812
1861 historical 141 #16,072
1881 historical 213 #12,328
1891 historical 225 #13,714
1901 historical 294 #11,805
1911 historical 365 #9,955
1997 modern 243 #15,556
1998 modern 229 #16,657
1999 modern 233 #16,554
2000 modern 229 #16,695
2001 modern 226 #16,620
2002 modern 220 #17,249
2003 modern 210 #17,559
2004 modern 214 #17,435
2005 modern 197 #18,339
2006 modern 204 #18,051
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 204 #18,403
2009 modern 200 #19,028
2010 modern 213 #18,660
2011 modern 212 #18,575
2012 modern 200 #19,207
2013 modern 211 #18,872
2014 modern 218 #18,583
2015 modern 208 #19,085
2016 modern 198 #19,713

Geography

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Where Moorings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Luton and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Bedford, Vale of White Horse, Dacorum and Hyndburn. 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 Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas Berkshire
2 Houghton Regis Bedfordshire
3 Dunstable Bedfordshire
4 Luton Bedfordshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 032 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Bedford 001 Bedford
3 Vale of White Horse 008 Vale of White Horse
4 Dacorum 009 Dacorum
5 Hyndburn 006 Hyndburn

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mooring

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mooring

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Mooring 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

Mooring 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

Mooring 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 Mooring is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mooring

The surname MOORING is believed to have originated in England in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "mor", meaning "moor" or "marsh", and the suffix "-ing", which was a common way of forming place names or surnames indicating someone was from a particular location.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Moring". This suggests the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 and may have referred to someone living near a marshy or moorland area.

By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its more modern spelling of "Mooring". Records from this period show people with this surname living in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Essex.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Mooring, a wealthy merchant from London who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several contemporary records and was involved in the city's wool trade.

In the 16th century, the name Mooring appeared in various records related to the English Reformation. For example, Thomas Mooring (c. 1520-1588) was an English Catholic priest who was briefly imprisoned for his religious beliefs during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Another individual of note was Sir Samuel Mooring (1585-1649), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Aylesbury during the reign of Charles I. He was a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Mooring surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable Scottish bearer of the name was Alexander Mooring (1698-1761), a Presbyterian minister and author who wrote several works on theology and church history.

In the 19th century, the name was carried by immigrants to various parts of the British Empire, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. One example is William Mooring (1813-1885), an English settler in Australia who became a successful farmer and landowner in the colony of Victoria.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mooring families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mooring 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. Bedfordshire leads with 61 Moorings recorded in 1881 and an index of 56.97x.

County Total Index
Bedfordshire 61 56.97x
Yorkshire 51 2.49x
Northamptonshire 21 10.80x
Surrey 21 2.08x
Berkshire 19 12.24x
Middlesex 18 0.87x
Oxfordshire 6 4.70x
Worcestershire 5 1.85x
Selkirkshire 3 16.03x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.80x
Essex 1 0.25x
Gloucestershire 1 0.25x
Hampshire 1 0.24x
Midlothian 1 0.36x
Norfolk 1 0.31x
Shropshire 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dunstable in Bedfordshire leads with 22 Moorings recorded in 1881 and an index of 668.69x.

Place Total Index
Dunstable 22 668.69x
Evenley 18 5000.00x
Houghton Regis 15 877.19x
Abingdon St Helen 14 308.37x
Luton 12 64.72x
Lambeth 10 5.55x
St Giles Cripplegate 9 327.27x
Battersea 7 9.20x
Headingley Cum Burley 6 45.49x
Holbeck 6 44.18x
Abingdon St Nicholas 5 1162.79x
Appleton Le Street 5 3846.15x
Claines 5 67.48x
Clifton In York 5 116.55x
Rotherfield Peppard 5 1428.57x
Stonegrave 5 4545.45x
Yedingham 5 5000.00x
Caddington 4 254.78x
Falsgrave 4 132.45x
Paddington London 4 5.26x
Cranfield 3 291.26x
Galashiels 3 43.35x
Great Ayton 3 238.10x
Great Barford 3 535.71x
Kennythorpe 3 7500.00x
Milton 3 588.24x
Barton Le Willows 2 1111.11x
Bedford St Paul 2 27.25x
Croydon 2 3.58x
Hammersmith London 2 3.93x
Langtoft 2 454.55x
Bampton 1 101.01x
Buckingham 1 39.37x
Cowlam 1 2500.00x
Esholt 1 370.37x
Farnborough 1 22.47x
Great Yarmouth 1 3.80x
Hackney London 1 0.86x
Hampstead London 1 3.10x
Islington London 1 0.50x
Lechlade 1 120.48x
Leyton 1 14.22x
Mitcham 1 15.70x
Oswestry Town 1 17.48x
Reigate Foreign 1 9.17x
Snainton 1 181.82x
Thornton Dale 1 185.19x
West Calder 1 18.32x
York All Sts Peasholme 1 303.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 12
George 9
John 8
James 7
Arthur 6
Joseph 6
Thomas 6
Frederick 5
Albert 3
Charles 3
Henry 3
Walter 3
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Isaac 2
Alfred 1
Barnet 1
Benjamin 1
Clarence 1
David 1
Ephraim 1
Francis 1
Fred.James 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Isac 1
Ishmael 1
Jas.Henry 1
Lacey 1
Owen 1
Robert 1
Robt.O. 1
Samuel 1
Thos 1
Valentine 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Mooring surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mooring surname in 1881?

In 1881, 213 people were recorded with the Mooring surname. That placed it at #12,328 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mooring surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 198 in 2016. That gives Mooring a modern rank of #19,713.

What does the Mooring surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a person who operated or lived near a mooring for boats.

What does the Mooring map show?

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