NameCensus.

UK surname

Motson

In the 1881 census there were 74 people recorded with the Motson surname, ranking it #23,062 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 132, ranked #25,882, down from #23,062 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Grainthorpe with Ludney and Wrangholm, Swineshead, North Forty Foot Bank, Drainage Marsh, Forty-foot Bridge, Gibbet Hills, Rakes Farm, Roya and Hull Holy Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, Nottingham and Colchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Motson is 154 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 78.4%.

1881 census count

74

Ranked #23,062

Modern count

132

2016, ranked #25,882

Peak year

1998

154 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Motson had 74 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,062 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016, ranked #25,882.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 109 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Motson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Motson surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Motson 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 73 #20,581
1861 historical 77 #23,975
1881 historical 74 #23,062
1891 historical 94 #24,820
1901 historical 96 #23,342
1911 historical 109 #21,611
1997 modern 141 #21,941
1998 modern 154 #21,316
1999 modern 147 #22,110
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 141 #22,344
2002 modern 146 #22,302
2003 modern 132 #23,459
2004 modern 134 #23,425
2005 modern 128 #24,076
2006 modern 128 #24,267
2007 modern 126 #24,860
2008 modern 128 #24,901
2009 modern 128 #25,427
2010 modern 133 #25,379
2011 modern 130 #25,547
2012 modern 128 #25,852
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 134 #25,711
2015 modern 131 #25,979
2016 modern 132 #25,882

Geography

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Where Motsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Grainthorpe with Ludney and Wrangholm, Swineshead, North Forty Foot Bank, Drainage Marsh, Forty-foot Bridge, Gibbet Hills, Rakes Farm, Roya, Hull Holy Trinity, Friskney and Kirton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, Nottingham, Colchester and Doncaster. 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 Grainthorpe with Ludney and Wrangholm Lincolnshire
2 Swineshead, North Forty Foot Bank, Drainage Marsh, Forty-foot Bridge, Gibbet Hills, Rakes Farm, Roya Lincolnshire
3 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
4 Friskney Lincolnshire
5 Kirton Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 017 East Lindsey
2 Nottingham 040 Nottingham
3 Colchester 010 Colchester
4 East Lindsey 002 East Lindsey
5 Doncaster 019 Doncaster

Forenames

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First names often paired with Motson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Motson

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Motson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Motson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Motson is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Motson 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

Motson falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Motson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Motson 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. Lincolnshire leads with 47 Motsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.74x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 47 40.74x
Yorkshire 13 1.82x
Ayrshire 4 7.41x
Norfolk 4 3.61x
Durham 3 1.40x
Fife 1 2.34x
Middlesex 1 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 1 1.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Friskney in Lincolnshire leads with 11 Motsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2972.97x.

Place Total Index
Friskney 11 2972.97x
Grainthorpe 9 5294.12x
Holy Trinity 7 40.70x
Louth 5 189.39x
Swineshead 5 1315.79x
Kilmarnock 4 62.21x
Little Carlton 4 10000.00x
Tilney All Sts 4 2857.14x
East Keal 3 3000.00x
Stockton On Tees 3 28.99x
Halton Holegate 2 1666.67x
Sheffield 2 8.79x
Spalding 2 87.34x
Sutton Stoneferry 2 97.56x
Fleet 1 303.03x
Fulstow Grainthorpe Marsh 1 5000.00x
Kinghorn 1 109.89x
Manningham 1 11.35x
Marsh Chapel 1 714.29x
Moorby 1 5000.00x
Nottingham St Mary 1 3.97x
Spilsby 1 270.27x
St George Bloomsbury 1 24.15x
Swine 1 2000.00x
Wainfleet St Mary 1 588.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Thomas 9
Henry 6
George 5
John 5
William 5
Charles 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Robert 1
Willows 1

FAQ

Motson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Motson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 74 people were recorded with the Motson surname. That placed it at #23,062 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Motson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016. That gives Motson a modern rank of #25,882.

What does the Motson map show?

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