NameCensus.

UK surname

Postans

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Postans surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 226, ranked #18,044, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burford, Greet, Lucton and Tenbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Cardiff and Shropshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Postans is 279 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 49.7%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

226

2016, ranked #18,044

Peak year

1998

279 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Postans had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016, ranked #18,044.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 256 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Postans surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Postans surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Postans 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 102 #16,933
1861 historical 108 #19,856
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 166 #17,077
1901 historical 178 #16,284
1911 historical 256 #12,688
1997 modern 273 #14,417
1998 modern 279 #14,592
1999 modern 279 #14,670
2000 modern 270 #14,943
2001 modern 269 #14,776
2002 modern 272 #14,930
2003 modern 263 #15,109
2004 modern 265 #15,110
2005 modern 259 #15,294
2006 modern 255 #15,521
2007 modern 255 #15,687
2008 modern 265 #15,425
2009 modern 262 #15,888
2010 modern 267 #16,029
2011 modern 257 #16,335
2012 modern 249 #16,572
2013 modern 248 #16,877
2014 modern 241 #17,338
2015 modern 239 #17,322
2016 modern 226 #18,044

Geography

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Where Postans' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burford, Greet, Lucton, Tenbury, Hope Baggot and Enfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Cardiff, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Winchester. 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 Burford, Greet Worcestershire
2 Lucton Herefordshire
3 Tenbury Worcestershire
4 Hope Baggot Shropshire
5 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 054 Cornwall
2 Cardiff 022 Cardiff
3 Shropshire 010 Shropshire
4 Herefordshire 004 Herefordshire, County of
5 Winchester 006 Winchester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Postans

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Postans

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Postans surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Postans household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Postans is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Postans 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

Postans falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Postans families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Postans 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. Shropshire leads with 33 Postans' recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.93x.

County Total Index
Shropshire 33 25.93x
Warwickshire 27 7.27x
Worcestershire 25 13.00x
Middlesex 11 0.75x
Herefordshire 10 16.56x
Hampshire 9 2.98x
Staffordshire 8 1.61x
Cheshire 6 1.85x
Suffolk 6 3.34x
Radnorshire 4 33.67x
Essex 3 1.03x
Hertfordshire 2 1.97x
Lancashire 2 0.11x
Yorkshire 2 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.07x
Gloucestershire 1 0.35x
Surrey 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 24 Postans' recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.39x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 24 19.39x
Richards Castle 12 3076.92x
Tenbury 12 1142.86x
Andover 6 210.53x
Bishops Castle In 6 810.81x
Enfield 6 62.11x
Hope Baggot 6 15000.00x
Ribbesford 6 375.00x
Coreley 5 1562.50x
Little Hereford 5 2380.95x
Tranmere 5 41.84x
Harborne 4 25.11x
Old Radnor Evenjobb 4 2500.00x
Wolverhampton 4 10.46x
Lindridge 3 612.24x
St Marylebone London 3 3.81x
Cheshunt 2 56.34x
Great Kyre 2 4000.00x
Hadleigh 2 833.33x
Holdenhurst 2 25.25x
Huddersfield 2 9.41x
Ipswich St Margaret 2 32.84x
Layham 2 740.74x
Lingen 2 1333.33x
Newmarket St Mary 2 144.93x
North Meols 2 11.69x
Sutton Coldfield 2 51.28x
Upper Sapey 2 1250.00x
Aston 1 0.98x
Bitterley 1 200.00x
Cleobury Mortimer 1 125.00x
Colchester St Mary At 1 97.09x
Dudley 1 4.28x
Edmonton 1 8.42x
Kingsland 1 185.19x
Lower Bebington 1 51.81x
Ludlow St Lawrence 1 39.53x
Penge 1 10.63x
Portsea 1 1.69x
St Andrewthe Less 1 9.38x
St Nicholas Olave 1 5000.00x
Tewkesbury 1 38.76x
Westbury 1 151.52x
Yardley 1 20.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 7
Sarah 6
Alice 5
Annie 5
Eliza 5
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Martha 4
Ann 3
Caroline 3
Jane 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Margaret 2
Selina 2
Allen 1
Anna 1
Carroline 1
Esther 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Hilda 1
Hiliescent 1
Julia 1
Lucy 1
M.A. 1
Phebe 1
Rachel 1
Sabina 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 17
John 8
Thomas 8
George 7
Henry 5
Arthur 4
James 4
Walter 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Albert 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Fred 1
Fredk 1
Harry 1
Robert 1

FAQ

Postans surname: questions and answers

How common was the Postans surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Postans surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Postans surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016. That gives Postans a modern rank of #18,044.

What does the Postans map show?

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