NameCensus.

UK surname

Mozley

An English surname derived from a place name, originally denoting one from Moseley, Worcestershire.

In the 1881 census there were 166 people recorded with the Mozley surname, ranking it #14,496 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 306, ranked #14,543, down from #14,496 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Alkmund, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Treeton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirklees and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mozley is 346 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 84.3%.

1881 census count

166

Ranked #14,496

Modern count

306

2016, ranked #14,543

Peak year

1997

346 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mozley had 166 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,496 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 306 in 2016, ranked #14,543.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 318 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Mozley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mozley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mozley 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 190 #10,852
1861 historical 112 #19,279
1881 historical 166 #14,496
1891 historical 185 #15,803
1901 historical 318 #11,187
1911 historical 317 #11,011
1997 modern 346 #12,273
1998 modern 329 #13,070
1999 modern 333 #13,049
2000 modern 328 #13,129
2001 modern 323 #13,083
2002 modern 331 #13,115
2003 modern 311 #13,501
2004 modern 317 #13,400
2005 modern 311 #13,490
2006 modern 326 #13,128
2007 modern 328 #13,196
2008 modern 327 #13,350
2009 modern 323 #13,720
2010 modern 334 #13,690
2011 modern 317 #14,059
2012 modern 313 #14,095
2013 modern 305 #14,577
2014 modern 313 #14,406
2015 modern 315 #14,247
2016 modern 306 #14,543

Geography

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Where Mozleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Alkmund, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Treeton, St Werburgh and Almondbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kirklees and Rotherham. 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 St Alkmund Derbyshire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Treeton Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirklees 052 Kirklees
2 Rotherham 026 Rotherham
3 Rotherham 033 Rotherham
4 Kirklees 049 Kirklees
5 Rotherham 031 Rotherham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mozley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mozley

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Mozley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mozley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Mozley 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

Mozley 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

Mozley falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mozley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mozley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mozley

The surname Mozley has its origins in England, with records suggesting it emerged in the early medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English words "mos" meaning marsh or bog, and "leah" meaning a clearing in a forest or woodland area. This would indicate that the name originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a marshy woodland clearing.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Mozley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Mosley" in reference to a landowner in Staffordshire. The variant spelling "Moseley" was also common in historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries in counties like Lancashire and Warwickshire.

Over time, the name evolved to its current form of "Mozley," with the earliest known bearer being John Mozley, born in Staffordshire around 1520. Another notable early bearer was Sir Edmund Mozley (1572-1635), a prominent lawyer and member of the landed gentry in Staffordshire.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Mozley family established themselves as landowners and clergymen in various parts of England. One notable figure was Thomas Mozley (1730-1799), a Church of England clergyman and writer who served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University.

The 19th century saw several distinguished members of the Mozley family, including James Bowling Mozley (1813-1878), a theologian and author who served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, and his brother Thomas Mozley (1806-1893), a renowned essayist and literary critic.

Another significant bearer of the name was Henry Mozley (1845-1917), an engineer and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of the internal combustion engine and the motorcycle industry. He co-founded the Warwickshire-based Bayliss, Thomas and Co., one of the earliest motorcycle manufacturers in Britain.

While the surname Mozley is not among the most common in modern times, it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries, with bearers making contributions in various fields, including law, religion, literature, and engineering.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mozley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mozley 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 72 Mozleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.49x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 72 4.49x
Derbyshire 32 12.62x
Middlesex 24 1.48x
Nottinghamshire 11 5.04x
Lincolnshire 5 1.93x
Wiltshire 5 3.49x
Kent 3 0.54x
Lancashire 3 0.16x
Cheshire 2 0.56x
Gloucestershire 2 0.63x
Oxfordshire 2 2.00x
Berkshire 1 0.82x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.02x
Glamorgan 1 0.35x
Surrey 1 0.13x
Worcestershire 1 0.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Treeton in Yorkshire leads with 17 Mozleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4473.68x.

Place Total Index
Treeton 17 4473.68x
Halifax 11 46.69x
Keighley 10 58.48x
Derby St Werburgh 9 61.48x
Morley 9 107.91x
Beighton 7 608.70x
Eyam 7 985.92x
Hackney London 7 7.71x
Meltham 7 280.00x
Snenton 6 69.93x
St Pancras London 6 4.60x
Brightside Bierlow 5 15.89x
Kensington London 5 5.55x
Rodbourne Cheney 5 450.45x
Derby St Peter 4 49.51x
Sutton On Trent 4 740.74x
Whiston 4 519.48x
Dronfield 3 92.31x
Holbeck 3 28.22x
St Marylebone London 3 3.47x
St Michael Lincoln 3 428.57x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 6.13x
Hunslet 2 7.99x
Northfleet 2 41.07x
Radcliffe 2 21.60x
Saul 2 606.06x
Tranmere 2 15.22x
Westminster St James 2 12.01x
Wigginton 2 1333.33x
Cardiff St Fagan 1 370.37x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 3.28x
Derby St Alkmund 1 13.16x
Eton 1 45.05x
Great Malvern 1 22.68x
Hampstead London 1 3.97x
Haworth 1 26.25x
Laceby 1 178.57x
Lambeth 1 0.71x
Leeds 1 250.00x
Louth 1 16.86x
Nether Padley 1 5000.00x
New Windsor 1 24.45x
Ordsall 1 59.88x
Silkstone 1 126.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 8
Mary 8
Sarah 5
Hannah 4
Martha 4
Ann 3
Jane 3
Maria 3
Alice 2
Clementina 2
Ellen 2
Harriet 2
Louisa 2
Agnes 1
Amalia 1
Amilia 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Clara 1
Cordelia 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
F.W. 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Harriot 1
Henrietta 1
Ida 1
Lemeady 1
Lizzie 1
Lydia 1
Markham 1
Rebecca 1
Rosina 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Mozley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mozley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 166 people were recorded with the Mozley surname. That placed it at #14,496 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mozley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 306 in 2016. That gives Mozley a modern rank of #14,543.

What does the Mozley surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name, originally denoting one from Moseley, Worcestershire.

What does the Mozley map show?

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