NameCensus.

UK surname

Upton

Derived from a place name meaning "upper town" in Old English, referring to a settlement on higher ground.

In the 1881 census there were 5,698 people recorded with the Upton surname, ranking it #775 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,388, ranked #905, down from #775 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton-on-Trent, London parishes and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Staffordshire, Wealden and North West Leicestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Upton is 7,893 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.7%.

1881 census count

5,698

Ranked #775

Modern count

7,388

2016, ranked #905

Peak year

1999

7,893 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Upton had 5,698 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #775 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,388 in 2016, ranked #905.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,810 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Upton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Upton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Upton 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 3,861 #733
1861 historical 4,026 #693
1881 historical 5,698 #775
1891 historical 6,396 #719
1901 historical 7,127 #773
1911 historical 7,810 #661
1997 modern 7,512 #856
1998 modern 7,859 #852
1999 modern 7,893 #855
2000 modern 7,733 #871
2001 modern 7,562 #872
2002 modern 7,681 #877
2003 modern 7,586 #863
2004 modern 7,499 #871
2005 modern 7,345 #881
2006 modern 7,305 #889
2007 modern 7,307 #897
2008 modern 7,397 #897
2009 modern 7,621 #888
2010 modern 7,731 #894
2011 modern 7,621 #891
2012 modern 7,491 #889
2013 modern 7,639 #885
2014 modern 7,608 #892
2015 modern 7,496 #897
2016 modern 7,388 #905

Geography

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Where Uptons are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to East Staffordshire, Wealden, North West Leicestershire and Wirral. 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 London parishes London 1
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Staffordshire 004 East Staffordshire
2 East Staffordshire 014 East Staffordshire
3 Wealden 020 Wealden
4 North West Leicestershire 009 North West Leicestershire
5 Wirral 021 Wirral

Forenames

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First names often paired with Upton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Upton

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Upton is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Upton is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Upton falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Upton

The surname Upton has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from various places called Upton, a common place name in England that means "upper town" or "higher town." The name is derived from the Old English words "upp" meaning up or higher, and "tun" meaning a settlement or town.

The Upton surname is believed to have first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings across England and parts of Wales. This early record suggests that the name was already well-established in various regions of the country by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Upton surname was Robert de Upton, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1190. Another early reference is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Norfolk in 1199, which mentions William de Upton.

In the 13th century, there are records of a Richard de Upton, who was a prominent landowner in Warwickshire, and a John de Upton, who served as a Justice of the Peace in Oxfordshire in 1285.

The surname Upton has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir Nicholas Upton (c. 1400-1457) was an English writer and clergyman who authored a treatise on heraldry called "De Studio Militari." John Upton (1711-1760) was an English schoolmaster and classical scholar who wrote extensively on ancient Greek and Roman literature.

Another notable figure was James Upton (1670-1749), an English theologian and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford. Sir James Upton (1796-1878) was a British Army officer who served in the Peninsular War and the Crimean War, and was knighted for his military service.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Upton surname was John Upton, who was born in England and settled in Virginia in the 17th century. Several members of the Upton family played significant roles in the American Revolutionary War, including Colonel John Upton, who fought at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

The surname Upton has also been associated with various place names and older spellings of place names. For example, the village of Upton-upon-Severn in Worcestershire, England, was formerly known as Upton Episcopi, reflecting its connection to the Bishop of Worcester. Similarly, the town of Upton in Berkshire was once called Upton Regis, meaning "Upton of the King."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Upton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Upton 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. Staffordshire leads with 627 Uptons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.34x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 627 3.34x
Sussex 580 6.18x
Middlesex 540 0.97x
Kent 459 2.42x
Surrey 427 1.57x
Warwickshire 418 2.98x
Lancashire 357 0.54x
Yorkshire 341 0.62x
Cheshire 242 1.97x
Nottinghamshire 234 3.12x
Leicestershire 207 3.35x
Derbyshire 173 1.99x
Gloucestershire 165 1.51x
Oxfordshire 138 4.01x
Lincolnshire 129 1.45x
Hampshire 87 0.76x
Norfolk 69 0.81x
Bedfordshire 68 2.36x
Essex 55 0.50x
Devon 53 0.46x
Worcestershire 52 0.72x
Shropshire 44 0.92x
Northamptonshire 32 0.61x
Monmouthshire 25 0.62x
Suffolk 21 0.31x
Somerset 18 0.20x
Berkshire 15 0.36x
Durham 15 0.09x
Cambridgeshire 14 0.40x
Glamorgan 13 0.13x
Hertfordshire 10 0.26x
Denbighshire 9 0.43x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.24x
Cumberland 8 0.17x
Cornwall 7 0.11x
Huntingdonshire 7 0.63x
Royal Navy 7 1.06x
Flintshire 6 0.40x
Northumberland 6 0.07x
Wiltshire 5 0.10x
Herefordshire 4 0.18x
Midlothian 2 0.03x
Perthshire 2 0.08x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.04x
Caithness 1 0.13x
Dorset 1 0.03x
Fife 1 0.03x
Morayshire 1 0.12x
Radnorshire 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. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 151 Uptons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.23x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 151 3.23x
Aston 117 3.03x
Brighton 115 6.07x
Cuckfield 85 89.67x
Burton Upon Trent 83 18.88x
Nottingham St Mary 70 3.61x
Croydon 68 4.52x
Walsall Foreign 65 6.70x
Lambeth 62 1.28x
St Pancras London 48 1.07x
Bourton 45 473.19x
St Marylebone London 45 1.51x
Winterbourne 43 71.29x
Hackney London 41 1.31x
Camberwell 40 1.13x
Macclesfield 39 7.14x
Everton 37 1.76x
Islington London 37 0.69x
Yoxall 37 149.25x
Harborne 35 5.81x
Eastbourne 34 7.87x
Liscard 34 15.36x
Tonbridge 34 4.96x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 33 3.21x
Newington 32 1.56x
Shenington 32 435.97x
Toxteth Park 32 1.43x
Bethnal Green London 31 1.28x
Leeds 30 0.96x
Birkenhead 28 2.86x
St George Hanover 28 3.85x
Loughborough 27 9.64x
Wellington 27 9.99x
Flixton 26 76.83x
Foulden 26 295.45x
Hornton 26 272.25x
Liverpool 26 0.65x
Battersea 25 1.22x
Chelsea London 25 1.49x
Folkestone 25 6.79x
Rugeley 25 18.54x
Horninglow 24 27.12x
Kensington London 24 0.78x
Stoke Upon Trent 24 1.20x
Kingston On Thames 23 3.53x
Preston 23 14.03x
Redcar 23 52.55x
Stapleton 23 11.11x
Stockport 23 3.64x
Wallasey 23 55.00x
Broughton In Salford 22 3.64x
Idle 22 8.60x
Hastings All Sts 21 23.75x
Silsoe 21 162.04x
East Malling 20 44.07x
Markfield 20 65.36x
Southwark St George Martyr 20 1.79x
West Ham 20 0.82x
Hammersmith London 19 1.39x
Leicester St Margaret 19 1.26x
Maidstone 19 3.36x
St Andrew Holborn 19 10.07x
Deal 18 11.11x
Hastings St Mary In The 18 8.99x
Hove 18 4.37x
Hugglescote 18 19.83x
Arnold 17 15.52x
Uttoxeter 17 17.68x
Wolverhampton 17 1.18x
Balcombe 16 95.52x
Bollington In 16 14.63x
Brewood 16 29.54x
Cannock 16 4.88x
Coleshill 16 35.56x
East Bridgford 16 93.51x
Northfleet 16 9.56x
Radford 16 4.20x
Streatham 16 3.87x
Beckenham 15 6.04x
Dartford 15 7.72x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 364
Sarah 231
Elizabeth 189
Ann 115
Emma 110
Eliza 106
Jane 101
Alice 93
Ellen 92
Annie 90
Emily 73
Hannah 64
Harriet 55
Caroline 52
Martha 52
Fanny 49
Louisa 45
Florence 43
Harriett 33
Clara 32
Maria 32
Edith 30
Margaret 29
Charlotte 26
Matilda 26
Kate 25
Ada 23
Frances 23
Lucy 23
Rebecca 22
Agnes 20
Susan 20
Anne 19
Catherine 19
Rose 18
Amy 16
Esther 16
Amelia 15
Jessie 13
Selina 13
Susannah 13
Isabella 12
Sophia 12
Ruth 11
Anna 10
Eleanor 10
Elizth. 10
Ethel 10
Minnie 10
Rachel 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 403
John 300
George 231
Thomas 200
James 182
Henry 136
Charles 110
Joseph 105
Arthur 72
Alfred 71
Edward 64
Samuel 62
Frederick 50
Robert 47
Richard 46
Walter 46
Albert 33
Harry 31
Herbert 24
David 23
Edwin 22
Francis 22
Stephen 22
Frank 19
Ernest 16
Fred 11
Job 11
Isaac 10
Thos. 9
Benjamin 8
Edmund 8
Fredrick 8
Wm. 8
Geo. 7
Willm. 7
Christopher 6
Enoch 6
Jesse 6
Percy 6
Tom 6
Daniel 5
Lewis 5
Matthew 5
Peter 5
Philip 5
Horace 4
Michael 4
Oliver 4
Ralph 4
Stanley 4

FAQ

Upton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Upton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,698 people were recorded with the Upton surname. That placed it at #775 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Upton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,388 in 2016. That gives Upton a modern rank of #905.

What does the Upton surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "upper town" in Old English, referring to a settlement on higher ground.

What does the Upton map show?

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