NameCensus.

UK surname

Pitson

In the 1881 census there were 66 people recorded with the Pitson surname, ranking it #24,256 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 230, ranked #17,812, up from #24,256 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, Nuneham Courtney and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Vale of White Horse, Oxford and Bridgend.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pitson is 236 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 248.5%.

1881 census count

66

Ranked #24,256

Modern count

230

2016, ranked #17,812

Peak year

2014

236 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pitson had 66 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,256 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 230 in 2016, ranked #17,812.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 196 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pitson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pitson surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pitson 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 48 #24,615
1861 historical 64 #25,747
1881 historical 66 #24,256
1891 historical 131 #20,073
1901 historical 152 #17,916
1911 historical 196 #15,150
1997 modern 191 #18,150
1998 modern 216 #17,257
1999 modern 230 #16,685
2000 modern 231 #16,610
2001 modern 227 #16,573
2002 modern 221 #17,206
2003 modern 212 #17,454
2004 modern 217 #17,276
2005 modern 225 #16,831
2006 modern 221 #17,149
2007 modern 220 #17,377
2008 modern 230 #17,033
2009 modern 234 #17,194
2010 modern 234 #17,544
2011 modern 223 #17,940
2012 modern 217 #18,184
2013 modern 227 #17,922
2014 modern 236 #17,577
2015 modern 229 #17,846
2016 modern 230 #17,812

Geography

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Where Pitsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, Nuneham Courtney, London parishes, Cowley, Iffley (Nuneham Courtney, Berkshire, including Littlemoor Liberty), St Clement and Baldon Toot, Clifton Hampden. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Vale of White Horse, Oxford, Bridgend and South Oxfordshire. 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 Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas Berkshire
2 Nuneham Courtney Berkshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 Cowley, Iffley (Nuneham Courtney, Berkshire, including Littlemoor Liberty), St Clement Oxfordshire
5 Baldon Toot, Clifton Hampden Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Vale of White Horse 006 Vale of White Horse
2 Vale of White Horse 010 Vale of White Horse
3 Oxford 016 Oxford
4 Bridgend 012 Bridgend
5 South Oxfordshire 020 South Oxfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pitson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pitson

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

Pitson 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

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

1881 census detail

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Pitson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pitson 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. Oxfordshire leads with 39 Pitsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 98.14x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 39 98.14x
Yorkshire 6 0.94x
Buckinghamshire 5 12.85x
Middlesex 4 0.62x
Glamorgan 3 2.68x
Gloucestershire 3 2.38x
Berkshire 2 4.14x
Essex 2 1.57x
Monmouthshire 1 2.15x
Norfolk 1 1.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire leads with 21 Pitsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 35000.00x.

Place Total Index
Nuneham Courtenay 21 35000.00x
Toot Baldon 11 22000.00x
Cowley 5 403.23x
Rotherham 5 138.89x
Olney 4 740.74x
Church Icomb 3 10000.00x
Swansea Town 3 32.64x
Abingdon St Helen 1 70.92x
Glandford Cum Bayfield 1 5000.00x
Hackney London 1 2.77x
Littlemore 1 909.09x
Oxford St Thomas 1 54.05x
Pitstone 1 1000.00x
South Hinksey 1 476.19x
St Anne Soho London 1 27.17x
St Pancras London 1 1.93x
St Woollos 1 19.27x
Walthanstow 1 476.19x
West Ham 1 3.57x
Westminster St 1 42.19x
York St Michael Le 1 476.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 8
Ann 3
Annie 2
Amy 1
Anne 1
Bethia 1
Carrey 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Hannah 1
Hester 1
Jane 1
Lucy 1
Mary 1
Rachael 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
Charles 4
George 4
Alfred 3
William 3
Albert 2
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Ambrose 1
Christopher 1
Edward 1
Eli 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Gilbert 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Octavus 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Septimus 1
Tom 1

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 Pitson households.

FAQ

Pitson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pitson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 66 people were recorded with the Pitson surname. That placed it at #24,256 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pitson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 230 in 2016. That gives Pitson a modern rank of #17,812.

What does the Pitson map show?

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