NameCensus.

UK surname

Musselwhite

An English surname derived from words meaning "mussel" and "white" or "pale."

In the 1881 census there were 480 people recorded with the Musselwhite surname, ranking it #6,976 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 557, ranked #9,196, down from #6,976 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Barford St Martin, Baverstock, Poole St James and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Poole and Thanet.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Musselwhite is 648 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.0%.

1881 census count

480

Ranked #6,976

Modern count

557

2016, ranked #9,196

Peak year

1911

648 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Musselwhite had 480 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,976 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 557 in 2016, ranked #9,196.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 648 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Musselwhite surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Musselwhite surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Musselwhite 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 271 #8,257
1861 historical 227 #10,749
1881 historical 480 #6,976
1891 historical 557 #6,807
1901 historical 621 #6,877
1911 historical 648 #6,460
1997 modern 602 #8,123
1998 modern 616 #8,240
1999 modern 639 #8,067
2000 modern 635 #8,074
2001 modern 618 #8,104
2002 modern 645 #7,998
2003 modern 601 #8,328
2004 modern 598 #8,369
2005 modern 571 #8,571
2006 modern 571 #8,598
2007 modern 573 #8,644
2008 modern 587 #8,562
2009 modern 580 #8,806
2010 modern 582 #8,978
2011 modern 570 #9,019
2012 modern 560 #9,050
2013 modern 573 #9,034
2014 modern 572 #9,102
2015 modern 565 #9,108
2016 modern 557 #9,196

Geography

Back to top

Where Musselwhites are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Barford St Martin, Baverstock, Poole St James, London parishes, Homington, Coombe Bissett, Stratford St Anthony, Britford and Salisbury St Edmund. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Poole and Thanet. 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 Barford St Martin, Baverstock Wiltshire
2 Poole St James Dorset
3 London parishes London 3
4 Homington, Coombe Bissett, Stratford St Anthony, Britford Wiltshire
5 Salisbury St Edmund Wiltshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 062 Wiltshire
2 Poole 015 Poole
3 Thanet 005 Thanet
4 Wiltshire 054 Wiltshire
5 Wiltshire 057 Wiltshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Musselwhite

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Musselwhite

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

Musselwhite is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Musselwhite falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Musselwhite

The surname Musselwhite is of English origin, dating back to the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from a place name, most likely referring to a village or town where mussels were harvested or sold.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Musselwhite can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a legal document from 1285, which mentions a John de Musselwhite. This suggests that the name was already established in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the Musselwhite family was recorded as residing in the county of Hertfordshire. The parish registers of St. Michael's in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, contain entries for several Musselwhites, including the marriage of John Musselwhite and Margaret Cowe in 1568.

The name Musselwhite may be related to the place name Muswell Hill in London, which is derived from the Old English words "musse" (meaning "mouse") and "welle" (meaning "spring" or "stream"). It is possible that the name originated from this area and was later adopted as a surname.

One notable bearer of the Musselwhite surname was John Musselwhite (1646-1721), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Hinton St. George in Somerset from 1685 until his death.

Another historical figure with this surname was William Musselwhite (1786-1863), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

In the 19th century, the Musselwhite family had a presence in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire. The 1881 census records a Thomas Musselwhite, born in 1846, working as a coal miner in Barnsley, Yorkshire.

Additionally, the name Musselwhite has been associated with the town of Selby in Yorkshire, where a family of that name owned a brewery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One member, James Musselwhite (1857-1931), was a prominent businessman and served as the Mayor of Selby in 1895.

Throughout history, the Musselwhite surname has maintained its connection to its English roots, with various branches of the family residing in different parts of the country and contributing to local communities and industries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Musselwhite families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Musselwhite 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. Wiltshire leads with 205 Musselwhites recorded in 1881 and an index of 49.51x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 205 49.51x
Hampshire 89 9.27x
Dorset 59 19.20x
Surrey 31 1.36x
Middlesex 21 0.45x
Berkshire 12 3.41x
Sussex 11 1.39x
Kent 9 0.56x
Durham 8 0.57x
Oxfordshire 7 2.42x
Essex 6 0.65x
Devon 4 0.41x
Gloucestershire 4 0.44x
Derbyshire 3 0.41x
Morayshire 2 2.75x
Warwickshire 2 0.17x
Bedfordshire 1 0.41x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.35x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.34x
Cheshire 1 0.10x
Cornwall 1 0.19x
Lancashire 1 0.02x
Monmouthshire 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Downton in Wiltshire leads with 29 Musselwhites recorded in 1881 and an index of 535.06x.

Place Total Index
Downton 29 535.06x
Barford St Martin 28 3733.33x
Britford 26 952.38x
Poole St James 24 207.79x
Wilton 21 716.72x
Hamworthy 19 1775.70x
Denny Lodge 17 3617.02x
Bishopstone 14 710.66x
Battersea 13 7.55x
Dinton 13 1780.82x
Sutton Veney 13 1120.69x
Cookham 11 100.37x
Rotherhithe 11 19.01x
Salisbury St Thomas 9 274.39x
Houghton Le Spring 8 83.07x
Portsea 8 4.25x
Margate St John Baptist 7 23.93x
Shapwick 7 985.92x
Southampton All Sts 7 42.50x
St Mary Extra 7 90.67x
West Dean 7 598.29x
Chelsea London 6 4.25x
Chicklade 6 3750.00x
Fawley 6 197.37x
Fugglestone St Peter 6 365.85x
Rotherfield Greys 6 196.08x
Southampton St Mary 6 9.94x
Kings Somborne 5 248.76x
St George Hanover 5 8.18x
Steeple Langford 5 595.24x
Aldershot 4 12.44x
Andover 4 44.10x
Bermondsey 4 2.87x
Broughton 4 275.86x
Frenchmoor 4 6666.67x
Hendon 4 23.74x
Holdenhurst 4 15.89x
Hove 4 11.55x
Salisbury St Martin 4 92.81x
West Mersea 4 225.99x
Church Knowle 3 333.33x
Coombe Bissett 3 517.24x
Devizes St John 3 96.46x
Duffield 3 51.90x
East Stonehouse 3 15.63x
Fisherton Anger 3 39.16x
Odstock 3 1250.00x
South Stoneham 3 14.41x
Swanage 3 79.16x
Westbury On Trym 3 9.64x
Burcombe 2 400.00x
Croydon 2 1.58x
Durnford 2 277.78x
Fovant 2 222.22x
Hale 2 833.33x
Hampstead London 2 2.74x
Homington 2 689.66x
Kinloss 2 116.28x
Knowle 2 82.30x
Millbrook 2 8.27x
North Charford 2 1176.47x
Potterne Worton 2 370.37x
Trowbridge 2 10.93x
Virley 2 1428.57x
Wareham Lady St Mary 2 84.39x
Bedford St Mary 1 16.03x
Burford 1 39.84x
Islington London 1 0.22x
Kensington London 1 0.38x
Macclesfield 1 2.18x
Milford 1 45.05x
Portland 1 6.05x
Salisbury The Close 1 98.04x
South Newton 1 92.59x
St Martins 1 175.44x
St Marythe Great 1 104.17x
St Pancras London 1 0.27x
Westminster St James 1 2.08x
Winterbourne Gunner 1 370.37x
Wouldham 1 49.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 21
Sarah 19
Mary 17
Alice 11
Emma 11
Jane 11
Eliza 10
Ellen 9
Louisa 9
Charlotte 7
Amelia 6
Ann 6
Annie 5
Edith 5
Fanny 5
Agnes 4
Clara 4
Emily 4
Harriet 4
Maria 4
Kate 3
Selina 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Beatrice 2
Frances 2
Gertrude 2
Hannah 2
Harriett 2
Lizzie 2
Mabel 2
Martha 2
Rachel 2
Rose 2
Anna 1
Caroline 1
Charllote 1
Charlott 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Ellenor 1
Elsie 1
Henriette 1
Hilda 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Jessy 1
Kathleen 1
Winifrid 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 29
George 21
John 19
Henry 14
James 13
Thomas 13
Edward 9
Harry 8
Walter 8
Albert 7
Frank 7
Arthur 6
Charles 6
Ernest 4
Joseph 4
Frederick 3
Samuel 3
Sidney 3
Sydney 3
Alfred 2
Francis 2
Philemon 2
Richard 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Charlie 1
Daniel 1
Edmund 1
Edwd. 1
F.Wm. 1
Francies 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Frederic 1
Geo. 1
Georg 1
Herbert 1
Hurbert 1
Isaa 1
Isaac 1
Jesse 1
Josiah 1
Lionel 1
Michael 1
Percy 1
Reginald 1
Silas 1
Thos.R. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Musselwhite surname: questions and answers

How common was the Musselwhite surname in 1881?

In 1881, 480 people were recorded with the Musselwhite surname. That placed it at #6,976 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Musselwhite surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 557 in 2016. That gives Musselwhite a modern rank of #9,196.

What does the Musselwhite surname mean?

An English surname derived from words meaning "mussel" and "white" or "pale."

What does the Musselwhite map show?

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