NameCensus.

UK surname

Newman

An occupational surname referring to a newcomer or stranger to a settlement.

In the 1881 census there were 22,210 people recorded with the Newman surname, ranking it #155 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 31,762, ranked #167, down from #155 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and West Dorset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Newman is 33,524 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.0%.

1881 census count

22,210

Ranked #155

Modern count

31,762

2016, ranked #167

Peak year

1999

33,524 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Newman had 22,210 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #155 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 31,762 in 2016, ranked #167.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 30,910 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Newman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Newman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Newman 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 15,358 #143
1861 historical 15,574 #142
1881 historical 22,210 #155
1891 historical 24,277 #144
1901 historical 27,548 #153
1911 historical 30,910 #119
1997 modern 31,974 #154
1998 modern 33,160 #155
1999 modern 33,524 #156
2000 modern 32,982 #157
2001 modern 32,136 #158
2002 modern 32,629 #161
2003 modern 31,894 #161
2004 modern 31,880 #161
2005 modern 31,253 #162
2006 modern 31,029 #163
2007 modern 31,217 #164
2008 modern 31,252 #166
2009 modern 31,947 #166
2010 modern 32,554 #166
2011 modern 32,123 #165
2012 modern 31,605 #164
2013 modern 32,323 #165
2014 modern 32,491 #165
2015 modern 32,009 #167
2016 modern 31,762 #167

Geography

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Where Newmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, West Dorset and Forest of Dean. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tewkesbury 002 Tewkesbury
2 Cheltenham 005 Cheltenham
3 Tewkesbury 005 Tewkesbury
4 West Dorset 004 West Dorset
5 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean

Forenames

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First names often paired with Newman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Newman

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

Newman 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

Newman 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 Newman 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 Newman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Newman

The surname Newman is an English occupational name that originates from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new, and "mann" meaning man or person. It was originally used to refer to someone who was new to a particular area or town, such as a newcomer or a settler.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various English counties, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Sussex. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include William le Neweman, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1194, and Richard le Niweman, found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1203.

The name appears in several historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Neuman" and "Niweman". It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where it is recorded as "Neuman" and "Niweman".

In the 14th century, the name began to be associated with specific places, such as Newnham in Hertfordshire and Newham in Essex. This led to variations in spelling, including "Newnham" and "Newnam".

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was John Newman (c. 1492 - c. 1559), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions under the reign of Queen Mary I.

Other prominent figures with the surname include Samuel Newman (1602 - 1663), an English Puritan minister and author who was one of the founders of the New England colony of Massachusetts; John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890), an influential English theologian and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; and Alfred Newman (1901 - 1970), an American composer and conductor who won nine Academy Awards for his film scores.

In the 19th century, the surname Newman became more widespread in England, with notable bearers including Francis William Newman (1805 - 1897), a English scholar and writer, and John Broadhurst Newman (1827 - 1890), an English architect responsible for several iconic buildings in Birmingham.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Newman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Newman 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. Middlesex leads with 4,279 Newmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.97x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 4,279 1.97x
Surrey 1,943 1.84x
Hampshire 1,392 3.13x
Essex 1,306 3.05x
Kent 1,197 1.62x
Gloucestershire 1,180 2.77x
Wiltshire 991 5.16x
Sussex 866 2.36x
Warwickshire 804 1.47x
Cambridgeshire 628 4.56x
Lancashire 562 0.22x
Norfolk 520 1.56x
Somerset 505 1.44x
Staffordshire 497 0.68x
Suffolk 494 1.87x
Yorkshire 455 0.21x
Worcestershire 446 1.57x
Northamptonshire 358 1.75x
Devon 332 0.73x
Dorset 329 2.31x
Buckinghamshire 287 2.19x
Bedfordshire 262 2.33x
Berkshire 255 1.56x
Oxfordshire 255 1.90x
Hertfordshire 224 1.50x
Durham 217 0.34x
Glamorgan 182 0.48x
Huntingdonshire 166 3.85x
Herefordshire 154 1.73x
Nottinghamshire 145 0.50x
Monmouthshire 142 0.90x
Leicestershire 133 0.55x
Lincolnshire 125 0.36x
Cheshire 112 0.23x
Derbyshire 72 0.21x
Northumberland 72 0.22x
Shropshire 60 0.32x
Channel Islands 51 0.79x
Cornwall 36 0.15x
Lanarkshire 26 0.04x
Cumberland 25 0.13x
Midlothian 24 0.08x
Radnorshire 20 1.14x
Brecknockshire 18 0.41x
Royal Navy 16 0.62x
Fife 12 0.09x
Cardiganshire 9 0.17x
Carmarthenshire 9 0.10x
Rutland 9 0.56x
Denbighshire 8 0.10x
Renfrewshire 8 0.05x
Angus 7 0.03x
Westmorland 7 0.15x
Caernarfonshire 6 0.07x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.02x
Anglesey 4 0.10x
Ayrshire 4 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 4 0.08x
East Lothian 3 0.10x
Flintshire 3 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.04x
Inverness-shire 1 0.02x
Kincardineshire 1 0.04x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.03x
Wigtownshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 420 Newmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.99x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 420 1.99x
Lambeth 337 1.78x
St Pancras London 312 1.78x
St Marylebone London 243 2.10x
Camberwell 240 1.73x
Birmingham 221 1.21x
Hackney London 218 1.79x
Aston 217 1.44x
West Ham 214 2.26x
Kensington London 199 1.65x
St Andrewthe Less 190 12.09x
Brighton 171 2.31x
Mile End Old Town 155 4.52x
Bethnal Green London 150 1.59x
Portsea 146 1.67x
Battersea 144 1.80x
Bermondsey 144 2.23x
Shoreditch London 143 1.52x
Chelsea London 140 2.14x
Clerkenwell London 140 2.73x
St George Hanover 120 4.23x
Southampton St Mary 116 4.14x
Hammersmith London 111 2.07x
Hornsey 108 3.93x
Newington 104 1.30x
Paddington London 99 1.24x
Westbury 99 22.08x
Croydon 97 1.65x
Southwark St George Martyr 96 2.20x
Fulham London 92 2.92x
Bromley London 90 1.88x
Downton 90 35.80x
Eastbourne 89 5.28x
Folkestone 86 5.98x
Cheltenham 85 2.59x
Liverpool 83 0.53x
Kettering 82 9.92x
St Luke London 81 2.32x
Great Yarmouth 77 2.78x
Poplar London 74 1.81x
Lewisham 71 1.80x
Walsall Foreign 69 1.82x
Deptford St Paul 63 1.10x
St George In East 63 4.26x
Tottenham 62 1.79x
Walcot 62 3.33x
Alverstoke 60 3.72x
Broadwater 59 7.02x
Hampstead London 59 1.74x
St Giles In Fields 59 7.88x
Christchurch 57 5.90x
Farnham 56 6.80x
Godalming 56 8.40x
Purton 56 32.76x
Sturminster 56 40.52x
Plumstead 55 2.23x
Bedminster 54 1.64x
Ealing 54 2.78x
Bedford St Paul 53 6.87x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 53 1.32x
Clifton 53 2.46x
Greenwich 53 1.53x
Hillingdon 52 7.51x
Holdenhurst 52 4.45x
Lyncombe Widcombe 50 5.46x
Nottingham St Mary 50 0.66x
Swindon 50 3.36x
Wolverhampton 50 0.89x
Great Staughton 49 58.58x
Topsham 49 22.96x
Bishop Stortford 48 9.60x
Rotherhithe 48 1.79x
Edmonton 45 2.57x
Enfield 45 3.16x
Bow London 44 1.59x
Chatham 44 2.16x
Heigham 44 2.45x
Westminster St James 44 1.97x
Minchinhampton 43 12.67x
Toxteth Park 43 0.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,284
Elizabeth 844
Sarah 730
Eliza 407
Emma 399
Jane 392
Ann 369
Alice 366
Ellen 349
Emily 334
Annie 303
Louisa 215
Harriet 178
Maria 175
Caroline 173
Charlotte 163
Hannah 156
Fanny 150
Martha 146
Florence 139
Edith 137
Kate 125
Ada 122
Frances 117
Clara 112
Margaret 112
Catherine 106
Susan 105
Anne 88
Harriett 88
Lucy 85
Rose 85
Agnes 73
Amelia 72
Esther 69
Julia 61
Jessie 60
Matilda 59
Rebecca 54
Sophia 52
Rosa 51
Amy 50
Elizth. 50
Ethel 48
Minnie 47
Anna 46
Lydia 44
Beatrice 41
Laura 41
Susannah 41

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,433
John 996
George 896
James 676
Charles 657
Thomas 654
Henry 566
Alfred 336
Joseph 286
Frederick 282
Arthur 238
Edward 237
Walter 207
Robert 191
Richard 175
Albert 156
Samuel 144
Harry 137
Frank 127
Edwin 101
Ernest 93
Herbert 74
Wm. 62
Francis 59
David 50
Daniel 43
Benjamin 40
Isaac 39
Stephen 39
Fred 37
Fredrick 36
Percy 34
Geo. 33
Fredk. 32
Thos. 27
Tom 27
Sidney 26
Chas. 24
Christopher 23
Alexander 22
Frederic 21
Jesse 21
Philip 21
Joshua 20
Mark 20
Edmund 19
Willm. 19
Abraham 18
Horace 18
Jacob 17

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Newman households.

FAQ

Newman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Newman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 22,210 people were recorded with the Newman surname. That placed it at #155 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Newman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 31,762 in 2016. That gives Newman a modern rank of #167.

What does the Newman surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a newcomer or stranger to a settlement.

What does the Newman map show?

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