NameCensus.

UK surname

Syson

In the 1881 census there were 185 people recorded with the Syson surname, ranking it #13,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 428, ranked #11,234, up from #13,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Manchester and Alfreton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broxtowe, Stockton-on-Tees and Erewash.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Syson is 450 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 131.4%.

1881 census count

185

Ranked #13,506

Modern count

428

2016, ranked #11,234

Peak year

2009

450 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Syson had 185 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 428 in 2016, ranked #11,234.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 341 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Syson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Syson surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Syson 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 166 #11,986
1861 historical 149 #15,373
1881 historical 185 #13,506
1891 historical 326 #10,405
1901 historical 300 #11,647
1911 historical 341 #10,468
1997 modern 417 #10,674
1998 modern 430 #10,772
1999 modern 441 #10,631
2000 modern 424 #10,919
2001 modern 419 #10,835
2002 modern 432 #10,801
2003 modern 424 #10,789
2004 modern 422 #10,838
2005 modern 420 #10,781
2006 modern 425 #10,729
2007 modern 434 #10,639
2008 modern 435 #10,735
2009 modern 450 #10,669
2010 modern 447 #10,966
2011 modern 444 #10,902
2012 modern 432 #11,015
2013 modern 435 #11,131
2014 modern 444 #11,021
2015 modern 433 #11,162
2016 modern 428 #11,234

Geography

Back to top

Where Sysons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Manchester, Alfreton, Ilkeston and Cossal. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broxtowe, Stockton-on-Tees and Erewash. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Alfreton Derbyshire
4 Ilkeston Nottinghamshire
5 Cossal Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Broxtowe 001 Broxtowe
2 Broxtowe 004 Broxtowe
3 Stockton-on-Tees 009 Stockton-on-Tees
4 Erewash 003 Erewash
5 Erewash 007 Erewash

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Syson

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Syson

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Syson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Syson 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Syson is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Syson is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Syson falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Syson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Syson 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 54 Sysons recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.20x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 54 22.20x
Derbyshire 45 15.93x
Durham 25 4.66x
Yorkshire 20 1.12x
Lancashire 14 0.65x
Cheshire 7 1.76x
Lincolnshire 6 2.08x
West Lothian 4 14.72x
Gloucestershire 3 0.85x
Huntingdonshire 3 8.37x
Norfolk 1 0.36x
Shropshire 1 0.64x
Suffolk 1 0.46x
Warwickshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ilkeston in Derbyshire leads with 28 Sysons recorded in 1881 and an index of 353.54x.

Place Total Index
Ilkeston 28 353.54x
Basford 17 151.65x
Cossall 12 8000.00x
Harraton 12 1142.86x
Wales 10 709.22x
Alfreton 8 93.24x
Everton 7 10.26x
Greasley 7 127.50x
Byers Green 6 397.35x
Carlton In Barnsley 6 895.52x
Hartford 6 666.67x
Heworth 6 56.71x
Broughton In Salford 5 25.54x
Hucknall Torkard 5 81.04x
Newstead 5 833.33x
Bathgate 4 67.80x
Glanford Brigg 4 388.35x
Lenton 4 69.81x
Chesterfield 3 28.33x
Gloucester Barton St 3 144.93x
Hartford 3 1304.35x
Killamarsh 3 170.45x
Temple Normanton 3 2500.00x
Toxteth Park 2 2.76x
Wollaton 2 454.55x
Bridlington 1 24.45x
Chester St Olave 1 277.78x
Debach 1 1428.57x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 2.75x
Edgbaston 1 7.09x
Flamborough 1 114.94x
Folkingham 1 277.78x
Gautby 1 1666.67x
Hutton Henry 1 88.50x
Rockland St Mary 1 370.37x
Stanton Long 1 625.00x
Toton 1 833.33x
Trowell 1 384.62x
West Heslerton 1 476.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 10
George 7
Robert 6
Enoch 4
Frank 4
Joseph 4
Arthur 3
Isaac 3
James 3
Reuben 3
Abraham 2
Alfred 2
Chas. 2
Francis 2
Harold 2
Harry 2
Henry 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Alexandra 1
Edmond 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Jacob 1
Jas. 1
Jesse 1
Jno. 1
Noah 1
Samual 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Walker 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Syson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Syson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 185 people were recorded with the Syson surname. That placed it at #13,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Syson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 428 in 2016. That gives Syson a modern rank of #11,234.

What does the Syson map show?

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