NameCensus.

UK surname

Mortley

A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a marshy or boggy meadow.

In the 1881 census there were 160 people recorded with the Mortley surname, ranking it #14,860 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 271, ranked #15,874, down from #14,860 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Stoke and Romney, New. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Medway and South Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mortley is 296 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 69.4%.

1881 census count

160

Ranked #14,860

Modern count

271

2016, ranked #15,874

Peak year

1911

296 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mortley had 160 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,860 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 271 in 2016, ranked #15,874.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 296 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Mortley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mortley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mortley 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 86 #22,810
1881 historical 160 #14,860
1891 historical 231 #13,472
1901 historical 226 #14,006
1911 historical 296 #11,569
1997 modern 283 #14,037
1998 modern 289 #14,208
1999 modern 277 #14,737
2000 modern 283 #14,488
2001 modern 268 #14,812
2002 modern 265 #15,197
2003 modern 265 #15,025
2004 modern 258 #15,386
2005 modern 248 #15,721
2006 modern 244 #16,011
2007 modern 240 #16,392
2008 modern 247 #16,205
2009 modern 254 #16,230
2010 modern 267 #16,029
2011 modern 268 #15,843
2012 modern 264 #15,904
2013 modern 272 #15,836
2014 modern 270 #16,020
2015 modern 272 #15,851
2016 modern 271 #15,874

Geography

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Where Mortleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Stoke, Romney, New, Allhallows and Gillingham, Grange, Lidsing. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Medway and South Somerset. 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 3
2 Stoke Kent
3 Romney, New Kent
4 Allhallows Kent
5 Gillingham, Grange, Lidsing Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Medway 001 Medway
2 South Somerset 002 South Somerset
3 Medway 011 Medway
4 Medway 003 Medway
5 Medway 005 Medway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mortley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mortley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mortley, 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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Mortley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mortley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Mortley is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mortley 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

Mortley falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mortley

The surname Mortley has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, possibly a location in Yorkshire or Derbyshire. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Morteleye, found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in the year 1176.

The name Mortley is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "mor" meaning "moor" or "marsh" and "leah" meaning "a clearing" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a marshy or moorland clearing.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings across England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the origins of the Mortley name. These include references to places like "Mortuna" in Derbyshire and "Mortone" in Yorkshire.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Mortley was John de Morteleye, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1315. Another early record is of a William de Morteley, who was documented in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379.

Throughout the centuries, there have been several notable individuals with the Mortley surname. Sir John Mortley (1556-1629) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire. Thomas Mortley (1618-1668) was an English clergyman and author, known for his translations of classic Greek texts.

In the 18th century, John Mortley (1700-1778) was a prominent English merchant and landowner, who served as the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. William Mortley (1730-1809) was a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Vice Admiral and participated in several significant battles during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

Another notable figure was Sir Archibald Mortley (1805-1891), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Cape Colony (now part of South Africa) from 1854 to 1859.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mortley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mortley 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. Kent leads with 112 Mortleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.03x.

County Total Index
Kent 112 21.03x
Surrey 19 2.50x
Middlesex 9 0.58x
Lincolnshire 7 2.81x
Hampshire 5 1.56x
Devon 2 0.62x
Durham 2 0.43x
Gloucestershire 2 0.65x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.01x
Yorkshire 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. Faversham in Kent leads with 19 Mortleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 374.02x.

Place Total Index
Faversham 19 374.02x
Strood 13 427.63x
Stoke 9 3000.00x
Chatham 8 54.61x
Mile End Old Town 8 32.48x
Rotherhithe 8 41.49x
St Lawrence 8 218.58x
Westwell 8 1509.43x
Hoo 7 985.92x
Ramsgate 7 80.55x
Brenchley 6 314.14x
New Romney 6 1090.91x
North Somercotes 6 923.08x
Willesborough 6 419.58x
Battersea 5 8.71x
Portsea 4 6.38x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 9.55x
Bishopwearmouth 2 5.02x
Bristol St Stephen 2 253.16x
Gillingham 2 18.21x
Lydd 2 175.44x
Totnes 2 105.26x
Ashford 1 19.27x
Bermondsey 1 2.15x
Chatteris 1 39.68x
Croydon 1 2.37x
Dover St James 1 42.92x
Hythe St Leonard 1 53.19x
Islington London 1 0.66x
Kirby Grindalyth 1 714.29x
Lee 1 12.94x
Meopham 1 151.52x
Newchurch 1 588.24x
Pluckley 1 204.08x
Portsmouth 1 13.57x
Rochester St Margaret 1 17.83x
Southwark St Saviour 1 12.47x
Staplehurst 1 114.94x
Tenterden 1 53.19x
Woolwich 1 5.08x
Wrawby 1 147.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 12
George 10
John 6
Thomas 6
James 5
Edward 4
Harry 4
Walter 4
Albert 3
Edwin 3
Henry 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Joseph 2
Arthur 1
Edmund 1
Frank 1
Fredk.A. 1
Herbert 1
Hy.Thos. 1
Oliver 1
Percy 1
Robert 1
Sidney 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Mortley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mortley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 160 people were recorded with the Mortley surname. That placed it at #14,860 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mortley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 271 in 2016. That gives Mortley a modern rank of #15,874.

What does the Mortley surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a marshy or boggy meadow.

What does the Mortley map show?

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