NameCensus.

UK surname

Stringer

A occupational surname for someone who made strings for bows or musical instruments.

In the 1881 census there were 5,963 people recorded with the Stringer surname, ranking it #742 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,200, ranked #805, down from #742 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Kirkheaton and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Warwickshire, Central Bedfordshire and Salford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stringer is 8,718 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.5%.

1881 census count

5,963

Ranked #742

Modern count

8,200

2016, ranked #805

Peak year

1998

8,718 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stringer had 5,963 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #742 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,200 in 2016, ranked #805.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,420 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Stringer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stringer surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stringer 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 3,641 #779
1861 historical 3,180 #905
1881 historical 5,963 #742
1891 historical 5,875 #803
1901 historical 7,454 #721
1911 historical 8,420 #591
1997 modern 8,320 #766
1998 modern 8,718 #757
1999 modern 8,701 #766
2000 modern 8,555 #778
2001 modern 8,324 #780
2002 modern 8,503 #781
2003 modern 8,308 #783
2004 modern 8,291 #783
2005 modern 8,135 #786
2006 modern 8,106 #790
2007 modern 8,121 #797
2008 modern 8,139 #799
2009 modern 8,378 #793
2010 modern 8,579 #788
2011 modern 8,488 #785
2012 modern 8,213 #796
2013 modern 8,359 #796
2014 modern 8,405 #796
2015 modern 8,281 #798
2016 modern 8,200 #805

Geography

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Where Stringers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Kirkheaton, Manchester, Sheffield and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Warwickshire, Central Bedfordshire, Salford, Halton and East Staffordshire. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Kirkheaton Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Warwickshire 003 North Warwickshire
2 Central Bedfordshire 015 Central Bedfordshire
3 Salford 029 Salford
4 Halton 012 Halton
5 East Staffordshire 014 East Staffordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stringer

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stringer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Stringer, 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 Stringer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Stringer 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, Stringer 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

Stringer 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

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

Meaning and origin of Stringer

The surname Stringer originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "streng," meaning a string or cord. It was an occupational name given to those who made or worked with strings and ropes, such as bowstring makers or stringers of musical instruments.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, where a person named Robert le Strenger is mentioned. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a John le Strenger from Oxfordshire.

In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Stryngere" or "Stryngour," reflecting the variations in medieval English spelling. Records from this period show Stringers residing in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire.

The Stringer name can be traced back to certain place names as well. For instance, there is a village called Stringers Common in Gloucestershire, which likely took its name from individuals bearing the Stringer surname who lived in the area.

One notable person with the surname Stringer was Sir Thomas Stringer (c. 1537-1589), an English soldier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Nonsuch with the Dutch in 1585.

Another historical figure was John Stringer (1668-1737), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1713 and made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the literary world, Arthur Stringer (1874-1950) was a Canadian novelist and poet known for his works set in the Canadian wilderness and the Klondike Gold Rush era. Some of his notable works include "The Prairie Wife" and "The Mud Larks."

The Stringer surname was also prominent in the legal profession. Sir Henry Stringer (1872-1945) was a British judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England from 1920 to 1925.

Lastly, mention can be made of Sir Hugh Stringer (1912-1006), a British civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Mulberry Harbours during World War II, which aided the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stringer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stringer 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 1,413 Stringers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.45x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,413 2.45x
Lancashire 825 1.19x
Staffordshire 510 2.60x
Middlesex 428 0.74x
Sussex 360 3.67x
Warwickshire 345 2.35x
Surrey 336 1.19x
Kent 314 1.58x
Cheshire 252 1.96x
Essex 132 1.15x
Norfolk 105 1.17x
Durham 83 0.48x
Lincolnshire 82 0.88x
Worcestershire 71 0.93x
Bedfordshire 54 1.79x
Oxfordshire 54 1.50x
Derbyshire 53 0.58x
Huntingdonshire 52 4.50x
Suffolk 52 0.73x
Shropshire 47 0.93x
Northamptonshire 46 0.84x
Hertfordshire 45 1.12x
Hampshire 40 0.34x
Leicestershire 36 0.56x
Devon 30 0.25x
Northumberland 30 0.35x
Nottinghamshire 26 0.33x
Somerset 21 0.22x
Glamorgan 18 0.18x
Gloucestershire 16 0.14x
Monmouthshire 16 0.38x
Westmorland 13 1.02x
Dorset 12 0.31x
Lanarkshire 9 0.05x
Herefordshire 7 0.29x
Flintshire 5 0.32x
Roxburghshire 5 0.47x
Brecknockshire 3 0.26x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.13x
Royal Navy 3 0.43x
Berkshire 2 0.05x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.06x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.05x
Cornwall 2 0.03x
Midlothian 2 0.03x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
West Lothian 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Walsall Foreign in Staffordshire leads with 101 Stringers recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.95x.

Place Total Index
Walsall Foreign 101 9.95x
Manchester 91 2.93x
Birmingham 86 1.76x
Brighton 85 4.29x
Leeds 83 2.55x
Ecclesfield 82 19.40x
Almondbury 81 29.05x
Aston 72 1.78x
Rowley Regis 72 13.15x
Barking 71 21.13x
Islington London 64 1.13x
Warrington 64 7.82x
Lambeth 58 1.14x
Ashton Under Lyne 50 3.31x
Brightside Bierlow 48 4.24x
Kirkheaton 47 50.26x
Oldham 47 2.11x
Sheffield 41 2.23x
Willenhall 41 11.14x
Croydon 39 2.48x
Ecclesall Bierlow 39 3.33x
Wakefield 39 8.81x
Coventry Holy Trinity 37 8.44x
Huddersfield 37 4.40x
Newington 37 1.72x
Runcorn 37 12.49x
Camberwell 35 0.94x
Hulme 34 2.36x
Shoreditch London 34 1.35x
West Ham 34 1.34x
Coventry St Michael 33 7.00x
Swineshead 33 681.82x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 32 11.95x
Chorlton On Medlock 31 2.83x
Hove 31 7.20x
Kingswinford 31 4.35x
Hackney London 29 0.89x
Lewisham 29 2.74x
St Pancras London 29 0.62x
Wolstanton 29 4.86x
Bromley 28 9.25x
Culcheth 28 61.91x
Shelley 28 83.04x
Barnsley 27 4.54x
Barwick In Elmet 26 58.85x
Crigglestone 26 46.82x
Everton 26 1.18x
Foleshill 26 16.84x
Horton In Bradford 26 2.89x
Leicester St Margaret 26 1.65x
St Marylebone London 26 0.84x
Battersea 25 1.17x
Gateshead 25 1.93x
Kensington London 25 0.77x
Wolverhampton 25 1.66x
Deptford St Paul 24 1.57x
Kirkburton 24 35.30x
Mirfield 24 7.58x
Wednesfield 24 8.30x
Chelsea London 23 1.31x
Salford 23 1.13x
Scarborough 23 4.39x
Southwark St George Martyr 23 1.96x
Holy Trinity 22 1.59x
Liverpool 22 0.52x
Bromley London 21 1.64x
Gorton 21 3.24x
Lepton 21 34.87x
Mancetter 21 49.75x
Batley 20 3.65x
Clapham 20 2.75x
Henfield 20 53.08x
Liversedge 20 7.79x
Milton Under Wychwood 20 120.12x
Silkstone 20 70.08x
Atherstone 19 25.35x
Kirkdale 19 1.64x
Middleton In Oldham 19 9.18x
St Luke London 19 2.04x
Worth 19 26.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 388
Sarah 243
Elizabeth 235
Emma 132
Ann 113
Eliza 110
Jane 110
Ellen 90
Annie 89
Hannah 82
Emily 79
Alice 77
Martha 63
Harriet 49
Edith 45
Louisa 39
Margaret 35
Caroline 33
Fanny 32
Ada 30
Clara 29
Florence 28
Harriett 27
Anne 26
Maria 26
Charlotte 24
Esther 23
Frances 22
Catherine 20
Lucy 20
Kate 17
Susan 15
Agnes 14
Amy 14
Jessie 14
Rebecca 13
Matilda 12
Amelia 11
Elizth. 11
Grace 11
Susannah 11
Julia 10
Selina 10
Lydia 9
Minnie 9
Rachel 9
Rose 9
Ethel 8
Gertrude 8
Rhoda 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 363
John 330
Thomas 200
George 187
James 186
Joseph 166
Charles 113
Henry 113
Edward 85
Samuel 78
Alfred 70
Arthur 69
Frederick 58
Richard 58
Walter 51
Harry 49
Albert 42
Robert 41
Herbert 29
Ernest 28
Frank 23
Fred 23
Edwin 22
Benjamin 21
David 20
Wm. 18
Tom 17
Stephen 16
Daniel 13
Peter 13
Geo. 12
Hugh 10
Thos. 10
Fredrick 9
Joe 9
Sam 8
Alexander 7
Francis 7
Josiah 7
Edmund 6
Matthew 6
Reuben 6
Chas. 5
Horace 5
J. 5
Joshua 5
Ralph 5
Richd. 5
Robt. 5
Saml. 4

FAQ

Stringer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stringer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,963 people were recorded with the Stringer surname. That placed it at #742 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stringer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,200 in 2016. That gives Stringer a modern rank of #805.

What does the Stringer surname mean?

A occupational surname for someone who made strings for bows or musical instruments.

What does the Stringer map show?

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