NameCensus.

UK surname

Mothershaw

In the 1881 census there were 56 people recorded with the Mothershaw surname, ranking it #25,733 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 118, ranked #27,873, down from #25,733 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Wolstanton and Wem. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mothershaw is 128 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 110.7%.

1881 census count

56

Ranked #25,733

Modern count

118

2016, ranked #27,873

Peak year

1911

128 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mothershaw had 56 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,733 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 118 in 2016, ranked #27,873.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 128 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Mothershaw surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mothershaw surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mothershaw 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 29 #28,082
1861 historical 68 #25,196
1881 historical 56 #25,733
1891 historical 87 #25,802
1901 historical 84 #24,759
1911 historical 128 #19,664
1997 modern 82 #29,325
1998 modern 119 #24,918
1999 modern 125 #24,366
2000 modern 121 #24,824
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 120 #25,110
2003 modern 118 #25,146
2004 modern 115 #25,740
2005 modern 109 #26,583
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 118 #25,913
2008 modern 115 #26,635
2009 modern 115 #27,207
2010 modern 124 #26,582
2011 modern 127 #25,926
2012 modern 120 #26,961
2013 modern 116 #27,992
2014 modern 115 #28,439
2015 modern 112 #28,809
2016 modern 118 #27,873

Geography

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Where Mothershaws are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Wolstanton, Wem, Market Drayton or Drayton-in-Hales and Newcastle-under Lyne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 Wem Shropshire
4 Market Drayton or Drayton-in-Hales Shropshire
5 Newcastle-under Lyne Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle-under-Lyme 006 Newcastle-under-Lyme
2 Newcastle-under-Lyme 010 Newcastle-under-Lyme
3 Newcastle-under-Lyme 004 Newcastle-under-Lyme
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 005 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Staffordshire Moorlands 013 Staffordshire Moorlands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mothershaw

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mothershaw

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Mothershaw surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Mothershaw 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Mothershaw is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mothershaw 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

Mothershaw falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Mothershaw families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mothershaw 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. Staffordshire leads with 33 Mothershaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.33x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 33 21.33x
Shropshire 8 20.20x
Nottinghamshire 6 9.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newcastle Under Lyme in Staffordshire leads with 10 Mothershaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 364.96x.

Place Total Index
Newcastle Under Lyme 10 364.96x
Willenhall 7 241.38x
Bilston 6 200.00x
Nottingham St Mary 6 37.55x
Tyrley 6 5000.00x
Wem 6 1016.95x
Wolstanton Knutton 4 425.53x
Drayton In Hales 2 243.90x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Hannah 2
Martha 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
C. 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Kezia 1
Mary 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 3
William 3
Herbert 2
John 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Geo 1
Geo. 1
H.E. 1
James 1
Jonas 1
Peter 1
Saamuel 1
Walter 1
Wm 1
Wm.J. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mothershaw households.

FAQ

Mothershaw surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mothershaw surname in 1881?

In 1881, 56 people were recorded with the Mothershaw surname. That placed it at #25,733 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mothershaw surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 118 in 2016. That gives Mothershaw a modern rank of #27,873.

What does the Mothershaw map show?

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