NameCensus.

UK surname

Mothersole

In the 1881 census there were 322 people recorded with the Mothersole surname, ranking it #9,262 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 275, ranked #15,720, down from #9,262 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Livermere, Magna, London parishes and St James. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Babergh, St Edmundsbury and Suffolk Coastal.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mothersole is 406 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 14.6%.

1881 census count

322

Ranked #9,262

Modern count

275

2016, ranked #15,720

Peak year

1911

406 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mothersole had 322 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,262 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 275 in 2016, ranked #15,720.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 406 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mothersole surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mothersole surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Mothersole 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 182 #11,209
1861 historical 188 #12,628
1881 historical 322 #9,262
1891 historical 369 #9,447
1901 historical 384 #9,745
1911 historical 406 #9,196
1997 modern 278 #14,210
1998 modern 300 #13,877
1999 modern 300 #13,958
2000 modern 290 #14,237
2001 modern 283 #14,247
2002 modern 282 #14,585
2003 modern 270 #14,825
2004 modern 263 #15,189
2005 modern 257 #15,365
2006 modern 263 #15,215
2007 modern 279 #14,732
2008 modern 276 #14,994
2009 modern 289 #14,809
2010 modern 290 #15,096
2011 modern 287 #15,044
2012 modern 269 #15,706
2013 modern 281 #15,487
2014 modern 279 #15,661
2015 modern 280 #15,485
2016 modern 275 #15,720

Geography

Back to top

Where Mothersoles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Livermere, Magna, London parishes, St James and Pakenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Babergh, St Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal, Croydon and East Craigs North. 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 Livermere, Magna Suffolk
2 London parishes London 1
3 St James Suffolk
4 London parishes London 3
5 Pakenham Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Babergh 010 Babergh
2 St Edmundsbury 004 St Edmundsbury
3 Suffolk Coastal 002 Suffolk Coastal
4 Croydon 017 Croydon
5 East Craigs North City of Edinburgh

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Mothersole

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Mothersole

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Mothersole 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

Mothersole 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

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Mothersole families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mothersole 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. Suffolk leads with 168 Mothersoles recorded in 1881 and an index of 43.78x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 168 43.78x
Middlesex 35 1.11x
Essex 21 3.38x
Hertfordshire 19 8.75x
Yorkshire 15 0.48x
Durham 12 1.28x
Cambridgeshire 9 4.51x
Lancashire 8 0.21x
Kent 7 0.65x
Cheshire 6 0.86x
Midlothian 6 1.42x
Norfolk 6 1.24x
Northamptonshire 5 1.69x
Surrey 4 0.26x
Royal Navy 1 2.66x
Wiltshire 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Livermere in Suffolk leads with 53 Mothersoles recorded in 1881 and an index of 17666.67x.

Place Total Index
Great Livermere 53 17666.67x
Berkhampstead 17 348.36x
Bury St Edmunds St James 15 146.34x
Long Melford 15 420.17x
Pakenham 14 1359.22x
Chilton 12 409.56x
Shelland 10 10000.00x
Bingley 9 45.27x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 9 125.00x
Garston 8 72.53x
Islington London 8 2.62x
Paddington London 7 6.04x
Soham 7 163.17x
Chelmsford 6 56.23x
Colchester St Mary At 6 272.73x
Higher Bebington 6 134.83x
Ipswich St Margaret 6 46.08x
Mundon 6 1714.29x
North Leith 6 30.72x
St George Hanover 6 14.59x
Chelsea London 4 4.21x
Great Barton 4 449.44x
Haverhill 4 117.30x
Hazelbeech 4 2352.94x
Laxfield 4 416.67x
Preston 4 1250.00x
Redenhall 4 212.77x
St Pancras London 4 1.58x
Elmswell 3 365.85x
Little Livermere 3 1666.67x
Norton 3 375.00x
Rattlesden 3 267.86x
Sevenoaks 3 34.40x
Ampton 2 2000.00x
Bardwell 2 243.90x
Barley 2 298.51x
Cockfield 2 198.02x
Croydon 2 2.35x
Danbury 2 190.48x
Hunslet 2 4.11x
Leeds 2 1.13x
Middleton 2 370.37x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 3.15x
Wetherden 2 370.37x
Aldeburgh 1 44.05x
Barking 1 50.25x
Beckenham 1 7.12x
Cheriton 1 22.83x
Coney Weston 1 476.19x
Denton 1 625.00x
Diss 1 24.10x
Felsham 1 277.78x
Fordham 1 131.58x
Framlingham 1 36.76x
Hackney London 1 0.57x
Hessett 1 217.39x
Heston 1 9.56x
Ingham 1 322.58x
Ipswich St Mathew 1 9.30x
Kensington London 1 0.57x
Peterborough 1 4.66x
Rochester St Margaret 1 8.82x
Rochester St Nicholas 1 29.94x
Royal Navy 1 3.12x
St Andrew Holborn 1 9.36x
Stillington 1 153.85x
Tadlow 1 454.55x
Thetford St Peter 1 78.74x
West Cholderton 1 555.56x
Westminster St James 1 3.09x
Westminster St John 1 2.61x
Wood Ditton 1 59.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 16
Henry 13
John 12
Arthur 11
Charles 10
George 10
James 9
Alfred 6
Thomas 6
Harry 5
Herbert 5
Walter 5
Robert 4
Ernest 3
Leonard 3
Samuel 3
David 2
Edward 2
Frederic 2
Frederick 2
Nathan 2
Philip 2
Abever 1
Alan 1
Baby 1
Ben. 1
Chas. 1
Clement 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Ephraim 1
Ephriam 1
Ethelbert 1
Frank 1
Hartley 1
Jas. 1
Jo. 1
Joseph 1
Lawrance 1
Mark 1
Michael 1
Nimrod 1
Peter 1
Reuben 1
Richard 1
Senior 1
Simon 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Mothersole surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mothersole surname in 1881?

In 1881, 322 people were recorded with the Mothersole surname. That placed it at #9,262 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mothersole surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 275 in 2016. That gives Mothersole a modern rank of #15,720.

What does the Mothersole map show?

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