NameCensus.

UK surname

Nattress

A surname derived from the Middle English words "nat" meaning nit or louse and "heres" meaning hair, likely referring to an occupation of dealing with lice or infested hair.

In the 1881 census there were 154 people recorded with the Nattress surname, ranking it #15,259 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 215, ranked #18,670, down from #15,259 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nattress is 228 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.6%.

1881 census count

154

Ranked #15,259

Modern count

215

2016, ranked #18,670

Peak year

1911

228 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nattress had 154 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,259 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 215 in 2016, ranked #18,670.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 228 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Nattress surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nattress surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nattress 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 62 #22,232
1861 historical 80 #23,566
1881 historical 154 #15,259
1891 historical 130 #20,173
1901 historical 180 #16,171
1911 historical 228 #13,759
1997 modern 210 #17,104
1998 modern 214 #17,366
1999 modern 214 #17,494
2000 modern 205 #17,940
2001 modern 198 #18,047
2002 modern 200 #18,294
2003 modern 192 #18,568
2004 modern 192 #18,678
2005 modern 204 #17,893
2006 modern 206 #17,945
2007 modern 205 #18,194
2008 modern 209 #18,114
2009 modern 214 #18,220
2010 modern 225 #18,000
2011 modern 225 #17,841
2012 modern 213 #18,422
2013 modern 221 #18,252
2014 modern 224 #18,202
2015 modern 222 #18,225
2016 modern 215 #18,670

Geography

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Where Nattress' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale, Gateshead, Auckland St Andrew and Croft (Croft), Great Smeaton (Great Smeaton). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham and Bristol. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Allendale Northumberland
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Auckland St Andrew Durham
5 Croft (Croft), Great Smeaton (Great Smeaton) Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 034 County Durham
2 County Durham 040 County Durham
3 Bristol 003 Bristol, City of
4 County Durham 039 County Durham
5 Bristol 008 Bristol, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nattress

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nattress

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Nattress surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Nattress household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Nattress is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nattress 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

Nattress falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Nattress is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Nattress

The surname Nattress originates from England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "nœtt" meaning "a nit or small insect" and "hærs" meaning "meadow or grassland." The name likely referred to someone who lived or worked near an infested meadow or pasture.

In its early forms, the name was spelled in various ways including Natresse, Natteres, and Natteresse. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1230, where it is listed as "Robert Nateres." This suggests the name was already established in northern England by the 13th century.

The Nattress surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England. Here it is spelled "Nateresse" and associated with the county of Lincolnshire. This provides evidence that the name had spread to other parts of the country by this time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling began to standardize closer to its modern form. Notable early bearers include John Nattresse, born around 1560 in Yorkshire, and William Nattress, a landowner in Lincolnshire mentioned in parish records from 1642.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern "Nattress" spelling dates to 1674, when it appears in the baptismal records of St. Peter's Church in Leeds, Yorkshire. This entry refers to the christening of Elizabeth Nattress, daughter of Thomas Nattress.

A few notable individuals with the Nattress surname from history include:

1) Reverend Thomas Nattress (1684-1764), an English clergyman who served as the rector of Kirby Underdale in Yorkshire.

2) John Nattress (1790-1856), a British naval officer who saw action during the Napoleonic Wars.

3) Mary Nattress (1832-1905), a pioneering English female explorer who traveled extensively in the Middle East.

4) Edwin Nattress (1838-1913), a noted English artist known for his landscape paintings of Yorkshire.

5) William Nattress (1822-1899), a British railway engineer who worked on several major rail projects in the 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nattress families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nattress 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. Durham leads with 87 Nattress' recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.47x.

County Total Index
Durham 87 19.47x
Yorkshire 35 2.35x
Northumberland 18 8.05x
Nottinghamshire 7 3.46x
Cumberland 4 3.09x
Middlesex 2 0.13x
Lancashire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cornsay in Durham leads with 15 Nattress' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1250.00x.

Place Total Index
Cornsay 15 1250.00x
Hedleyhope 13 1688.31x
Shadforth 12 1379.31x
Crook Billy Row 9 157.34x
North Cowton 9 6000.00x
Bishop Auckland 7 116.67x
Collierley 7 351.76x
Nottingham St Mary 7 13.37x
Roecliffe 7 5833.33x
Thornley 7 432.10x
Allendale 6 289.86x
Byker 6 54.30x
Willington 6 232.56x
Croft 5 1785.71x
Harmby 5 5555.56x
Elvet 4 123.84x
Flimby 4 366.97x
Westgate 4 28.90x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 3 58.94x
Monkwearmouth Shore 3 34.40x
Barton 2 769.23x
Elswick 2 11.21x
Shoreditch London 2 3.07x
Bishopwearmouth 1 2.61x
Bradford 1 2.77x
East Cowton 1 500.00x
Ebchester 1 144.93x
Hulme 1 2.69x
Lanchester 1 121.95x
Leyburn 1 200.00x
Stranton 1 6.65x
York St Crux 1 238.10x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Nattress surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nattress surname in 1881?

In 1881, 154 people were recorded with the Nattress surname. That placed it at #15,259 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nattress surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 215 in 2016. That gives Nattress a modern rank of #18,670.

What does the Nattress surname mean?

A surname derived from the Middle English words "nat" meaning nit or louse and "heres" meaning hair, likely referring to an occupation of dealing with lice or infested hair.

What does the Nattress map show?

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