NameCensus.

UK surname

Readhead

In the 1881 census there were 184 people recorded with the Readhead surname, ranking it #13,551 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 212, ranked #18,843, down from #13,551 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Bridlington and Stranton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Westminster, Suffolk Coastal and Kensington and Chelsea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Readhead is 296 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.2%.

1881 census count

184

Ranked #13,551

Modern count

212

2016, ranked #18,843

Peak year

1911

296 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Readhead had 184 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,551 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016, ranked #18,843.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 296 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Readhead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Readhead surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Readhead 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 201 #10,364
1861 historical 158 #14,644
1881 historical 184 #13,551
1891 historical 202 #14,808
1901 historical 228 #13,929
1911 historical 296 #11,569
1997 modern 240 #15,678
1998 modern 251 #15,631
1999 modern 243 #16,094
2000 modern 238 #16,290
2001 modern 230 #16,415
2002 modern 224 #17,042
2003 modern 228 #16,663
2004 modern 228 #16,723
2005 modern 227 #16,730
2006 modern 222 #17,092
2007 modern 229 #16,941
2008 modern 225 #17,282
2009 modern 216 #18,120
2010 modern 222 #18,148
2011 modern 220 #18,096
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 221 #18,252
2014 modern 222 #18,355
2015 modern 219 #18,406
2016 modern 212 #18,843

Geography

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Where Readheads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Bridlington, Stranton, Bedlington and Luton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Westminster, Suffolk Coastal, Kensington and Chelsea, East Riding of Yorkshire and Eden. 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 Gateshead Durham
2 Bridlington Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Stranton Durham
4 Bedlington Northumberland
5 Luton Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Westminster 024 Westminster
2 Suffolk Coastal 004 Suffolk Coastal
3 Kensington and Chelsea 018 Kensington and Chelsea
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 002 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Eden 007 Eden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Readhead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Readhead

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

Established but Challenged

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Readhead is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Readhead is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Readhead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Readhead 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. Yorkshire leads with 37 Readheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.11x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 37 2.11x
Northumberland 34 12.94x
Durham 31 5.90x
Bedfordshire 9 9.85x
Sussex 8 2.69x
Hampshire 7 1.93x
Kent 7 1.16x
Lancashire 7 0.33x
Lincolnshire 7 2.48x
Cheshire 6 1.54x
Dorset 5 4.32x
Westmorland 5 12.89x
Cambridgeshire 4 3.58x
Hertfordshire 3 2.47x
Renfrewshire 3 2.19x
Somerset 2 0.70x
Wiltshire 2 1.28x
Cornwall 1 0.50x
Norfolk 1 0.37x
Northamptonshire 1 0.60x
Surrey 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Flamborough in Yorkshire leads with 11 Readheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 1294.12x.

Place Total Index
Flamborough 11 1294.12x
Esh 8 209.42x
Hunmanby 8 975.61x
Stranton 8 45.25x
Bedlington 7 79.82x
Brighton 7 11.66x
Chatham 7 42.25x
South Blyth Newsham 7 1346.15x
Birkenhead 6 19.31x
Cowpen 6 99.17x
Luton 6 37.93x
Church 5 168.92x
Huddersfield 5 19.62x
Kendal 5 70.42x
Nether Hallam 5 21.12x
Sharperton 5 12500.00x
Bottesford 4 1904.76x
Bridlington 4 99.75x
South Shields 4 85.47x
St Andrewthe Less 4 31.32x
Westoe 4 13.44x
Wimborne Minster 4 213.90x
Bishopwearmouth 3 6.65x
Greenock Newor Middle 3 2500.00x
Hepscott 3 2307.69x
Hursley 3 357.14x
Leighton Buzzard 3 76.34x
Nether Wallop 3 625.00x
Watford 3 31.81x
Westgate 3 18.44x
Haswell 2 53.19x
Walcot 2 13.22x
Westport St Mary 2 176.99x
Whaplode Drove 2 416.67x
Billingham 1 111.11x
Burniston 1 476.19x
Croydon 1 2.09x
Earsdon 1 46.73x
East Grinstead 1 23.75x
Egton Cum Newland 1 163.93x
Gainsborough 1 15.04x
Gembling 1 1428.57x
Holy Trinity 1 2.38x
Irchester 1 97.09x
Longframlington 1 400.00x
Madron Penzance 1 13.76x
Morpeth 1 32.36x
Outwell 1 188.68x
Poole St James 1 22.99x
South Stoneham 1 12.74x
Ulverston 1 16.39x
Whitburn 1 81.97x
Whitby 1 16.95x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Sarah 8
Ann 6
Elizabeth 5
Jane 4
Annie 3
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Clara 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Harriet 2
Malah 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Susannah 2
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Charlotte 1
Cisely 1
Dorothy 1
Elleanor 1
Ellen 1
Fanney 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Hannah 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Martha 1
Maryann 1
Minnie 1
Nelly 1
Phebe 1
Phylis 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Rosetta 1
Ruth 1
Sophia 1
Viola 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
Robert 11
William 11
George 6
James 5
Charles 4
Albert 3
Joseph 3
Thomas 3
Ambrose 2
Edward 2
Fred 2
Tom 2
Anthony 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Enoch 1
Foster 1
Gawin 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Jonothan 1
Joshua 1
Martin 1
Mathew 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Readhead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Readhead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 184 people were recorded with the Readhead surname. That placed it at #13,551 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Readhead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016. That gives Readhead a modern rank of #18,843.

What does the Readhead map show?

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