NameCensus.

UK surname

Old

A surname derived from the English word "old," referring to an ancestor's advanced age.

In the 1881 census there were 1,157 people recorded with the Old surname, ranking it #3,469 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,539, ranked #4,020, down from #3,469 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Padstow, London parishes and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, North Dorset and St Edmundsbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Old is 1,672 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.0%.

1881 census count

1,157

Ranked #3,469

Modern count

1,539

2016, ranked #4,020

Peak year

1999

1,672 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Old had 1,157 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,469 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,539 in 2016, ranked #4,020.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,573 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Old surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Old surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Old 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 852 #3,192
1881 historical 1,157 #3,469
1891 historical 50 #30,253
1901 historical 1,573 #3,278
1997 modern 1,660 #3,581
1998 modern 1,669 #3,692
1999 modern 1,672 #3,715
2000 modern 1,666 #3,700
2001 modern 1,620 #3,731
2002 modern 1,635 #3,769
2003 modern 1,583 #3,803
2004 modern 1,625 #3,720
2005 modern 1,584 #3,756
2006 modern 1,573 #3,787
2007 modern 1,565 #3,832
2008 modern 1,560 #3,881
2009 modern 1,605 #3,869
2010 modern 1,584 #3,994
2011 modern 1,575 #3,970
2012 modern 1,556 #3,942
2013 modern 1,559 #4,006
2014 modern 1,579 #3,984
2015 modern 1,563 #3,978
2016 modern 1,539 #4,020

Geography

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Where Olds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Padstow, London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Bishop Wearmouth and Wootton, Courteenhall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, North Dorset and St Edmundsbury. 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 Padstow Cornwall
2 London parishes London 3
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Bishop Wearmouth Durham
5 Wootton, Courteenhall Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 008 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 007 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 019 Cornwall
4 North Dorset 004 North Dorset
5 St Edmundsbury 003 St Edmundsbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Old

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Old

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Old 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

Old 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

Old falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Old

The surname OLD is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "eald" meaning "old" or "aged". It is believed to have originated in England during the early medieval period, around the 7th to 11th centuries.

The name was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for an elderly person or someone who appeared older than their years. It may have also been used to distinguish between individuals with the same given name, with "Old" being added to differentiate the elder from the younger.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname OLD can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name is listed as "Olde" in this document.

In the 13th century, records show an individual named John le Old residing in Shropshire, England. Another early example is William le Old, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230.

During the Middle Ages, the surname OLD was sometimes spelled differently, with variations such as "Ould", "Olde", and "Oldd" appearing in historical records. These spellings reflect the pronunciation changes and regional dialects of the time.

One notable historical figure with the surname OLD was Sir William Old, a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament who lived from 1480 to 1551. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and was appointed to the Privy Council by King Henry VIII.

Another individual of note was John Old, an English Catholic martyr who was born around 1558 and executed in 1588 for his religious beliefs during the English Reformation under Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, William Old was a prominent English divine and academic who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and later as the Bishop of St. David's from 1657 until his death in 1661.

During the 18th century, Thomas Olds (also spelled Old) was a notable English navigator and explorer who conducted several voyages to the Arctic regions between 1768 and 1775, contributing to the exploration and mapping of the northern seas.

Finally, in the 19th century, Walter Old was an English antiquarian and author who lived from 1834 to 1901. He wrote extensively on the history and antiquities of the county of Shropshire, where the surname OLD has deep roots.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Old families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Old 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. Cornwall leads with 226 Olds recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.83x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 226 16.83x
Dorset 150 19.27x
Middlesex 120 1.01x
Northamptonshire 108 9.68x
Somerset 94 4.92x
Durham 80 2.27x
Yorkshire 53 0.45x
Midlothian 44 2.77x
Hampshire 39 1.60x
Glamorgan 30 1.45x
Kent 28 0.69x
Surrey 26 0.45x
Buckinghamshire 20 2.79x
Lancashire 20 0.14x
Devon 19 0.77x
Norfolk 19 1.04x
Northumberland 15 0.85x
Essex 14 0.60x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.88x
Gloucestershire 13 0.56x
Sussex 12 0.60x
Warwickshire 11 0.37x
Worcestershire 10 0.65x
Channel Islands 8 2.28x
Staffordshire 7 0.17x
Berkshire 6 0.67x
Lanarkshire 4 0.10x
Oxfordshire 4 0.55x
Derbyshire 3 0.16x
Lincolnshire 3 0.16x
Royal Navy 3 2.12x
Shropshire 3 0.29x
Westmorland 3 1.15x
Hertfordshire 2 0.24x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.20x
Leicestershire 1 0.08x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.27x
Suffolk 1 0.07x
Wiltshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Merryn in Cornwall leads with 59 Olds recorded in 1881 and an index of 2669.68x.

Place Total Index
St Merryn 59 2669.68x
Bishopwearmouth 43 14.20x
St Ervan 32 2012.58x
Piddington 27 1310.68x
Lasswade 26 71.57x
Padstow 26 291.48x
Bethnal Green London 24 4.66x
Northampton Priory St 23 34.35x
Northampton All Sts 19 50.18x
St Columb Minor 16 141.84x
Islington London 15 1.30x
Stoke Goldington 15 457.32x
Poole St James 13 44.44x
Crewkerne 12 59.17x
Puckington 12 1290.32x
Snenton 12 19.10x
Studland 12 485.83x
Tynemouth 12 12.70x
Camborne 11 19.88x
Dinnington 11 1666.67x
Guisbrough 11 42.82x
Linthorpe 11 15.68x
Bromley London 10 3.83x
Kinson 10 65.75x
Portsea 10 2.10x
Stockton On Tees 10 5.88x
Falmouth 9 18.93x
Walcot 9 8.85x
Cerne Abbas 8 212.20x
Eston 8 31.25x
Everton 8 1.78x
Hackney London 8 1.20x
Ilminster 8 59.97x
Kea 8 79.92x
Minterne Magna 8 606.06x
Northampton St Peter 8 117.99x
Norwich St Clement 8 37.84x
St Clement 8 57.06x
St Peter Port 8 12.30x
Westonsuper Mare 8 205.66x
Chelsea London 7 1.96x
Chesilborne 7 486.11x
Clapham 7 4.72x
East Murton 7 105.90x
Fordington 7 41.74x
Gillingham 7 8.39x
Handsworth 7 7.09x
Kensington London 7 1.06x
South Leith 7 3.91x
Aldershot 6 7.37x
Aston 6 0.73x
Bridport 6 37.43x
Cardiff St Mary 6 5.27x
Dorchester St Peter 6 106.38x
Easington 6 117.19x
East Dereham 6 26.04x
Plumstead 6 4.45x
Puddletrenthide 6 197.37x
Richmond 6 7.41x
St Marylebone London 6 0.95x
Wootton Glanville 6 625.00x
Yeovil 6 15.46x
Buckland Newton 5 143.68x
Calstock 5 18.98x
Cattistock 5 231.48x
Caundle Bishop 5 367.65x
Floore 5 119.62x
Hammersmith London 5 1.71x
Kenwyn 5 14.24x
Newton Ferrers 5 174.22x
Preston Plucknett 5 543.48x
Redruth 5 13.16x
Ryde 5 9.57x
Shoreditch London 5 0.97x
St Enoder 5 109.65x
St George Hanover 5 3.23x
Sutton Stoneferry 5 14.87x
Tarrant Gunville 5 344.83x
Tythegston Higher 5 79.74x
Wilton In Guisbrough 5 95.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 79
John 71
Charles 44
George 42
Thomas 32
James 27
Joseph 26
Henry 25
Robert 20
Richard 17
Frederick 12
Francis 8
Walter 8
Edward 7
Ernest 7
Frank 7
Samuel 7
Arthur 6
Harry 5
Wm. 5
Albert 4
Alfred 4
Benjamin 3
David 3
Earnest 3
Herbert 3
Stephen 3
Abraham 2
Alexander 2
Ambrose 2
Chas. 2
Cuthbert 2
Dorset 2
Edwin 2
Frances 2
Isaac 2
Matthew 2
Thos. 2
Amalek 1
Authur 1
Barnett 1
Ben 1
Chas.Robt. 1
Christopher 1
Clarance 1
Daniel 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Georde 1
Wm.H.B. 1

FAQ

Old surname: questions and answers

How common was the Old surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,157 people were recorded with the Old surname. That placed it at #3,469 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Old surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,539 in 2016. That gives Old a modern rank of #4,020.

What does the Old surname mean?

A surname derived from the English word "old," referring to an ancestor's advanced age.

What does the Old map show?

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