NameCensus.

UK surname

Morshead

In the 1881 census there were 79 people recorded with the Morshead surname, ranking it #22,357 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 131, ranked #26,004, down from #22,357 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Duloe, St Austell and Whalley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Morshead is 138 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 65.8%.

1881 census count

79

Ranked #22,357

Modern count

131

2016, ranked #26,004

Peak year

2014

138 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Morshead had 79 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,357 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016, ranked #26,004.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 121 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Morshead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Morshead surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Morshead 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 100 #17,164
1861 historical 121 #18,148
1881 historical 79 #22,357
1891 historical 105 #23,241
1901 historical 76 #25,734
1911 historical 99 #22,850
1997 modern 111 #25,394
1998 modern 101 #27,479
1999 modern 99 #27,906
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 116 #25,089
2002 modern 108 #26,698
2003 modern 107 #26,617
2004 modern 111 #26,293
2005 modern 111 #26,260
2006 modern 116 #25,813
2007 modern 119 #25,747
2008 modern 118 #26,212
2009 modern 128 #25,427
2010 modern 129 #25,900
2011 modern 123 #26,512
2012 modern 132 #25,289
2013 modern 134 #25,525
2014 modern 138 #25,218
2015 modern 133 #25,729
2016 modern 131 #26,004

Geography

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Where Morsheads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Duloe, St Austell, Whalley, Camborne and Kelly. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall. 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 Duloe Cornwall
2 St Austell Cornwall
3 Whalley Lancashire
4 Camborne Cornwall
5 Kelly Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 036 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 027 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 031 Cornwall
4 Cornwall 014 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 015 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Morshead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Morshead

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Morshead is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Morshead is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Morshead falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Morshead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Morshead 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. Cornwall leads with 31 Morsheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.66x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 31 34.66x
Devon 28 17.03x
Middlesex 7 0.89x
Somerset 5 3.93x
Hampshire 3 1.85x
Royal Navy 2 21.25x
Brecknockshire 1 6.33x
Cardiganshire 1 5.19x
Kent 1 0.37x
Surrey 1 0.26x
Yorkshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Plymouth St Andrew in Devon leads with 10 Morsheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 78.93x.

Place Total Index
Plymouth St Andrew 10 78.93x
Camborne 7 189.70x
St Austell 7 228.76x
Brixton 5 2631.58x
Wells St Cuthbert 5 574.71x
Kelly 4 6666.67x
Pelynt 4 2222.22x
Duloe 3 1153.85x
St Blazey 3 379.75x
St Cleer 3 384.62x
St Pancras London 3 4.72x
Kensington London 2 4.55x
Kenwyn 2 85.47x
Lewtrenchard 2 2500.00x
Plymouth Charles The 2 27.62x
Royal Navy 2 24.84x
Salcombe Regis 2 1333.33x
St Faith Winchester 2 266.67x
Aberystwyth 1 322.58x
Andover 1 65.36x
Brecknock St John 1 75.19x
Croydon 1 4.68x
Devonport 1 52.91x
Exeter Heavitree 1 81.30x
Exeter St Sidwell 1 26.53x
Gomersal 1 27.40x
Lewisham 1 6.96x
Middle Temple London 1 3333.33x
Redruth 1 39.53x
St George Bloomsbury 1 22.08x
St Keyne 1 2500.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Ellen 4
Ann 2
Elizabeth 2
Grace 2
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Ella 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Jane 1
Jenifer 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Katherine 1
L.Evelyn 1
Lutitia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Mildred 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
William 6
Charles 4
Henry 3
Frank 2
James 2
Philip 2
Richard 2
Alexandria 1
Archer 1
Arthur 1
Christopher 1
Cosetto 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Joseph 1
Leslie 1
Nicholas 1
Reginall 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wm.I. 1

FAQ

Morshead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Morshead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 79 people were recorded with the Morshead surname. That placed it at #22,357 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Morshead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016. That gives Morshead a modern rank of #26,004.

What does the Morshead map show?

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