NameCensus.

UK surname

Rackstraw

In the 1881 census there were 242 people recorded with the Rackstraw surname, ranking it #11,333 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 369, ranked #12,617, down from #11,333 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sunderland, London parishes and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chichester, Sunderland and Carlisle.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rackstraw is 436 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.5%.

1881 census count

242

Ranked #11,333

Modern count

369

2016, ranked #12,617

Peak year

1997

436 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rackstraw had 242 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,333 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 369 in 2016, ranked #12,617.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 388 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Rackstraw surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rackstraw surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rackstraw 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 103 #16,835
1861 historical 158 #14,644
1881 historical 242 #11,333
1891 historical 338 #10,113
1901 historical 388 #9,685
1911 historical 379 #9,672
1997 modern 436 #10,327
1998 modern 431 #10,754
1999 modern 436 #10,738
2000 modern 421 #10,984
2001 modern 421 #10,789
2002 modern 424 #10,950
2003 modern 400 #11,262
2004 modern 386 #11,579
2005 modern 385 #11,512
2006 modern 384 #11,579
2007 modern 377 #11,900
2008 modern 381 #11,918
2009 modern 394 #11,859
2010 modern 404 #11,902
2011 modern 400 #11,865
2012 modern 380 #12,177
2013 modern 386 #12,243
2014 modern 381 #12,426
2015 modern 367 #12,696
2016 modern 369 #12,617

Geography

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Where Rackstraws are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sunderland, London parishes, Sheffield and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chichester, Sunderland and Carlisle. 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 Sunderland Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chichester 014 Chichester
2 Sunderland 008 Sunderland
3 Carlisle 002 Carlisle
4 Sunderland 006 Sunderland
5 Sunderland 009 Sunderland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rackstraw

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rackstraw

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Rackstraw surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Rackstraw household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Rackstraw 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

Rackstraw is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Rackstraw families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rackstraw 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. Buckinghamshire leads with 73 Rackstraws recorded in 1881 and an index of 51.15x.

County Total Index
Buckinghamshire 73 51.15x
Durham 55 7.83x
Kent 31 3.85x
Middlesex 20 0.85x
Surrey 14 1.22x
Yorkshire 14 0.60x
Lancashire 13 0.46x
Berkshire 8 4.52x
Essex 5 1.07x
Oxfordshire 5 3.43x
Hampshire 2 0.41x
Derbyshire 1 0.27x
Shropshire 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire leads with 25 Rackstraws recorded in 1881 and an index of 1288.66x.

Place Total Index
West Wycombe 25 1288.66x
Bishopwearmouth 23 38.16x
Wycombe 21 197.37x
Gravesend 14 205.28x
Sunderland 14 112.90x
Milton In Gravesend 12 99.34x
Lower Booths 10 199.20x
Penn 10 1123.60x
Hughenden 9 616.44x
Lambeth 8 3.89x
Ryhope 8 163.93x
Nether Hallam 7 22.12x
Esh 6 117.42x
St Marylebone London 6 4.76x
Bray 5 95.97x
Ecclesfield 5 29.15x
St Martin Ludgate 5 6250.00x
Canterbury St Gregory 4 377.36x
Little Marlow 4 506.33x
Willington 4 98.52x
Eastwood 3 731.71x
Islington London 3 1.31x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 6.32x
Heap 2 13.46x
St George Hanover 2 6.49x
Upton Cum Chalvey 2 35.15x
Watlington 2 134.23x
Yateley 2 217.39x
Amersham 1 49.51x
Bethnal Green London 1 0.98x
Brightside Bierlow 1 2.18x
Camberwell 1 0.66x
Cheetham 1 4.79x
Chelsea London 1 1.41x
Chesham 1 19.01x
Clapham 1 3.39x
Corringham 1 285.71x
Easthampstead 1 105.26x
Eye Dunsden 1 142.86x
Greenwich 1 2.66x
Henley On Thames 1 33.44x
Kensington London 1 0.76x
Matlock 1 20.16x
New Windsor 1 16.78x
Old Windsor 1 48.78x
Prittlewell 1 15.48x
Pyrton 1 217.39x
Richmond 1 6.20x
Sheffield 1 1.34x
Shrewsbury St Mary 1 12.42x
St Pancras London 1 0.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 13
George 12
Charles 11
John 11
Thomas 11
Robert 8
James 7
Henry 5
Frederick 4
Edward 3
Frank 3
Harry 3
Alexander 2
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Joseph 2
Josiah 2
Peter 2
Albert 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Gaynham 1
Gaynum 1
H. 1
Hamilton 1
Herbert 1
Louis 1
Michael 1
Rupert 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1
Willoughby 1

FAQ

Rackstraw surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rackstraw surname in 1881?

In 1881, 242 people were recorded with the Rackstraw surname. That placed it at #11,333 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rackstraw surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 369 in 2016. That gives Rackstraw a modern rank of #12,617.

What does the Rackstraw map show?

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