NameCensus.

UK surname

Mothersdale

In the 1881 census there were 150 people recorded with the Mothersdale surname, ranking it #15,489 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 151, ranked #23,615, down from #15,489 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Darlington, Auckland St Andrew and Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees and Scarborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mothersdale is 195 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 0.7%.

1881 census count

150

Ranked #15,489

Modern count

151

2016, ranked #23,615

Peak year

1911

195 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mothersdale had 150 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,489 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016, ranked #23,615.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 195 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mothersdale surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mothersdale surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mothersdale 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 65 #21,747
1861 historical 104 #20,477
1881 historical 150 #15,489
1891 historical 127 #20,496
1901 historical 189 #15,684
1911 historical 195 #15,197
1997 modern 156 #20,593
1998 modern 162 #20,673
1999 modern 158 #21,102
2000 modern 160 #20,903
2001 modern 165 #20,199
2002 modern 157 #21,261
2003 modern 153 #21,406
2004 modern 144 #22,379
2005 modern 140 #22,774
2006 modern 139 #23,044
2007 modern 147 #22,510
2008 modern 145 #22,929
2009 modern 144 #23,577
2010 modern 155 #22,985
2011 modern 147 #23,627
2012 modern 149 #23,372
2013 modern 155 #23,108
2014 modern 151 #23,745
2015 modern 152 #23,507
2016 modern 151 #23,615

Geography

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Where Mothersdales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Darlington, Auckland St Andrew, Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall, Stranton and Sutton-on-the-Forest. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Scarborough, Horsham and Gateshead. 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 Darlington Durham
2 Auckland St Andrew Durham
3 Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Stranton Durham
5 Sutton-on-the-Forest Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Tyneside 014 South Tyneside
2 Stockton-on-Tees 019 Stockton-on-Tees
3 Scarborough 003 Scarborough
4 Horsham 015 Horsham
5 Gateshead 002 Gateshead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mothersdale

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mothersdale

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Mothersdale is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Mothersdale is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mothersdale falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Mothersdale families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mothersdale 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. Yorkshire leads with 89 Mothersdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.14x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 89 6.14x
Durham 40 9.19x
Northumberland 15 6.89x
Dorset 4 4.17x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.74x
Essex 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hunslet in Yorkshire leads with 14 Mothersdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.92x.

Place Total Index
Hunslet 14 61.92x
Shildon 10 285.71x
Stranton 10 68.26x
Thornaby 10 184.50x
Hetton Le Hole 9 163.04x
Sutton On Forest 9 3103.45x
Richmond 8 352.42x
Kirkleatham 7 357.14x
Knaresborough 6 263.16x
Leeds 6 7.33x
Tynemouth 6 51.46x
Gateshead 5 15.34x
Naburn 5 1785.71x
Wallsend 5 72.46x
Halifax 4 18.80x
Marske In Guisbrough 4 155.64x
Middlesbrough 4 21.19x
Newcastle On Tyne St 4 35.46x
Shaftesbury St Peter 4 888.89x
Bishopwearmouth 3 8.03x
Helmsley 3 384.62x
Darlington 1 5.95x
Dunnington In York 1 270.27x
Easingwold 1 98.04x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 5.31x
Huby 1 400.00x
North Bierley 1 12.77x
Scarborough 1 7.59x
Scriven Cum Tentergate 1 185.19x
Seamer In Stokesley 1 833.33x
St Nicholas 1 1250.00x
Stockton On Tees 1 4.77x
Thurlstone 1 69.93x
West Ham 1 1.57x
York St Michael Le 1 212.77x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 9
Jane 6
Ann 5
Annie 3
Emma 3
Hannah 3
Harriet 3
Martha 3
Alice 2
Clara 2
Margaret 2
Ruth 2
Ada 1
Barbara 1
C. 1
Caroline 1
Charles 1
Dora 1
Dorothy 1
Emily 1
Emley 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florance 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Margret 1
May 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
William 12
Robert 10
Thomas 9
James 5
David 4
George 4
Alfred 2
Amos 1
Charles 1
Elijah 1
Frederick 1
Jabez 1
Jonathan 1
Thos. 1
Thos.H. 1
Wm. 1
Wm.H. 1

FAQ

Mothersdale surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mothersdale surname in 1881?

In 1881, 150 people were recorded with the Mothersdale surname. That placed it at #15,489 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mothersdale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016. That gives Mothersdale a modern rank of #23,615.

What does the Mothersdale map show?

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