NameCensus.

UK surname

Stevenson

Son of Steven or Stephen, a patronymic surname derived from the given name meaning "crowned" or "garland."

In the 1881 census there were 21,015 people recorded with the Stevenson surname, ranking it #170 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 32,493, ranked #162, up from #170 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Erewash, West Mainland and IZ10.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stevenson is 32,890 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.6%.

1881 census count

21,015

Ranked #170

Modern count

32,493

2016, ranked #162

Peak year

2010

32,890 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stevenson had 21,015 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #170 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 32,493 in 2016, ranked #162.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 27,073 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Stevenson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stevenson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stevenson 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 14,144 #163
1861 historical 14,903 #154
1881 historical 21,015 #170
1891 historical 23,294 #155
1901 historical 27,073 #159
1911 historical 17,901 #260
1997 modern 30,489 #169
1998 modern 32,001 #167
1999 modern 32,210 #168
2000 modern 32,210 #163
2001 modern 31,361 #167
2002 modern 32,075 #166
2003 modern 31,302 #165
2004 modern 31,398 #163
2005 modern 30,962 #164
2006 modern 30,970 #164
2007 modern 31,211 #165
2008 modern 31,537 #164
2009 modern 32,249 #164
2010 modern 32,890 #164
2011 modern 32,276 #164
2012 modern 31,661 #163
2013 modern 32,344 #164
2014 modern 32,676 #164
2015 modern 32,405 #163
2016 modern 32,493 #162

Geography

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Where Stevensons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Edinburgh 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 Erewash, West Mainland and IZ10. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Erewash 001 Erewash
2 Erewash 003 Erewash
3 West Mainland Orkney Islands
4 IZ10 East Lothian
5 Erewash 016 Erewash

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stevenson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stevenson

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Stevenson 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

Stevenson is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Stevenson

The surname Stevenson originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "stevene", which means "crown" or "garland". This suggests that the name may have been associated with someone who worked as a crowner or held a position of authority.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of parchments containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to Edward I of England. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Stevynson" and "Stephynson".

The name Stevenson is also closely tied to several place names in Scotland, such as Stevenston in Ayrshire and Stevenson in Haddingtonshire. These locations likely served as the ancestral homes of families bearing the surname.

Notable historical figures with the surname Stevenson include Robert Stevenson (1772-1850), a Scottish civil engineer and renowned lighthouse builder, and his son, Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), the famous Scottish novelist and poet who wrote classics like "Treasure Island" and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

Other notable individuals with the surname include Adlai E. Stevenson (1835-1914), an American politician who served as the 23rd Vice President of the United States, and Adlai E. Stevenson II (1900-1965), an American politician and diplomat who served as the 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Additionally, there is J.J. Stevenson (1832-1853), a Scottish-American surveyor and explorer who conducted extensive surveys of the American West, and Celia Stevenson (1825-1895), an English writer and philanthropist who established schools for the education of women in India.

The surname Stevenson has a rich history rooted in medieval Scotland and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, from literature and engineering to politics and exploration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stevenson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stevenson 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 3,008 Stevensons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.54x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 3,008 4.54x
Lancashire 1,556 0.64x
Yorkshire 1,350 0.66x
Middlesex 1,248 0.61x
Renfrewshire 1,092 6.87x
Nottinghamshire 1,065 3.85x
Ayrshire 1,034 6.74x
Derbyshire 1,001 3.12x
Staffordshire 928 1.34x
Midlothian 848 3.09x
Stirlingshire 645 8.53x
Surrey 569 0.57x
Leicestershire 502 2.21x
Durham 387 0.63x
Kent 371 0.53x
Lincolnshire 371 1.13x
Sussex 371 1.07x
Angus 303 1.60x
Northumberland 271 0.89x
Warwickshire 264 0.51x
Dunbartonshire 258 4.68x
Fife 252 2.08x
Cheshire 229 0.51x
Aberdeenshire 223 1.17x
Northamptonshire 196 1.02x
Banffshire 170 4.00x
Orkney 170 7.54x
West Lothian 152 4.92x
Perthshire 146 1.59x
Norfolk 113 0.36x
Essex 112 0.28x
Kirkcudbrightshire 101 3.40x
Berkshire 100 0.65x
Dumfriesshire 90 1.99x
Worcestershire 87 0.33x
East Lothian 83 3.06x
Argyllshire 81 1.42x
Hampshire 80 0.19x
Devon 78 0.18x
Wigtownshire 77 2.83x
Roxburghshire 72 1.94x
Kincardineshire 69 2.76x
Shropshire 69 0.39x
Clackmannanshire 64 3.78x
Suffolk 64 0.26x
Buckinghamshire 62 0.50x
Cumberland 54 0.31x
Cambridgeshire 53 0.41x
Gloucestershire 50 0.12x
Selkirkshire 46 2.48x
Isle of Man 41 1.08x
Buteshire 36 2.90x
Oxfordshire 35 0.28x
Berwickshire 33 1.33x
Cornwall 26 0.11x
Sutherland 23 1.46x
Rutland 20 1.33x
Somerset 17 0.05x
Carmarthenshire 16 0.19x
Morayshire 16 0.50x
Royal Navy 15 0.61x
Hertfordshire 14 0.10x
Bedfordshire 12 0.11x
Dorset 11 0.08x
Glamorgan 11 0.03x
Herefordshire 11 0.13x
Huntingdonshire 11 0.27x
Wiltshire 10 0.06x
Flintshire 8 0.15x
Merionethshire 8 0.21x
Peeblesshire 8 0.83x
Ross-shire 8 0.14x
Anglesey 6 0.17x
Westmorland 6 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.08x
Channel Islands 4 0.07x
Inverness-shire 4 0.07x
Brecknockshire 3 0.07x
Caithness 3 0.11x
Denbighshire 2 0.03x
Kinross-shire 2 0.39x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.04x
Shetland 2 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 882 Stevensons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.26x.

Place Total Index
Barony 882 5.26x
Govan 658 4.01x
Glasgow 505 4.29x
Nottingham St Mary 363 5.08x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 338 3.06x
Abbey 299 12.34x
Stoke Upon Trent 244 3.33x
St Ninians 227 30.29x
Dundee 148 2.09x
Kilmarnock 146 8.00x
Lambeth 146 0.82x
Kilbarchan 144 29.84x
Leeds 142 1.24x
Liverpool 133 0.90x
Islington London 129 0.65x
Paisley High Church 125 9.88x
West Greenock 123 4.31x
Old Monkland 122 4.64x
Beith 111 24.25x
Bothwell 107 5.95x
Falkirk 106 5.99x
Birmingham 101 0.59x
Ruddington 99 53.44x
Leicester St Margaret 98 1.77x
St Pancras London 98 0.59x
Aston 96 0.67x
Stirling 96 10.07x
Ecclesall Bierlow 95 2.30x
New Monkland 94 4.80x
Camberwell 93 0.71x
South Leith 92 2.98x
Dunfermline 91 4.88x
Radford 87 6.20x
Cambusnethan 85 5.77x
Mile End Old Town 85 2.63x
Kensington London 83 0.73x
Battersea 81 1.07x
Burslem 81 4.09x
Padiham 81 13.78x
St Marylebone London 79 0.72x
Sheffield 78 1.21x
Shettleston 78 13.14x
Hamilton 74 4.00x
Maresfield 72 49.43x
Chesterfield 71 5.90x
Deptford St Paul 70 1.30x
Paisley Middle Church 70 7.57x
Hackney London 69 0.60x
Toxteth Park 68 0.83x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 67 1.89x
North Leith 67 5.27x
Aberdeen Old Machar 66 1.67x
Bishopwearmouth 62 1.18x
Brampton 61 13.60x
Paddington London 60 0.80x
Westray Papa Westray 60 33.55x
Bethnal Green London 59 0.66x
Breaston 57 100.65x
Ilkeston 57 6.33x
Shoreditch London 57 0.64x
Blackburn 56 0.87x
Brightside Bierlow 55 1.38x
Nether Hallam 55 2.00x
Basford 54 4.24x
Eastwood 54 5.52x
Liff Benvie 54 1.87x
Long Eaton 54 12.75x
Dalziel 52 7.29x
Hulme 52 1.02x
Leicester St Mary 52 2.83x
Bathgate 51 7.61x
Cadder 50 10.21x
Leek Lowe 50 5.43x
Loughborough 49 4.75x
Neilston 49 6.14x
Stronsay Eday 49 33.22x
Derby St Alkmund 48 4.99x
East Greenock 47 3.13x
West Ham 47 0.53x
Banff 46 12.46x
Kilsyth 46 9.54x
Oldham 45 0.57x
Rutherglen 45 4.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 792
Elizabeth 511
Sarah 443
Ann 249
Jane 242
Emma 203
Alice 185
Ellen 175
Annie 173
Eliza 173
Margaret 135
Hannah 130
Emily 111
Martha 106
Florence 83
Louisa 78
Agnes 75
Maria 68
Ada 67
Edith 66
Charlotte 62
Harriet 62
Fanny 61
Catherine 58
Frances 56
Isabella 56
Caroline 54
Clara 54
Lucy 47
Harriett 46
Kate 43
Anne 42
Esther 36
Jessie 33
Amelia 28
Rebecca 27
Susan 26
Amy 25
Susannah 25
Elizth. 24
Minnie 24
Ruth 24
Grace 23
Matilda 23
Gertrude 22
Julia 22
Rose 22
Ethel 21
Anna 19
Lydia 19

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 768
William 721
George 487
Thomas 393
James 369
Henry 218
Charles 204
Robert 193
Joseph 185
Arthur 126
Frederick 121
Edward 111
Alfred 106
Richard 100
Samuel 94
Albert 77
Walter 72
Harry 65
Herbert 53
Frank 48
David 43
Alexander 40
Edwin 40
Ernest 40
Wm. 39
Thos. 36
Francis 29
Benjamin 25
Peter 25
Andrew 23
Geo. 22
Tom 21
Fred 20
Isaac 20
Josiah 17
Matthew 17
Stephen 17
Daniel 12
Jesse 12
Leonard 12
Robt. 12
Willm. 12
Chas. 11
Fredrick 11
Hugh 10
Mark 10
Enoch 9
Fredk. 9
Harold 9
Luke 9

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Stevenson households.

FAQ

Stevenson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stevenson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 21,015 people were recorded with the Stevenson surname. That placed it at #170 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stevenson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 32,493 in 2016. That gives Stevenson a modern rank of #162.

What does the Stevenson surname mean?

Son of Steven or Stephen, a patronymic surname derived from the given name meaning "crowned" or "garland."

What does the Stevenson map show?

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