NameCensus.

UK surname

Mordaunt

An English surname derived from the French phrase "mordant" meaning "biting" or "stinging".

In the 1881 census there were 132 people recorded with the Mordaunt surname, ranking it #16,744 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 180, ranked #21,022, down from #16,744 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Clee and St John Hackney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newark and Sherwood, Knowsley and Crawley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mordaunt is 197 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.4%.

1881 census count

132

Ranked #16,744

Modern count

180

2016, ranked #21,022

Peak year

1999

197 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mordaunt had 132 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,744 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 180 in 2016, ranked #21,022.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 163 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mordaunt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mordaunt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mordaunt 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 96 #17,594
1861 historical 72 #24,643
1881 historical 132 #16,744
1891 historical 142 #18,995
1901 historical 151 #17,988
1911 historical 163 #16,939
1997 modern 186 #18,448
1998 modern 184 #19,037
1999 modern 197 #18,400
2000 modern 196 #18,431
2001 modern 182 #19,039
2002 modern 177 #19,759
2003 modern 174 #19,760
2004 modern 165 #20,530
2005 modern 176 #19,667
2006 modern 173 #19,995
2007 modern 180 #19,745
2008 modern 185 #19,589
2009 modern 181 #20,277
2010 modern 186 #20,379
2011 modern 184 #20,363
2012 modern 172 #21,219
2013 modern 180 #20,954
2014 modern 188 #20,503
2015 modern 186 #20,576
2016 modern 180 #21,022

Geography

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Where Mordaunts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Clee, St John Hackney, Liverpool and Ormskirk. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newark and Sherwood, Knowsley, Crawley and Horsham. 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 Clee Lincolnshire
3 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Ormskirk Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newark and Sherwood 012 Newark and Sherwood
2 Knowsley 002 Knowsley
3 Newark and Sherwood 013 Newark and Sherwood
4 Crawley 004 Crawley
5 Horsham 003 Horsham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mordaunt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mordaunt

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

Mordaunt 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

Mordaunt falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mordaunt

The surname Mordaunt is of Norman-French origin, derived from the Old French words "mort" meaning "dead" and "avent" meaning "coming." It was likely a topographic name referring to a person who lived near a mortuary or cemetery.

The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the late 11th century in Normandy, France. The Mordaunt family is believed to have arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066, with the name appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Mordant."

In the 12th century, the name was recorded as "Mordaunt" in various English counties, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire. The Mordaunts were a prominent family in these areas, holding lands and estates.

One notable early figure was Sir Robert Mordaunt (c. 1292-1314), a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under Edward I. Another was Sir John Mordaunt (c. 1510-1571), a courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

The Mordaunt family continued to play an important role in English history throughout the centuries. Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough (1621-1697), was a notable military leader and diplomat, serving under Charles II and William III. His descendant, John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt (1626-1675), was a prominent politician and served as Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire.

In the 18th century, Sir Charles Mordaunt (1658-1735) was a prominent naval commander and politician, while his son, Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough (1688-1770), was a successful military commander and diplomat.

Other notable individuals with the surname Mordaunt include John Mordaunt (1697-1779), a British politician and courtier, and Sir John Mordaunt (1927-2003), a British art historian and museum curator.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mordaunt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mordaunt 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 37 Mordaunts recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.33x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 37 2.33x
Middlesex 32 2.39x
Surrey 18 2.76x
Hampshire 9 3.29x
Somerset 7 3.25x
Warwickshire 6 1.78x
Channel Islands 5 12.63x
Kent 5 1.10x
Cambridgeshire 4 4.73x
Devon 4 1.44x
Yorkshire 3 0.23x
Staffordshire 2 0.44x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.24x
Carmarthenshire 1 1.78x
Cheshire 1 0.34x
Fife 1 1.26x
Lincolnshire 1 0.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hackney London in Middlesex leads with 15 Mordaunts recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.02x.

Place Total Index
Hackney London 15 20.02x
Aughton 11 700.64x
Norton Fitzwarren 7 2333.33x
Bootle Cum Linacre 6 47.66x
Coulsdon 6 508.47x
Stoke 6 195.44x
Bickerstaffe 5 480.77x
Hornsey 5 29.59x
South Stoneham 5 84.18x
St Peter Port 5 68.31x
Toxteth Park 5 9.31x
St Pancras London 4 3.72x
Thorney 4 425.53x
Wellesbourne Hastings 4 1250.00x
Croydon 3 8.30x
Lewisham 3 12.34x
Liverpool 3 3.12x
Stoke Newington London 3 28.82x
Bethnal Green London 2 3.45x
Kingston On Thames 2 12.79x
Kingswinford 2 12.21x
Thurlestone 2 1176.47x
Askern 1 400.00x
Barnstaple 1 22.88x
Battersea 1 2.03x
Brightside Bierlow 1 3.85x
Broughton In Salford 1 6.90x
Chelsea London 1 2.48x
Dysart 1 18.76x
Eton 1 54.64x
Everton 1 1.98x
Farnborough 1 34.72x
Great Crosby 1 23.15x
Great Grimsby 1 7.37x
Hampton Lucy 1 555.56x
Higher Bebington 1 52.91x
Hordle 1 208.33x
Llanelly 1 7.89x
Monks Kirby 1 135.14x
North Meols 1 6.44x
Portsea 1 1.86x
Skelmersdale 1 37.88x
Southampton All Sts 1 21.28x
St George Hanover 1 5.73x
St Marylebone London 1 1.40x
St Peters 1 47.39x
Tiverton 1 20.88x
Tonbridge 1 6.08x
Wakefield 1 9.83x
Walton On Hill 1 11.64x
West Derby 1 2.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Elizabeth 4
Margaret 4
Ann 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Harriett 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
M.A. 2
Adelaide 1
Adele 1
Adripo 1
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Dorothea 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Elizh.M. 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.Evelyn 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Irena 1
Isabel 1
J.B. 1
Jemima 1
Juliette 1
K.L. 1
Katherine 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Maria 1
Mildred 1
Penelope 1
Roseline 1
Sarah 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
Charles 5
James 4
George 3
Henry 3
Robert 3
Thomas 3
William 3
Francis 2
Osmond 2
Archibald 1
Arthur 1
B.A. 1
Charly 1
Edgar 1
Elijah 1
Eustace 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Gerald 1
Guy 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
J.A. 1
Jack 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Octavius 1
Osbert 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Wilfred 1

FAQ

Mordaunt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mordaunt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 132 people were recorded with the Mordaunt surname. That placed it at #16,744 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mordaunt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 180 in 2016. That gives Mordaunt a modern rank of #21,022.

What does the Mordaunt surname mean?

An English surname derived from the French phrase "mordant" meaning "biting" or "stinging".

What does the Mordaunt map show?

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