NameCensus.

UK surname

Plaister

In the 1881 census there were 148 people recorded with the Plaister surname, ranking it #15,611 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 196, ranked #19,848, down from #15,611 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bedminster and Swindon, Lyddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolsover, Calderdale and North Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Plaister is 230 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.4%.

1881 census count

148

Ranked #15,611

Modern count

196

2016, ranked #19,848

Peak year

2000

230 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Plaister had 148 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,611 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016, ranked #19,848.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 210 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Plaister surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Plaister surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Plaister 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 104 #16,746
1861 historical 128 #17,375
1881 historical 148 #15,611
1891 historical 178 #16,264
1901 historical 185 #15,892
1911 historical 210 #14,515
1997 modern 207 #17,267
1998 modern 225 #16,846
1999 modern 228 #16,790
2000 modern 230 #16,644
2001 modern 218 #17,017
2002 modern 210 #17,753
2003 modern 208 #17,685
2004 modern 216 #17,331
2005 modern 201 #18,080
2006 modern 194 #18,627
2007 modern 203 #18,303
2008 modern 198 #18,753
2009 modern 203 #18,840
2010 modern 216 #18,492
2011 modern 218 #18,206
2012 modern 201 #19,147
2013 modern 203 #19,327
2014 modern 207 #19,259
2015 modern 201 #19,494
2016 modern 196 #19,848

Geography

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Where Plaisters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bedminster, Swindon, Lyddington, London parishes and St Woollos (incl. Newport). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolsover, Calderdale, North Somerset, Hillingdon and Salford. 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 Bedminster Somerset
3 Swindon, Lyddington Wiltshire
4 London parishes London 1
5 St Woollos (incl. Newport) Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolsover 001 Bolsover
2 Calderdale 013 Calderdale
3 North Somerset 026 North Somerset
4 Hillingdon 032 Hillingdon
5 Salford 013 Salford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Plaister

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Plaister

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Plaister is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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 residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Plaister is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Plaister 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 Plaister is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Plaister families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Plaister 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 33 Plaisters recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.29x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 33 2.29x
Oxfordshire 22 24.68x
Somerset 21 9.04x
Wiltshire 16 12.53x
Gloucestershire 13 4.59x
Monmouthshire 9 8.62x
Staffordshire 8 1.64x
Surrey 8 1.14x
Berkshire 5 4.61x
Yorkshire 5 0.35x
Cambridgeshire 4 4.37x
Hampshire 1 0.34x
Hertfordshire 1 1.01x
Suffolk 1 0.57x
Warwickshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Swindon in Wiltshire leads with 16 Plaisters recorded in 1881 and an index of 161.62x.

Place Total Index
Swindon 16 161.62x
Oxford St Ebbe 14 534.35x
St Woollos 9 77.25x
Harborne 8 51.22x
Kilmersdon 7 608.70x
Battersea 6 11.30x
Hammersmith London 6 16.87x
Binfield 5 602.41x
Enfield 5 52.80x
Oxford All Sts 5 2631.58x
Paddington London 5 9.42x
Tottenham 5 21.75x
Holy Trinity Cambridge 4 404.04x
Shoreditch London 4 6.39x
Bedminster 3 13.74x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 31.78x
Doncaster 3 28.71x
Stapleton 3 55.87x
Worle 3 625.00x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 2 15.00x
Cheltenham 2 9.16x
Hackney London 2 2.47x
Huntley 2 952.38x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 2 188.68x
Shepton Mallet 2 76.63x
Stoke Lane 2 606.06x
Tetbury 2 125.00x
Banwell 1 117.65x
Chelsea London 1 2.30x
Edgbaston 1 8.86x
Eye 1 87.72x
Feltham 1 69.44x
Hornsey 1 5.48x
Kemerton 1 416.67x
Kensington London 1 1.25x
Lambeth 1 0.79x
Leigh On Mendip 1 434.78x
Little Berkhampstead 1 476.19x
Oxford St Clement 1 44.44x
Ryde 1 15.72x
Stoke Newington London 1 8.90x
Stratton On The Fosse 1 714.29x
Wandsworth 1 7.19x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 1 53.48x
Willesden 1 7.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 13
John 7
Charles 5
George 5
Edward 4
Henry 4
James 3
Joseph 3
Edmund 2
Edwin 2
Frederick 2
Richard 2
Samuel 2
Wm. 2
Albion 1
Alfred 1
Archibald 1
Carles 1
Elizabeth 1
Ernest 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Philip 1
Ralph 1
Reginald 1
Sidney 1
Thomas 1
W. 1
Walter 1
Wm.W. 1

FAQ

Plaister surname: questions and answers

How common was the Plaister surname in 1881?

In 1881, 148 people were recorded with the Plaister surname. That placed it at #15,611 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Plaister surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016. That gives Plaister a modern rank of #19,848.

What does the Plaister map show?

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