NameCensus.

UK surname

Stark

An English surname derived from a nickname referring to a person who was strong, rigid, or uncompromising.

In the 1881 census there were 4,122 people recorded with the Stark surname, ranking it #1,099 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,981, ranked #1,358, down from #1,099 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkintilloch, Govan Combination and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forth, Braehead and Auchengray, Falkland and Freuchie and Kingston upon Hull.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stark is 5,074 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 20.8%.

1881 census count

4,122

Ranked #1,099

Modern count

4,981

2016, ranked #1,358

Peak year

2010

5,074 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stark had 4,122 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,099 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,981 in 2016, ranked #1,358.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,911 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Stark surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stark surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stark 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 2,715 #1,083
1861 historical 2,620 #1,122
1881 historical 4,122 #1,099
1891 historical 4,315 #1,102
1901 historical 4,911 #1,152
1911 historical 2,520 #2,032
1997 modern 4,676 #1,398
1998 modern 4,842 #1,400
1999 modern 4,919 #1,390
2000 modern 4,910 #1,388
2001 modern 4,768 #1,393
2002 modern 4,894 #1,390
2003 modern 4,780 #1,389
2004 modern 4,799 #1,378
2005 modern 4,752 #1,372
2006 modern 4,785 #1,369
2007 modern 4,825 #1,368
2008 modern 4,830 #1,377
2009 modern 4,923 #1,383
2010 modern 5,074 #1,368
2011 modern 4,919 #1,394
2012 modern 4,838 #1,387
2013 modern 4,904 #1,399
2014 modern 4,965 #1,386
2015 modern 4,961 #1,368
2016 modern 4,981 #1,358

Geography

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Where Starks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkintilloch, Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forth, Braehead and Auchengray, Falkland and Freuchie, Kingston upon Hull, Montrose South and Morningside. 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 Kirkintilloch Dunbarton
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forth, Braehead and Auchengray South Lanarkshire
2 Falkland and Freuchie Fife
3 Kingston upon Hull 001 Kingston upon Hull, City of
4 Montrose South Angus
5 Morningside City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stark

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stark

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Stark, 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 Stark surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Stark 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Stark 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

Stark 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

Stark falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Stark is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Stark, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Stark

The surname STARK originates from the northern German state of Lower Saxony during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Germanic word "stark" which means strong, vigorous or powerful. The name likely started as a nickname or an occupational name for someone of formidable strength or character.

In the 11th century, the surname STARK appeared in various records across northern Germany and the Low Countries. The earliest known record is from 1066 when a knight named Æthelric Stark fought at the Battle of Hastings alongside William the Conqueror. This name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Starka de Norfolc, indicating a possible Norman origin.

The STARK name spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, with variations such as Starck, Sterk, and Sterck found in Dutch and Flemish regions. In the 14th century, Johannes Stark, a German mercenary captain, is recorded as leading troops in the Hundred Years' War.

By the 16th century, the STARK surname had become well-established in England. Sir Thomas Stark (1505-1585) was an English merchant and philanthropist who founded Stark's Charity in London. Another notable bearer was John Stark (1728-1822), an American Revolutionary War general who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Bennington.

Other famous individuals with the STARK surname include Fremont Stark (1853-1938), an American businessman and founder of the Stark Brick Company, and Sir Walter Stark (1875-1962), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Sindh in British India from 1923 to 1928.

In the literary world, the surname is perhaps most famously associated with the House Stark in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, although the author has stated that he did not intend any direct connection to the surname's historical origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stark families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stark 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. Lanarkshire leads with 728 Starks recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.63x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 728 5.63x
Midlothian 392 7.31x
Fife 280 11.82x
Angus 253 6.83x
Middlesex 203 0.51x
Durham 190 1.60x
Stirlingshire 183 12.40x
Yorkshire 158 0.40x
Dunbartonshire 143 13.30x
Hampshire 131 1.60x
Lancashire 128 0.27x
Devon 122 1.47x
Somerset 113 1.75x
Surrey 92 0.47x
Lincolnshire 91 1.42x
Northumberland 69 1.16x
Renfrewshire 62 2.00x
Essex 49 0.62x
Kent 49 0.36x
Leicestershire 48 1.08x
Perthshire 39 2.17x
Ayrshire 38 1.27x
Berwickshire 36 7.43x
Gloucestershire 35 0.45x
Aberdeenshire 34 0.92x
Dorset 30 1.14x
Kinross-shire 30 29.66x
Cornwall 28 0.62x
Norfolk 28 0.46x
Peeblesshire 24 12.75x
Berkshire 21 0.70x
Derbyshire 19 0.30x
Argyllshire 18 1.62x
Dumfriesshire 18 2.04x
Channel Islands 17 1.43x
Monmouthshire 17 0.59x
West Lothian 17 2.82x
Hertfordshire 16 0.58x
Caithness 14 2.56x
Kirkcudbrightshire 14 2.42x
Selkirkshire 14 3.87x
Roxburghshire 13 1.79x
Warwickshire 13 0.13x
Cheshire 11 0.12x
Glamorgan 10 0.14x
East Lothian 9 1.70x
Inverness-shire 8 0.67x
Royal Navy 6 1.26x
Sussex 6 0.09x
Clackmannanshire 5 1.51x
Suffolk 5 0.10x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.07x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.12x
Shropshire 3 0.09x
Staffordshire 3 0.02x
Northamptonshire 2 0.05x
Wigtownshire 2 0.38x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.03x
Isle of Man 1 0.13x
Oxfordshire 1 0.04x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.08x
Westmorland 1 0.11x
Worcestershire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 184 Starks recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.75x.

Place Total Index
Govan 184 5.75x
Barony 146 4.46x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 108 5.01x
Glasgow 100 4.35x
Kirkintilloch 99 67.79x
Dundee 79 5.71x
South Leith 69 11.44x
Falkirk 60 17.37x
Forfar 55 27.41x
Dunfermline 53 14.55x
Carnwath 50 62.50x
Kilsyth 48 51.02x
Gateshead 45 5.05x
Liff Benvie 35 6.22x
Carisbrooke 32 28.11x
Kirkcaldy 31 26.39x
Cambusnethan 30 10.44x
West Calder 30 28.40x
Abbotshall 29 32.77x
Old Monkland 28 5.45x
Barrow Upon Soar 27 73.71x
Bothwell 27 7.70x
New Monkland 27 7.06x
St Marylebone London 27 1.26x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 26 5.04x
North Leith 25 10.08x
St Pancras London 24 0.75x
Cumbernauld 23 39.04x
Denny 23 29.31x
Lesmahagow 23 16.81x
Monifieth 23 17.57x
Holy Trinity 22 2.31x
Lambeth 21 0.60x
Bethnal Green London 20 1.15x
Lasswade 20 16.32x
West Ham 20 1.15x
Cathcart 19 11.33x
Freshwater 19 50.71x
Kinross 19 54.80x
Kirknewton East 19 84.82x
Mid Calder 19 81.83x
Aberdeen Old Machar 18 2.33x
Broad Clist 18 62.65x
Christchurch 17 9.56x
Dysart 17 10.66x
Portsea 17 1.06x
Hutton 16 339.70x
Leeds 16 0.71x
Scoonie 16 31.20x
Stoke Damerel 16 2.75x
Carluke 15 12.77x
Cheltenham 15 2.48x
Long Eaton 15 18.14x
St Andrews 15 13.92x
St Helier 15 3.89x
Toxteth Park 15 0.93x
Westoe 15 2.22x
Auchtermuchty 14 44.01x
Burntisland 14 21.14x
Islington London 14 0.36x
Kinghorn 14 27.85x
Plumstead 14 3.08x
Anstey 13 74.16x
Barton Upon Irwell 13 3.64x
Camberwell 13 0.51x
Chilton 13 34.99x
Dalrymple 13 69.30x
Gordon 13 113.54x
Selkirk 13 12.75x
Whickham 13 11.87x
Broughton 12 67.00x
Burnley 12 3.00x
Cadder 12 12.56x
Eastwood 12 6.29x
Battersea 11 0.75x
Cupar 11 10.68x
Dunsyre 11 308.99x
Hamilton 11 3.05x
Polmont 11 20.19x
St Ninians 11 7.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 120
William 98
James 66
George 52
Thomas 49
Henry 34
Robert 28
Alfred 19
Charles 19
Joseph 18
Frederick 16
Walter 16
Edward 14
Richard 14
Samuel 14
Arthur 13
Andrew 10
Ernest 10
Frank 10
Anthony 9
Albert 8
Francis 7
Mark 6
Robt. 6
Daniel 5
David 5
Herbert 5
Wm. 5
Amos 4
Benjamin 4
Edmund 4
Harry 4
Philip 4
Thos. 4
Tom 4
Alexander 3
Archibald 3
Clement 3
Gorge 3
Joshua 3
Nicholas 3
Sidney 3
Edwin 2
Eugene 2
Geo. 2
Humphrey 2
Jonathan 2
Malcolm 2
Martin 2
Matthew 2

FAQ

Stark surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stark surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,122 people were recorded with the Stark surname. That placed it at #1,099 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stark surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,981 in 2016. That gives Stark a modern rank of #1,358.

What does the Stark surname mean?

An English surname derived from a nickname referring to a person who was strong, rigid, or uncompromising.

What does the Stark map show?

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