NameCensus.

UK surname

Scotton

A surname of English origin referring to someone from Scotland or of Scottish descent.

In the 1881 census there were 296 people recorded with the Scotton surname, ranking it #9,823 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 286, ranked #15,240, down from #9,823 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rugby, Bitteswell and Claybrooke. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochford, South Hams and Gedling.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Scotton is 419 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.4%.

1881 census count

296

Ranked #9,823

Modern count

286

2016, ranked #15,240

Peak year

1911

419 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Scotton had 296 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,823 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 286 in 2016, ranked #15,240.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 419 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Scotton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Scotton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Scotton 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 156 #12,552
1861 historical 189 #12,570
1881 historical 296 #9,823
1891 historical 374 #9,343
1901 historical 415 #9,236
1911 historical 419 #8,985
1997 modern 301 #13,492
1998 modern 315 #13,452
1999 modern 303 #13,873
2000 modern 293 #14,141
2001 modern 285 #14,191
2002 modern 299 #14,017
2003 modern 282 #14,410
2004 modern 285 #14,344
2005 modern 280 #14,452
2006 modern 278 #14,623
2007 modern 286 #14,496
2008 modern 288 #14,537
2009 modern 307 #14,192
2010 modern 306 #14,529
2011 modern 305 #14,439
2012 modern 307 #14,288
2013 modern 303 #14,651
2014 modern 307 #14,608
2015 modern 291 #15,078
2016 modern 286 #15,240

Geography

Back to top

Where Scottons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rugby, Bitteswell, Claybrooke, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and St Werburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochford, South Hams, Gedling, Leicester and Braintree. 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 Rugby Warwickshire
2 Bitteswell Leicestershire
3 Claybrooke Leicestershire
4 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
5 St Werburgh Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochford 010 Rochford
2 South Hams 005 South Hams
3 Gedling 008 Gedling
4 Leicester 013 Leicester
5 Braintree 001 Braintree

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Scotton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Scotton

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Scotton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Scotton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Scotton 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

Scotton is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Scotton falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Scotton

The surname Scotton is an English locational name derived from the parish of Scotton, located near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire. The name originated in the 11th century, with the earliest recorded spelling being Scoctun in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "scot" meaning a Scotsman and "tun" meaning a village or settlement.

Scotton was a small village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, situated near the River Nidd. The name suggests that it may have been settled by Scots or Scottish immigrants at some point in its early history. Records from the 13th century mention a family named de Scotton, indicating that the surname was already well-established by that time.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Scotton, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1219. Another notable figure was John de Scotton, a 14th-century canon of Ripon Cathedral, who was involved in a dispute with the Archbishop of York in 1338.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Scotton surname spread beyond its Yorkshire origins. In 1564, a William Scotton was listed as a resident of Southwark, London. Another branch of the family settled in Lincolnshire, where a John Scotton was born in Gainsborough in 1625.

Among the more notable individuals with the surname Scotton were:

1. Sir William Scotton (1513-1587), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Stamford during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 2. Thomas Scotton (1637-1703), a Church of England clergyman who served as the Rector of Hunmanby in Yorkshire. 3. John Scotton (1678-1742), a prominent merchant and ship owner from Whitby, Yorkshire, known for his involvement in the whaling industry. 4. Mary Scotton (1778-1856), an English artist and engraver, best known for her landscape etchings of the Yorkshire Dales. 5. James Scotton (1838-1917), a British businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry and funded the construction of several schools and hospitals in his hometown of Leeds.

While the Scotton surname is relatively uncommon today, it remains a proud part of Yorkshire's historical heritage, reflecting the region's close ties with Scotland and its diverse cultural influences.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Scotton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Scotton 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. Leicestershire leads with 53 Scottons recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.56x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 53 16.56x
Derbyshire 39 8.63x
Middlesex 32 1.11x
Warwickshire 28 3.85x
Yorkshire 26 0.91x
Nottinghamshire 22 5.65x
Lancashire 21 0.61x
Staffordshire 21 2.15x
Surrey 13 0.92x
Norfolk 12 2.70x
Bedfordshire 6 4.01x
Northamptonshire 5 1.84x
Berkshire 4 1.85x
Pembrokeshire 4 4.36x
Essex 3 0.53x
Hertfordshire 3 1.51x
Shropshire 2 0.80x
Northumberland 1 0.23x
Sussex 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Mary in Leicestershire leads with 14 Scottons recorded in 1881 and an index of 54.14x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Mary 14 54.14x
Litchurch 14 76.97x
Derby St Peter 13 90.28x
Sculcoates 13 28.66x
Battersea 10 9.41x
Belgrave 10 138.50x
Birmingham 10 4.12x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 13.75x
Everton 8 7.33x
Annesley 7 479.45x
Bitteswell 7 1944.44x
Bow London 7 19.04x
Tutbury 7 294.12x
Aston 6 2.99x
Bromley London 6 9.45x
Eaton Socon 6 255.32x
Leicester St Margaret 6 7.69x
Warwick St Nicholas 6 112.36x
Beeston 5 111.86x
Brailsford 5 781.25x
Great Claybrooke 5 1190.48x
Heigham 5 20.98x
Kirby Muxloe 5 1315.79x
Marchington Woodlands 5 1562.50x
Normanton 5 130.89x
Nottingham St Mary 5 4.97x
Ashton In Makerfield 4 40.98x
Cookham 4 59.17x
Hardingstone 4 154.44x
Hubberston 4 296.30x
Knighton 4 220.99x
Leek Lowe 4 30.84x
Clifton On Dunsmore 3 508.47x
Newton 3 11.36x
Rushall 3 52.26x
Shoreditch London 3 2.40x
St Giles In Fields 3 30.12x
St Marylebone London 3 1.95x
Walton On Hill 3 16.16x
Wappenbury 3 1304.35x
West Ham 3 2.38x
Adlington 2 62.31x
Bushey 2 42.19x
Nether Hallam 2 5.17x
Poplar London 2 3.67x
Rotherhithe 2 5.61x
Sheringham 2 175.44x
Southcoates 2 12.59x
Tivetshall St Mary 2 740.74x
Westminster St James 2 6.74x
Banningham 1 416.67x
Bingham 1 60.61x
Bleasby 1 344.83x
Derby St Alkmund 1 7.38x
Derby St Werburgh 1 3.83x
Eastbourne 1 4.46x
Frimley 1 24.94x
Gomersal 1 7.49x
Hanworth 1 454.55x
Hatfield 1 24.81x
Hodnet 1 51.28x
Hucknall Torkard 1 10.13x
Hulme 1 1.40x
Islington London 1 0.36x
Kilsby 1 169.49x
Leigh Field 1 357.14x
Limehouse London 1 3.15x
Longbenton 1 5.50x
Norwich St George Tombland 1 128.21x
Nottingham St Nicholas 1 18.87x
Sheriff Hales 1 100.00x
Snenton 1 6.54x
St George Hanover 1 2.65x
St Luke London 1 2.16x
Stoney Stanton 1 102.04x
Syston 1 33.33x
Twickenham 1 8.08x
Walsall Foreign 1 1.99x
Westminster St 1 9.40x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 18
William 17
Thomas 14
George 8
Edward 7
Arthur 6
Charles 6
James 6
Richard 5
Samuel 5
Walter 5
Henry 4
Alfred 3
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Tom 2
Wm. 2
Aaron 1
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Amos 1
Edwin 1
Elizabeth 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredr.Jas. 1
Geo. 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Jno. 1
Mark 1
Nathaniel 1
Peter 1
Reuben 1
Sam. 1
Sidney 1
Thos.W. 1
Tim 1
Timothy 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Scotton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Scotton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 296 people were recorded with the Scotton surname. That placed it at #9,823 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Scotton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 286 in 2016. That gives Scotton a modern rank of #15,240.

What does the Scotton surname mean?

A surname of English origin referring to someone from Scotland or of Scottish descent.

What does the Scotton map show?

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