NameCensus.

UK surname

Rawsthorn

In the 1881 census there were 153 people recorded with the Rawsthorn surname, ranking it #15,320 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 114, ranked #28,515, down from #15,320 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Dean and Preston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Lakeland, Bolton and Wyre.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rawsthorn is 153 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 25.5%.

1881 census count

153

Ranked #15,320

Modern count

114

2016, ranked #28,515

Peak year

1881

153 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rawsthorn had 153 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,320 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016, ranked #28,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 153 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Rawsthorn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rawsthorn surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Rawsthorn 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 115 #15,634
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 153 #15,320
1891 historical 142 #18,995
1901 historical 119 #20,624
1911 historical 135 #19,058
1997 modern 120 #24,158
1998 modern 115 #25,466
1999 modern 119 #25,095
2000 modern 120 #24,950
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 124 #24,616
2003 modern 121 #24,776
2004 modern 122 #24,812
2005 modern 111 #26,260
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 117 #26,066
2008 modern 120 #25,922
2009 modern 122 #26,220
2010 modern 129 #25,900
2011 modern 119 #27,063
2012 modern 106 #29,187
2013 modern 119 #27,541
2014 modern 118 #27,961
2015 modern 116 #28,151
2016 modern 114 #28,515

Geography

Back to top

Where Rawsthorns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Dean, Preston, West Derby and Bolton-le-Moors. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Lakeland, Bolton, Wyre, Cheshire East 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Dean Lancashire
3 Preston Lancashire
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Lakeland 013 South Lakeland
2 Bolton 019 Bolton
3 Wyre 006 Wyre
4 Cheshire East 016 Cheshire East
5 Carlisle 007 Carlisle

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Rawsthorn

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Rawsthorn

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

Rawsthorn is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rawsthorn falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Rawsthorn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rawsthorn 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. Lancashire leads with 128 Rawsthorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.95x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 128 6.95x
Yorkshire 20 1.30x
Isle of Man 6 20.83x
Westmorland 4 11.73x
Durham 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 32 Rawsthorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 64.99x.

Place Total Index
Preston 32 64.99x
Great Bolton 19 77.93x
Heptonstall 17 787.04x
West Derby 16 29.72x
Everton 7 11.93x
Poulton Le Fylde 7 1076.92x
Lezayre 6 465.12x
Worsthorne Cum 6 1016.95x
Tottington Lower End 5 57.14x
Briercliffe Cum 4 655.74x
Horwich 4 199.01x
Kendal 4 64.10x
Parr 4 60.79x
Upper Holker 4 930.23x
Wavertree 4 67.91x
Liverpool 3 2.68x
Aughton 2 109.89x
Cheetham 2 14.57x
Oldham 2 3.37x
Salterforth 2 952.38x
Brancepeth 1 119.05x
Eccleston In Prescot 1 10.82x
Freckleton 1 166.67x
Halliwell 1 14.93x
Hutton 1 476.19x
Knowsley 1 151.52x
Poulton Barre 1 47.85x
Saddleworth 1 8.44x
Stretford 1 9.87x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 9
Alice 7
Ann 5
Margaret 5
Sarah 4
Jane 3
Annie 2
Cecily 2
Emma 2
Isabella 2
Maria 2
Maud 2
Rachel 2
Susannah 2
A. 1
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Bertha 1
Betty 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
E. 1
E.A. 1
E.E. 1
Elizebeth 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Helen 1
L. 1
Levinna 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
M. 1
Matilda 1
Nancy 1
Siland 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
Thomas 15
William 11
Richard 8
Herbert 3
Joseph 3
B. 2
James 2
Peter 2
Albert 1
Ambrose 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Edwd. 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Isaac 1
J. 1
Major 1
Mitchell 1
Reginald 1
Richeard 1
Robert 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Rawsthorn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rawsthorn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 153 people were recorded with the Rawsthorn surname. That placed it at #15,320 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rawsthorn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016. That gives Rawsthorn a modern rank of #28,515.

What does the Rawsthorn map show?

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