NameCensus.

UK surname

Moorley

In the 1881 census there were 204 people recorded with the Moorley surname, ranking it #12,682 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 155, ranked #23,197, down from #12,682 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Peter, St Alkmund and St Werburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Derby, North Hertfordshire and Conwy.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moorley is 371 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 24.0%.

1881 census count

204

Ranked #12,682

Modern count

155

2016, ranked #23,197

Peak year

1911

371 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moorley had 204 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,682 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 155 in 2016, ranked #23,197.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 371 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Moorley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Moorley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Moorley 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 197 #10,535
1861 historical 284 #8,845
1881 historical 204 #12,682
1891 historical 254 #12,598
1901 historical 247 #13,238
1911 historical 371 #9,830
1997 modern 162 #20,107
1998 modern 166 #20,329
1999 modern 163 #20,698
2000 modern 168 #20,252
2001 modern 165 #20,199
2002 modern 169 #20,307
2003 modern 159 #20,881
2004 modern 157 #21,168
2005 modern 151 #21,667
2006 modern 155 #21,477
2007 modern 160 #21,296
2008 modern 163 #21,238
2009 modern 160 #21,978
2010 modern 160 #22,487
2011 modern 171 #21,337
2012 modern 162 #22,078
2013 modern 157 #22,904
2014 modern 156 #23,231
2015 modern 157 #22,997
2016 modern 155 #23,197

Geography

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Where Moorleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Peter, St Alkmund, St Werburgh, Manchester and Ockbrook. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Derby, North Hertfordshire and Conwy. 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 St Peter Derbyshire
2 St Alkmund Derbyshire
3 St Werburgh Derbyshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Ockbrook Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Derby 029 Derby
2 Derby 031 Derby
3 Derby 023 Derby
4 North Hertfordshire 004 North Hertfordshire
5 Conwy 010 Conwy

Forenames

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First names often paired with Moorley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Moorley

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

Moorley is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Moorley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moorley 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. Derbyshire leads with 103 Moorleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.06x.

County Total Index
Derbyshire 103 33.06x
Staffordshire 25 3.72x
Nottinghamshire 18 6.71x
Middlesex 17 0.85x
Lancashire 15 0.64x
Yorkshire 7 0.36x
Hertfordshire 5 3.65x
Berkshire 2 1.34x
Kent 2 0.29x
Surrey 2 0.21x
Gloucestershire 1 0.26x
Hampshire 1 0.25x
Leicestershire 1 0.45x
Lincolnshire 1 0.31x
Northumberland 1 0.34x
Renfrewshire 1 0.65x
Westmorland 1 2.29x
Worcestershire 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Derby St Peter in Derbyshire leads with 18 Moorleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 181.45x.

Place Total Index
Derby St Peter 18 181.45x
Ockbrook 12 909.09x
Hackney London 10 8.96x
Breadsall 9 2500.00x
Handsworth 9 54.38x
Nottingham St Mary 9 12.97x
Denby 8 842.11x
Derby St Alkmund 8 85.65x
Newcastle Under Lyme 8 67.34x
Strelley 8 4705.88x
Hazelwood 7 2692.31x
Little Eaton 6 937.50x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 6 65.50x
Dale Abbey 5 1785.71x
Long Eaton 5 121.65x
St Pancras London 5 3.12x
Weston 5 757.58x
Cheetham 4 22.71x
Derby All Sts 4 153.85x
Derby St Werburgh 4 22.23x
Pendleton In Salford 4 14.22x
Sandiacre 4 360.36x
Spondon 4 333.33x
Stoke Upon Trent 4 5.62x
Burton Upon Trent 3 19.10x
Chaddesden 3 714.29x
Pendlebury 3 60.24x
Worsley 3 20.62x
Risley 2 1333.33x
Barlborough 1 86.96x
Barnsley 1 4.92x
Chelsea London 1 1.67x
Christchurch 1 11.31x
Cirencester 1 18.94x
Croydon 1 1.86x
Dudley 1 3.17x
East Greenock 1 6.87x
Elvaston 1 263.16x
Godalming 1 16.39x
Greenwich 1 3.16x
Kendal 1 12.50x
Leicester St Mary 1 5.61x
Littleover 1 188.68x
Manchester 1 0.94x
Minster In Sheppey 1 8.89x
New Windsor 1 19.92x
Reading St Mary 1 8.36x
Ripley 1 25.97x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 1 35.46x
St Martin Lincoln 1 33.90x
Stafford St Chad 1 322.58x
Torworth 1 666.67x
Wallsend 1 10.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Elizabeth 8
Sarah 8
Eliza 6
Emma 6
Alice 5
Ann 5
Ellen 5
Annie 4
Hannah 4
Jane 4
Agnes 3
Kate 3
Catherine 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Elizath. 1
Elizebeth 1
Ella 1
Emily 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Millicent 1
Pollie 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
Joseph 13
Thomas 11
James 10
George 8
William 7
Edward 5
Harry 4
Robert 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Edwin 2
Frederick 2
Geo. 2
Henry 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
Benjmin 1
Chas.J. 1
David 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
Jim 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Moorley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moorley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 204 people were recorded with the Moorley surname. That placed it at #12,682 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moorley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 155 in 2016. That gives Moorley a modern rank of #23,197.

What does the Moorley map show?

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