NameCensus.

UK surname

Stenson

An English patronymic surname derived from the given name Sten, meaning "stone."

In the 1881 census there were 554 people recorded with the Stenson surname, ranking it #6,228 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,039, ranked #5,608, up from #6,228 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton-on-Trent, Sawley and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Doncaster, Taunton Deane and Manchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stenson is 1,115 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 87.5%.

1881 census count

554

Ranked #6,228

Modern count

1,039

2016, ranked #5,608

Peak year

2010

1,115 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stenson had 554 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,228 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,039 in 2016, ranked #5,608.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 907 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Stenson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stenson surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Stenson 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 376 #6,343
1861 historical 322 #7,911
1881 historical 554 #6,228
1891 historical 623 #6,211
1901 historical 788 #5,711
1911 historical 907 #4,916
1997 modern 1,100 #5,065
1998 modern 1,103 #5,248
1999 modern 1,096 #5,295
2000 modern 1,080 #5,340
2001 modern 1,071 #5,282
2002 modern 1,095 #5,290
2003 modern 1,049 #5,381
2004 modern 1,068 #5,314
2005 modern 1,044 #5,357
2006 modern 1,054 #5,317
2007 modern 1,048 #5,403
2008 modern 1,056 #5,403
2009 modern 1,094 #5,347
2010 modern 1,115 #5,372
2011 modern 1,085 #5,441
2012 modern 1,052 #5,484
2013 modern 1,043 #5,649
2014 modern 1,046 #5,649
2015 modern 1,034 #5,657
2016 modern 1,039 #5,608

Geography

Back to top

Where Stensons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burton-on-Trent, Sawley, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Werburgh and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Doncaster, Taunton Deane, Manchester, Mansfield and St. Helens. 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 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
2 Sawley Derbyshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Doncaster 014 Doncaster
2 Taunton Deane 005 Taunton Deane
3 Manchester 040 Manchester
4 Mansfield 008 Mansfield
5 St. Helens 004 St. Helens

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Stenson

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Stenson

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Stenson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Stenson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Stenson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Stenson is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Stenson falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Stenson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Stenson

The surname Stenson is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Derbyshire, where it was derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "tun" meaning enclosure or farmstead, referring to a stony farm or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire from 1196, where a person named Randulf de Stantun is mentioned. This is likely an early spelling variation of the name Stenson.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across Derbyshire and neighboring counties, often spelled as Stantun, Staunton, or Stanton. It is possible that some variations were influenced by the nearby village of Stanton, which shares a similar etymology.

In the 14th century, the surname Stenson began to take its more modern spelling, as evidenced by a record from 1349 mentioning a John Stenson in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire.

One notable historical figure with the surname Stenson was Thomas Stenson (c.1555-1608), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of King James I for his religious beliefs.

Another prominent individual was John Stenson (1619-1679), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of logarithms and the calculation of pi.

In the 18th century, Sir Nicholas Stenson (1718-1781) was a renowned Swedish physician and anatomist, best known for his discovery of the nasal duct, which bears his name as the "Stenon's duct."

The 19th century saw the emergence of Charles Stenson (1819-1893), a British industrialist and inventor who patented several innovations in textile machinery, contributing to the growth of the cotton industry in Lancashire.

More recently, Henrik Stenson (born 1976) is a Swedish professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour, including the prestigious Open Championship in 2016.

While the surname Stenson has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement patterns of English families over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Stenson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stenson 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. Derbyshire leads with 133 Stensons recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.81x.

County Total Index
Derbyshire 133 15.81x
Yorkshire 69 1.30x
Nottinghamshire 48 6.63x
Lancashire 44 0.69x
Leicestershire 42 7.05x
Middlesex 35 0.65x
Staffordshire 32 1.76x
Warwickshire 31 2.29x
Northamptonshire 27 5.34x
Kent 13 0.71x
Somerset 13 1.50x
Northumberland 9 1.13x
Dunbartonshire 8 5.54x
Durham 7 0.44x
Lanarkshire 7 0.40x
Surrey 7 0.27x
Sussex 5 0.55x
Cheshire 4 0.34x
Gloucestershire 4 0.38x
Angus 3 0.60x
Hampshire 2 0.18x
Ayrshire 1 0.25x
Bedfordshire 1 0.36x
Berkshire 1 0.25x
Fife 1 0.31x
Lincolnshire 1 0.12x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.81x
Royal Navy 1 1.56x
Worcestershire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sawley in Derbyshire leads with 25 Stensons recorded in 1881 and an index of 984.25x.

Place Total Index
Sawley 25 984.25x
Ilkeston 20 84.78x
Leeds 19 6.32x
Birmingham 18 3.98x
Nottingham St Mary 17 9.07x
Derby St Alkmund 16 63.44x
Radford 15 40.76x
Burton Upon Trent 13 30.62x
Peterborough 12 32.79x
Cranbrook 11 141.57x
Chelsea London 10 6.17x
Derby St Werburgh 10 20.58x
Kegworth 10 252.53x
Leicester St Margaret 10 6.88x
Litchurch 10 29.53x
Newcastle Under Lyme 10 31.15x
Swell 10 3846.15x
Alfreton 9 35.21x
Liverpool 9 2.32x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 18.84x
Basford 8 23.96x
Belper 8 49.05x
Cardross 8 46.14x
Derby St Peter 8 29.85x
Edgbaston 8 19.03x
Long Eaton 8 72.01x
Wombwell 8 51.51x
Blackburn 7 4.13x
Codnor Loscoe 7 105.11x
Keighley 7 12.33x
Loughborough 7 25.89x
Toxteth Park 7 3.24x
Holy Trinity 6 4.68x
Horninglow 6 70.18x
Barony 5 1.14x
Conisbrough 5 100.00x
Everton 5 2.46x
Hulme 5 3.76x
Sutton In Ashfield 5 31.81x
Bourton On The Water 4 186.05x
Crich 4 72.86x
Gateshead 4 3.34x
Hardingstone 4 82.82x
Horton In Bradford 4 4.81x
Lambeth 4 0.85x
Northampton All Sts 4 23.32x
Northampton St Giles 4 20.77x
St George Hanover 4 5.70x
St Marylebone London 4 1.39x
Stapenhill 4 31.92x
Batley 3 5.93x
Chichester St Pancras 3 110.70x
Dundee 3 1.61x
Hetton Le Hole 3 14.81x
High Ham 3 145.63x
Horbury 3 32.19x
Hunslet 3 3.61x
Ovenden 3 12.66x
Scalford 3 238.10x
Westminster St 3 15.14x
Aston 2 0.54x
Aston 2 163.93x
Battersea 2 1.01x
Hathern 2 82.99x
Heanor 2 15.90x
Islington London 2 0.38x
Kensington London 2 0.67x
Leicester Black Friars 2 51.55x
Leicester St Mary 2 4.15x
Over Alderley 2 270.27x
Shoreditch London 2 0.86x
St Giles Cripplegate 2 28.05x
Thrussington 2 178.57x
Warwick St Nicholas 2 20.12x
Withyam 2 51.55x
Blatchinworth 1 6.89x
Canterbury St Mary 1 8.12x
Govan 1 0.23x
Royal Navy 1 1.83x
Whistones 1 19.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 37
William 32
Thomas 31
Joseph 21
George 15
Robert 14
Charles 13
Henry 12
James 12
Samuel 7
Frederick 6
Alfred 5
Edward 5
Michael 4
Arthur 3
Martin 3
Thos. 3
Walter 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Patrick 2
Bertie 1
David 1
Duncan 1
Edwin 1
Elim 1
Fred. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Geo.R. 1
Geo.Thos. 1
Hugh 1
Jos. 1
Joshua 1
Lambert 1
Luke 1
Ma.William 1
Mark 1
Michal 1
Percival 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Rowland 1
Wm.R. 1

FAQ

Stenson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stenson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 554 people were recorded with the Stenson surname. That placed it at #6,228 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stenson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,039 in 2016. That gives Stenson a modern rank of #5,608.

What does the Stenson surname mean?

An English patronymic surname derived from the given name Sten, meaning "stone."

What does the Stenson map show?

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