NameCensus.

UK surname

Nightingale

A descriptive surname referring to a person with a beautiful singing voice, like the melodious song of the nightingale bird.

In the 1881 census there were 5,036 people recorded with the Nightingale surname, ranking it #885 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,542, ranked #1,032, down from #885 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Preston and Blackburn. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sandwell, Chorley and Bolton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nightingale is 7,271 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.9%.

1881 census count

5,036

Ranked #885

Modern count

6,542

2016, ranked #1,032

Peak year

1911

7,271 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nightingale had 5,036 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #885 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,542 in 2016, ranked #1,032.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,271 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Nightingale surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nightingale surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nightingale 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 2,927 #993
1861 historical 3,028 #955
1881 historical 5,036 #885
1891 historical 5,276 #888
1901 historical 6,377 #870
1911 historical 7,271 #715
1997 modern 6,591 #988
1998 modern 6,839 #986
1999 modern 6,920 #983
2000 modern 6,881 #984
2001 modern 6,773 #980
2002 modern 6,896 #982
2003 modern 6,619 #996
2004 modern 6,595 #1,005
2005 modern 6,455 #1,012
2006 modern 6,473 #1,010
2007 modern 6,477 #1,018
2008 modern 6,500 #1,021
2009 modern 6,663 #1,017
2010 modern 6,809 #1,014
2011 modern 6,690 #1,016
2012 modern 6,524 #1,025
2013 modern 6,649 #1,025
2014 modern 6,667 #1,028
2015 modern 6,603 #1,026
2016 modern 6,542 #1,032

Geography

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Where Nightingales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Preston, Blackburn and Bolton-le-Moors. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sandwell, Chorley and Bolton. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Preston Lancashire
3 Blackburn Lancashire
4 London parishes London 2
5 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sandwell 009 Sandwell
2 Chorley 012 Chorley
3 Bolton 006 Bolton
4 Chorley 010 Chorley
5 Sandwell 003 Sandwell

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nightingale

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nightingale

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Nightingale is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nightingale is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Nightingale

The surname Nightingale has its origins in England, being derived from the Old English word "nihtegale" which literally means "night songstress" or "night singer." This refers to the nightingale bird, renowned for its melodious nocturnal song. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a sweet singing voice or as a locational name for someone living near a place where nightingales were prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nightingale can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Nicholaa Nitegala" in the county of Huntingdonshire. The surname is also documented in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire from 1199, which mention a "Willelmus Nightegale."

Historically, the name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Nightingale (c. 1360-1436), a prominent English soldier who served under Henry V during the Hundred Years' War and was present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Another celebrated figure was Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the pioneering nurse who came to be known as the "Lady with the Lamp" for her tireless efforts during the Crimean War. Her work laid the foundations for modern nursing practices, and she is widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing.

In the realm of literature, the surname is associated with the American poet and essayist Maxine Nightingale (1938-present), whose works explore themes of race, identity, and the African American experience.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Sir Miles Nightingale (1768-1847), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Sir Edmund Nightingale (1842-1926), a British civil servant and administrator in India.

Throughout history, variations of the surname have included Nightingall, Nightingal, and Nightyngale, which reflect the fluid nature of spellings in earlier times. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names, such as Nightingale Lane in London and Nightingale Valley in Hampshire, further solidifying its connection to the nightingale bird and its distinctive song.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nightingale families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nightingale 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. Lancashire leads with 1,353 Nightingales recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.32x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,353 2.32x
Middlesex 527 1.07x
Surrey 445 1.86x
Yorkshire 362 0.74x
Staffordshire 265 1.59x
Kent 238 1.42x
Essex 199 2.05x
Warwickshire 187 1.51x
Derbyshire 161 2.09x
Cambridgeshire 151 4.84x
Sussex 146 1.76x
Worcestershire 121 1.88x
Northamptonshire 119 2.57x
Cheshire 87 0.80x
Berkshire 80 2.16x
Huntingdonshire 64 6.55x
Durham 61 0.42x
Hertfordshire 61 1.80x
Hampshire 54 0.54x
Nottinghamshire 47 0.71x
Devon 33 0.32x
Lincolnshire 26 0.33x
Shropshire 24 0.56x
Suffolk 24 0.40x
Wiltshire 22 0.51x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.57x
Norfolk 15 0.20x
Northumberland 15 0.20x
Bedfordshire 14 0.55x
Gloucestershire 14 0.15x
Leicestershire 13 0.24x
Dorset 10 0.31x
Cumberland 9 0.21x
Montgomeryshire 9 0.80x
Renfrewshire 9 0.24x
Westmorland 9 0.83x
Cardiganshire 7 0.58x
Glamorgan 7 0.08x
Midlothian 7 0.11x
Merionethshire 5 0.56x
Channel Islands 4 0.27x
Lanarkshire 4 0.03x
Somerset 4 0.05x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.28x
Flintshire 3 0.23x
Monmouthshire 2 0.06x
Perthshire 2 0.09x
Royal Navy 2 0.34x
Ayrshire 1 0.03x
Herefordshire 1 0.05x
Isle of Man 1 0.11x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.06x
Roxburghshire 1 0.11x
West Lothian 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 153 Nightingales recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.79x.

Place Total Index
Preston 153 9.79x
Blackburn 107 6.88x
Little Bolton 106 14.11x
Aston 78 2.28x
Chorley 72 21.96x
Lambeth 70 1.63x
Over Darwen 68 14.57x
West Bromwich 59 6.20x
Birmingham 56 1.35x
Oldbury 54 17.07x
Bethnal Green London 51 2.38x
Camberwell 51 1.62x
St Pancras London 49 1.24x
Pattishall 48 312.30x
Great Bolton 46 5.94x
Horsham 43 26.67x
Bermondsey 42 2.87x
Manchester 42 1.60x
Salford 42 2.44x
Liverpool 41 1.16x
Tottington Lower End 39 14.05x
West Ham 39 1.82x
Eckington 37 19.76x
Islington London 34 0.71x
Hulme 32 2.62x
Kensington London 31 1.13x
Shoreditch London 31 1.45x
Wolverhampton 31 2.43x
Bromley London 30 2.77x
Belper 29 19.41x
Coton 29 529.20x
Hackney London 29 1.05x
Poplar London 29 3.12x
Reigate Borough 29 52.41x
Ashton Under Lyne 28 2.19x
Tonbridge 28 4.62x
Darlaston 27 11.76x
St Marylebone London 26 0.99x
Yaxley 26 113.69x
Girton 25 306.37x
St George Hanover 25 3.89x
Adlington 23 42.05x
Tipton 22 4.32x
Walthamstow 22 6.29x
Scarborough 21 4.74x
Walsall Foreign 21 2.45x
Ashover 20 52.14x
Newington 20 1.10x
Dudley 19 2.43x
Floore 19 109.45x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 19 10.90x
St Andrewthe Less 19 5.33x
Walmersley Cum 19 20.35x
Derby St Werburgh 18 4.04x
Lower Darwen 18 23.47x
Mitcham 18 11.87x
Nottingham St Mary 18 1.05x
Sedgley 18 2.92x
Tonge With Haulgh 18 15.83x
Gorton 17 3.10x
Halliwell 17 8.00x
Lewisham 17 1.90x
Ramsey 17 21.72x
Croydon 16 1.20x
Kings Norton 16 2.78x
Thatcham 16 28.09x
Wednesbury 16 3.85x
Worth 16 26.55x
Bury 15 2.25x
Deptford St Paul 15 1.16x
Habergham Eaves 15 2.81x
Lawford 15 105.93x
Livesey 15 14.63x
Offenham 15 161.29x
Reigate Foreign 15 5.77x
Streatham 15 4.11x
Walton On Thames 15 13.62x
Withnell 15 41.84x
Ellel 14 46.47x
Everton 14 0.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 338
Elizabeth 193
Sarah 172
Florence 117
Ann 108
Alice 98
Jane 98
Eliza 73
Emma 68
Ellen 60
Emily 57
Hannah 57
Annie 52
Margaret 52
Martha 49
Harriet 36
Louisa 34
Ada 30
Maria 27
Fanny 25
Lucy 24
Agnes 22
Clara 22
Caroline 21
Charlotte 20
Edith 20
Catherine 18
Nancy 18
Frances 17
Esther 16
Rose 16
Kate 15
Rachel 15
Eleanor 14
Grace 14
Susan 13
Amelia 12
Julia 12
Harriett 11
Susannah 11
Amy 10
Anne 10
Gertrude 10
Ruth 10
Sophia 10
Betsy 9
Isabella 9
Lizzie 9
Minnie 9
Rebecca 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 304
John 279
James 180
Thomas 167
George 124
Joseph 120
Henry 93
Charles 87
Alfred 66
Robert 66
Samuel 53
Arthur 49
Edward 49
Frederick 48
Richard 40
Albert 34
Harry 33
Walter 29
Benjamin 28
Ernest 25
Daniel 23
David 22
Frank 22
Wm. 21
Herbert 19
Thos. 19
Peter 18
Fred 14
Chas. 12
Edwin 10
Francis 10
Fredk. 10
Alexander 9
Willm. 9
Moses 8
Isaac 7
Jas. 7
Percy 7
Geo. 6
Harold 6
Nathan 6
Richd. 6
Christopher 5
Edmund 5
Eli 5
Jno. 5
Lawrence 5
Robt. 5
Stephen 5
Tom 5

FAQ

Nightingale surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nightingale surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,036 people were recorded with the Nightingale surname. That placed it at #885 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nightingale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,542 in 2016. That gives Nightingale a modern rank of #1,032.

What does the Nightingale surname mean?

A descriptive surname referring to a person with a beautiful singing voice, like the melodious song of the nightingale bird.

What does the Nightingale map show?

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