NameCensus.

UK surname

Ostler

An occupational surname referring to a person who tends to horses at an inn or stable.

In the 1881 census there were 634 people recorded with the Ostler surname, ranking it #5,595 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 693, ranked #7,768, down from #5,595 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Coker, East and Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull, East Lindsey and Aylesbury Vale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ostler is 778 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 9.3%.

1881 census count

634

Ranked #5,595

Modern count

693

2016, ranked #7,768

Peak year

1901

778 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ostler had 634 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,595 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 693 in 2016, ranked #7,768.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 778 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Ostler surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ostler surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ostler 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 512 #4,886
1861 historical 410 #6,264
1881 historical 634 #5,595
1891 historical 576 #6,614
1901 historical 778 #5,775
1911 historical 750 #5,740
1997 modern 722 #7,068
1998 modern 728 #7,266
1999 modern 726 #7,321
2000 modern 723 #7,319
2001 modern 707 #7,314
2002 modern 714 #7,400
2003 modern 681 #7,558
2004 modern 693 #7,463
2005 modern 673 #7,577
2006 modern 673 #7,601
2007 modern 680 #7,614
2008 modern 697 #7,512
2009 modern 711 #7,549
2010 modern 716 #7,645
2011 modern 702 #7,684
2012 modern 708 #7,543
2013 modern 703 #7,697
2014 modern 711 #7,678
2015 modern 699 #7,719
2016 modern 693 #7,768

Geography

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Where Ostlers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Coker, East, Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments), Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kingston upon Hull, East Lindsey and Aylesbury Vale. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Coker, East Somerset
3 Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments) Lincolnshire
4 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 020 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 East Lindsey 018 East Lindsey
3 Kingston upon Hull 002 Kingston upon Hull, City of
4 Kingston upon Hull 004 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 Aylesbury Vale 005 Aylesbury Vale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ostler

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ostler

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Ostler surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ostler household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Ostler is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ostler is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ostler falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ostler is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ostler

The surname Ostler originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "hosteler," which referred to a person who worked as an innkeeper or a keeper of a hostel or an inn.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Ostelarius." This Latin form was used to denote an innkeeper or someone responsible for the stables at an inn or a monastery.

As the name evolved, it took on various spellings such as Ostelere, Ostellere, and Osteler before settling into its modern form of Ostler. These variations reflect the regional dialects and the influence of Norman French on the English language during the Middle Ages.

Ostler was a common surname in parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire, where many inns and hostels were located along well-traveled routes.

One notable individual with the surname Ostler was William Ostler (c. 1460-1532), a merchant and alderman of Bristol, England. He served as the mayor of Bristol in 1495 and 1506 and was involved in the city's trade with continental Europe.

Another prominent figure was John Ostler (1564-1623), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and made contributions to the development of logarithms and the calculation of eclipses.

In the 17th century, Thomas Ostler (1628-1698) was a English Quaker minister and writer who traveled extensively throughout England and Wales, spreading the Quaker faith and publishing several works on religious topics.

During the 18th century, James Ostler (1715-1792) was a renowned English clockmaker from Colchester, Essex. His clocks were highly regarded for their craftsmanship and accuracy, and several examples of his work can be found in museum collections.

In the 19th century, William Ostler (1820-1896) was a Canadian physician and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was instrumental in establishing the Toronto General Hospital and the Ontario Medical Council.

The surname Ostler has a rich history rooted in the medieval English hospitality industry and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ostler families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ostler 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. Somerset leads with 107 Ostlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.75x.

County Total Index
Somerset 107 10.75x
Yorkshire 92 1.50x
Lincolnshire 84 8.49x
Norfolk 36 3.79x
Middlesex 35 0.57x
Essex 34 2.79x
Lancashire 27 0.37x
Devon 21 1.63x
Dorset 20 4.93x
Hertfordshire 20 4.69x
Surrey 18 0.60x
Berkshire 14 3.02x
Fife 13 3.55x
Gloucestershire 13 1.07x
Nottinghamshire 12 1.44x
Suffolk 10 1.33x
Worcestershire 10 1.24x
Angus 9 1.57x
Kent 9 0.43x
West Lothian 8 8.59x
Hampshire 6 0.47x
Renfrewshire 6 1.25x
Durham 5 0.27x
Cumberland 4 0.75x
Kincardineshire 3 3.98x
Lanarkshire 3 0.15x
Shropshire 3 0.56x
Wiltshire 2 0.37x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.17x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.26x
Cornwall 1 0.14x
Glamorgan 1 0.09x
Herefordshire 1 0.39x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.81x
Leicestershire 1 0.15x
Monmouthshire 1 0.22x
Oxfordshire 1 0.26x
Perthshire 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Yeovil in Somerset leads with 50 Ostlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 247.16x.

Place Total Index
Yeovil 50 247.16x
Skirbeck 25 451.26x
East Coker 24 1100.92x
Brightside Bierlow 17 14.14x
Sculcoates 17 17.50x
Halstead 13 91.29x
Allington 11 303.87x
Shenley 11 391.46x
Walthamstow 10 22.76x
Worcester Blockhouse 10 225.23x
Newton In Makerfield 9 40.05x
West Ham 9 3.34x
Abingdon St Helen 8 58.95x
Cottingham 8 60.56x
Halifax 8 8.89x
Harrowby Grantham 8 1126.76x
Heigham 8 15.67x
Hulme 8 5.22x
Langport Eastover 8 555.56x
Wemyss 8 51.65x
Lambeth 7 1.30x
Newington 7 41.47x
Ordsall 7 109.72x
Whitburn 7 52.01x
Chelsea London 6 3.22x
Clerkenwell London 6 4.11x
Kinnettles 6 731.71x
Wainfleet All Sts 6 208.33x
Westbury On Trym 6 14.60x
Axmouth 5 347.22x
Bristol St Augustine 5 25.55x
Bromley London 5 3.67x
Cockthrope 5 2941.18x
East Greenock 5 11.05x
Exeter St Kerrian 5 549.45x
Hemel Hempstead 5 26.03x
Isle Brewers 5 746.27x
North Ferriby 5 500.00x
Tooting Graveney 5 59.59x
Walcot 5 9.43x
Bishop Auckland 4 16.21x
Boston 4 13.33x
Bradford 4 2.70x
Great Grimsby 4 6.37x
Hessle In Sculcoates 4 73.94x
Holy Trinity 4 2.71x
North Thoresby 4 251.57x
Potter Newton 4 37.00x
Reading St Giles 4 8.78x
Skelton In Howden 4 816.33x
South Petherton 4 77.82x
St Swithin Lincoln 4 25.72x
Uplyme 4 207.25x
Abbots Langley 3 47.39x
Aldershot 3 7.07x
Bervie 3 67.26x
Caldewgate 3 10.28x
Downham Market 3 45.94x
Exeter St John 3 326.09x
Kensington London 3 0.87x
Leeds 3 0.87x
Louth 3 13.24x
Manchester 3 0.91x
Manthorpe Cum Little 3 39.68x
Nash 3 241.94x
North Elmham 3 129.87x
Roosdown 3 3333.33x
St Martin Lincoln 3 32.68x
St Pancras London 3 0.60x
St Paul Lincoln 3 173.41x
Stretford 3 7.43x
Walsoken 3 52.45x
Wimbotsham 3 247.93x
Barton St Peter 2 44.15x
Bath St Michael 2 39.76x
Islington London 2 0.33x
Liff Benvie 2 2.30x
Melton 2 67.34x
Paddington London 2 0.88x
Weymouth 2 26.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 37
John 27
George 22
Charles 19
James 13
Henry 12
Thomas 12
Edward 11
Joseph 11
Robert 11
Alfred 10
Albert 8
Arthur 7
Ernest 5
Frank 5
Herbert 4
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Isaac 3
Walter 3
Aaron 2
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Esau 2
Luke 2
Oliver 2
Samuel 2
Sidney 2
Solomon 2
Stephen 2
Tom 2
Aron 1
Bob 1
Bryan 1
Chs.H. 1
Edgar 1
Emmanuel 1
Erney 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Gerald 1
Jacob 1
Jeremiah 1
Jno. 1
Leonard 1
Levi 1
Major 1
Nicholas 1
Wm.Jno.Chas.Esau 1

FAQ

Ostler surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ostler surname in 1881?

In 1881, 634 people were recorded with the Ostler surname. That placed it at #5,595 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ostler surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 693 in 2016. That gives Ostler a modern rank of #7,768.

What does the Ostler surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person who tends to horses at an inn or stable.

What does the Ostler map show?

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