NameCensus.

UK surname

Moulder

An occupational surname for a maker of molds or castings, or a person who works with molds.

In the 1881 census there were 541 people recorded with the Moulder surname, ranking it #6,379 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 668, ranked #8,003, down from #6,379 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes and Cheltenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mendip, Cotswold and Cherwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moulder is 824 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.5%.

1881 census count

541

Ranked #6,379

Modern count

668

2016, ranked #8,003

Peak year

1911

824 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moulder had 541 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,379 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 668 in 2016, ranked #8,003.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 824 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Moulder surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Moulder surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Moulder 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 393 #6,118
1861 historical 372 #6,857
1881 historical 541 #6,379
1891 historical 652 #5,956
1901 historical 781 #5,750
1911 historical 824 #5,351
1997 modern 717 #7,115
1998 modern 750 #7,100
1999 modern 745 #7,181
2000 modern 726 #7,290
2001 modern 722 #7,182
2002 modern 730 #7,255
2003 modern 707 #7,322
2004 modern 700 #7,400
2005 modern 698 #7,369
2006 modern 687 #7,479
2007 modern 688 #7,530
2008 modern 680 #7,655
2009 modern 716 #7,514
2010 modern 743 #7,431
2011 modern 733 #7,447
2012 modern 695 #7,649
2013 modern 707 #7,673
2014 modern 694 #7,826
2015 modern 675 #7,954
2016 modern 668 #8,003

Geography

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Where Moulders are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes, Cheltenham and Chesham (incl. Chartridge, Billington & Latimers with Waterside. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mendip, Cotswold, Cherwell and West Oxfordshire. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Cheltenham Gloucestershire
5 Chesham (incl. Chartridge, Billington & Latimers with Waterside Buckinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mendip 009 Mendip
2 Cotswold 002 Cotswold
3 Cherwell 009 Cherwell
4 West Oxfordshire 001 West Oxfordshire
5 Cotswold 011 Cotswold

Forenames

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First names often paired with Moulder

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Moulder

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Moulder is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Moulder is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Moulder falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Moulder

The surname Moulder originated from the English occupational name for a maker of molds or models, derived from the Middle English word 'moulder', a variant of 'molder'. The name is believed to have first appeared in the 13th century in Yorkshire, England.

Records from the 14th century show the name was also spelled as 'Muldor', 'Muldere', and 'Molder'. The earliest known bearer of this surname was John le Muldere, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301.

The Moulder name can be traced to various locations across Yorkshire, including Huddersfield, Leeds, and Bradford, where families with this surname were involved in the thriving textile and pottery industries during the medieval and early modern periods.

In the 16th century, the Moulder surname appeared in several parish records, such as the baptism of Alice Moulder in 1588 at St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire. Another notable early record is that of Robert Moulder, who was mentioned in the Hearth Tax Returns of Lincolnshire in 1674.

One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was William Moulder, a potter who lived in Staffordshire in the late 17th century. His descendants continued the family's pottery business for several generations.

Another prominent figure was John Moulder (1741-1805), an English inventor and engineer who patented several improvements to the steam engine and other industrial machinery during the Industrial Revolution.

In the 19th century, the Moulder surname gained recognition through the achievements of Henry Moulder (1825-1895), a British politician and member of parliament for East Nottinghamshire from 1880 to 1895.

The name also appeared in the United States, with records showing that John Moulder (1821-1897) was a Union Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and later served as a brigadier general.

Other notable individuals with the Moulder surname include George Moulder (1872-1951), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, and James Moulder (1906-1961), an American Democratic politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Moulder families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moulder 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. Gloucestershire leads with 141 Moulders recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.67x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 141 13.67x
Middlesex 106 2.02x
Surrey 42 1.64x
Warwickshire 33 2.49x
Oxfordshire 31 9.55x
Worcestershire 30 4.37x
Buckinghamshire 22 6.92x
Yorkshire 20 0.38x
Kent 17 0.95x
Hertfordshire 15 4.14x
Devon 14 1.28x
Hampshire 13 1.21x
Essex 12 1.16x
Wiltshire 9 1.94x
Lancashire 6 0.10x
Bedfordshire 5 1.84x
Derbyshire 4 0.49x
Durham 4 0.26x
Herefordshire 3 1.39x
Radnorshire 2 4.71x
Royal Navy 2 3.19x
Berkshire 1 0.25x
Cornwall 1 0.17x
Dorset 1 0.29x
Merionethshire 1 1.04x
Midlothian 1 0.14x
Monmouthshire 1 0.26x
Staffordshire 1 0.06x
Sussex 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cheltenham in Gloucestershire leads with 41 Moulders recorded in 1881 and an index of 51.53x.

Place Total Index
Cheltenham 41 51.53x
Cirencester 22 157.59x
Chesham 21 179.33x
Paddington London 20 10.35x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 12 63.59x
Over Norton 11 1392.41x
West Ham 11 4.80x
Compton Gifford 10 291.55x
Hayes 10 186.22x
Kensington London 10 3.42x
Kidderminster Borough 10 24.88x
Lambeth 10 2.18x
Tetbury 10 170.94x
Westminster St John 10 15.62x
Battersea 9 4.65x
Richmond 9 25.07x
St Marylebone London 9 3.21x
Swindon 9 24.95x
Wolverley 9 149.25x
Churchdown 8 390.24x
Flamstead 8 239.52x
Naunton 8 842.11x
Studley 8 141.09x
Westminster St 8 41.28x
Evesham All Sts 7 218.75x
Horton 7 1060.61x
Alveston 6 344.83x
Bladon 6 545.45x
Norwood 6 49.92x
Poplar London 6 6.05x
St Luke London 6 7.11x
Upton Grey 6 800.00x
Ashton Under Lyne 5 3.67x
Cowley 5 925.93x
Edgbaston 5 12.16x
Ensham 5 297.62x
Guiting Power 5 446.43x
Hanwell 5 53.65x
Nether Hallam 5 7.09x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 5 129.87x
Tankersley 5 128.87x
Birmingham 4 0.91x
Bishopwearmouth 4 2.98x
Dunstable 4 47.79x
Gloucester Barton St 4 66.23x
Hammersmith London 4 3.09x
Hampton Lucy 4 571.43x
Huddersfield 4 5.27x
Normanton 4 57.55x
Ramsgate 4 13.66x
Southwark Christchurch 4 16.23x
Tring 4 41.32x
Basing 3 149.25x
Bermondsey 3 1.92x
Chatham 3 6.08x
Cudworth 3 159.57x
Horton In Bradford 3 3.69x
St George In East 3 8.39x
Tunworth 3 1500.00x
Warwick St Nicholas 3 30.86x
Winson 3 1034.48x
Woolwich 3 4.53x
Badgeworth 2 110.50x
Barnwood 2 144.93x
Charlton Kings 2 28.05x
Compton Abdale 2 526.32x
Farnborough 2 76.34x
Ganarew 2 645.16x
Hornsey 2 3.01x
Islington London 2 0.39x
Kings Norton 2 3.25x
Leigh 2 24.01x
Llanelwedd 2 540.54x
Plumstead 2 3.34x
Rotherhithe 2 3.08x
Royal Navy 2 3.73x
St Pancras London 2 0.47x
Stourton 2 588.24x
Wootton 2 102.56x
Prestbury 1 39.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 30
Sarah 28
Elizabeth 23
Eliza 16
Jane 12
Ann 10
Annie 8
Fanny 8
Emma 7
Ellen 6
Emily 6
Florence 6
Martha 6
Hannah 5
Margaret 5
Alice 4
Charlotte 4
Esther 4
Jessie 4
Eleanor 3
Elizth. 3
Harriett 3
Julia 3
Louisa 3
Maria 3
Rose 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Dora 2
Edith 2
Frances 2
Rachel 2
Rebecca 2
Rosina 2
Susan 2
Susannah 2
Angelica 1
Chloris 1
Chrltte. 1
Corah 1
Evelyn 1
Flora 1
J. 1
Jeanette 1
Josephine 1
Kate 1
Kitty 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 39
George 29
John 23
James 21
Henry 19
Joseph 16
Thomas 15
Charles 11
Alfred 8
Albert 5
Arthur 5
Francis 5
Ernest 4
Frank 4
Frederick 4
Walter 4
Edward 3
Fredrick 3
Robert 3
Christopher 2
Earnest 2
Edwin 2
Infant 2
Samuel 2
Wm. 2
Austin 1
Chas. 1
Christian 1
David 1
Edgar 1
Elijah 1
Garrod 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Humphrey 1
Hy. 1
Isac 1
J.W.Herbert 1
Maurice 1
Oliver 1
Orlando 1
Richard 1
Sydney 1
W.H. 1
W.H.T.L. 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Moulder surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moulder surname in 1881?

In 1881, 541 people were recorded with the Moulder surname. That placed it at #6,379 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moulder surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 668 in 2016. That gives Moulder a modern rank of #8,003.

What does the Moulder surname mean?

An occupational surname for a maker of molds or castings, or a person who works with molds.

What does the Moulder map show?

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