NameCensus.

UK surname

Moston

In the 1881 census there were 308 people recorded with the Moston surname, ranking it #9,542 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 255, ranked #16,576, down from #9,542 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, Burslem and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tameside, Warrington and Stoke-on-Trent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moston is 414 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 17.2%.

1881 census count

308

Ranked #9,542

Modern count

255

2016, ranked #16,576

Peak year

1911

414 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moston had 308 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,542 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 255 in 2016, ranked #16,576.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 414 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Moston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Moston surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Moston 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 213 #9,934
1861 historical 199 #12,062
1881 historical 308 #9,542
1891 historical 344 #9,969
1901 historical 317 #11,213
1911 historical 414 #9,062
1997 modern 221 #16,565
1998 modern 289 #14,208
1999 modern 281 #14,578
2000 modern 260 #15,360
2001 modern 262 #15,034
2002 modern 258 #15,485
2003 modern 249 #15,653
2004 modern 252 #15,618
2005 modern 248 #15,721
2006 modern 250 #15,749
2007 modern 254 #15,736
2008 modern 261 #15,597
2009 modern 260 #15,972
2010 modern 265 #16,115
2011 modern 264 #16,016
2012 modern 250 #16,523
2013 modern 267 #16,053
2014 modern 262 #16,380
2015 modern 259 #16,409
2016 modern 255 #16,576

Geography

Back to top

Where Mostons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, Burslem, Manchester, Knutsford and Lymm. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tameside, Warrington, Stoke-on-Trent and Bradford. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 Burslem Staffordshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Knutsford Cheshire
5 Lymm Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tameside 001 Tameside
2 Warrington 021 Warrington
3 Stoke-on-Trent 009 Stoke-on-Trent
4 Bradford 003 Bradford
5 Stoke-on-Trent 001 Stoke-on-Trent

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Moston

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Moston

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Moston is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Moston is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Moston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moston 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. Cheshire leads with 101 Mostons recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.33x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 101 15.33x
Staffordshire 99 9.83x
Lancashire 71 2.00x
Yorkshire 16 0.54x
Middlesex 8 0.27x
Northumberland 7 1.58x
Durham 2 0.23x
Angus 1 0.36x
Surrey 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lymm in Cheshire leads with 48 Mostons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1002.09x.

Place Total Index
Lymm 48 1002.09x
Wolstanton 28 91.50x
Stoke Upon Trent 24 22.46x
Newcastle Under Lyme 15 84.13x
Gorton 10 30.04x
Newton 10 36.63x
Burslem 9 31.19x
Manchester 9 5.65x
Knutsford Nether 8 201.01x
Tipton 8 25.93x
Elton In Congleton 7 1250.00x
Kermincham 7 3684.21x
Newcastle On Tyne St 7 30.41x
Pendleton In Salford 7 16.59x
Prescot 7 109.20x
Bootle Cum Linacre 6 21.33x
Skircoat 6 51.46x
Warrington 6 14.29x
Bradwall 5 735.29x
Paddington London 5 4.56x
Sandbach 5 88.97x
Smallthorne 5 133.69x
Wolstanton Chatterly 5 485.44x
Grappenhall 4 493.83x
Norland 4 197.04x
Audley 3 30.09x
Liverpool 3 1.39x
Runcorn 3 19.75x
Cleckheaton 2 18.35x
Kirkdale 2 3.36x
Macclesfield 2 6.83x
Moston 2 56.34x
Salford 2 1.92x
Streatlam Stainton 2 571.43x
Altrincham 1 8.69x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 1.29x
Baguley 1 133.33x
Barton Upon Irwell 1 3.75x
Bollin Fee 1 34.25x
Bowling 1 3.41x
Broughton In Salford 1 3.09x
Chester Holy Trinity 1 32.36x
Church Coppenhall 1 33.90x
Ecclesfield 1 4.61x
Egham 1 11.20x
Elton 1 8.17x
Halliwell 1 7.76x
Hendon 1 9.31x
High Leigh 1 114.94x
Horton In Bradford 1 2.17x
Islington London 1 0.35x
Knutsford Over 1 238.10x
Mains 1 42.55x
Monks Coppenhall 1 4.02x
Moston In Congleton 1 555.56x
Oldham 1 0.87x
Pickmere 1 400.00x
Somerford Booths 1 454.55x
St George Hanover 1 2.57x
St Mary 1 50.51x
Stockport 1 2.95x
Toxteth Park 1 0.83x
Wolstanton Oldcott 1 27.40x
Wolverhampton 1 1.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 29
Sarah 14
Elizabeth 13
Annie 10
Jane 7
Ann 6
Ellen 6
Martha 6
Hannah 5
Eliza 4
Emma 3
Harriet 3
Margaret 3
Alice 2
Edith 2
Julia 2
Maria 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Amy 1
Betsey 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Deborah 1
Eleanor 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Elsie 1
Emila 1
Ethel 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
James 1
Jessie 1
Lois 1
Louisa 1
Margt. 1
May 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 22
William 22
Thomas 19
James 14
Joseph 9
George 7
Arthur 6
Henry 6
Edward 4
Frederick 4
Walter 4
Geo. 3
Harry 3
Philip 3
Charles 2
Josiah 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Allen 1
Ann 1
Benjamin 1
Cecil 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred.Alfred 1
Fredk. 1
Harold 1
Horace 1
Hy. 1
Jabez 1
Matthew 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Randle 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Sam 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Thomas 1

FAQ

Moston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 308 people were recorded with the Moston surname. That placed it at #9,542 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 255 in 2016. That gives Moston a modern rank of #16,576.

What does the Moston map show?

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