NameCensus.

UK surname

Yeoman

An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant in a royal or noble household.

In the 1881 census there were 1,887 people recorded with the Yeoman surname, ranking it #2,310 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,099, ranked #3,083, down from #2,310 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Hams, Rother and Mendip.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Yeoman is 2,218 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.2%.

1881 census count

1,887

Ranked #2,310

Modern count

2,099

2016, ranked #3,083

Peak year

1999

2,218 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Yeoman had 1,887 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,310 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,099 in 2016, ranked #3,083.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,080 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Yeoman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Yeoman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Yeoman 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 1,254 #2,277
1861 historical 1,123 #2,497
1881 historical 1,887 #2,310
1891 historical 1,796 #2,551
1901 historical 2,044 #2,620
1911 historical 2,080 #2,402
1997 modern 2,107 #2,928
1998 modern 2,189 #2,929
1999 modern 2,218 #2,921
2000 modern 2,177 #2,948
2001 modern 2,142 #2,934
2002 modern 2,202 #2,917
2003 modern 2,169 #2,900
2004 modern 2,149 #2,926
2005 modern 2,130 #2,910
2006 modern 2,068 #2,992
2007 modern 2,039 #3,072
2008 modern 2,059 #3,063
2009 modern 2,084 #3,106
2010 modern 2,141 #3,089
2011 modern 2,131 #3,066
2012 modern 2,084 #3,076
2013 modern 2,110 #3,092
2014 modern 2,107 #3,119
2015 modern 2,117 #3,074
2016 modern 2,099 #3,083

Geography

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Where Yeomans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Edinburgh, Wanstrow and Malborough. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Hams, Rother, Mendip and Redcar and Cleveland. 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 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Wanstrow Somerset
5 Malborough Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Hams 012 South Hams
2 Rother 001 Rother
3 South Hams 010 South Hams
4 Mendip 013 Mendip
5 Redcar and Cleveland 013 Redcar and Cleveland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Yeoman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Yeoman

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Yeoman is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Yeoman 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

Yeoman 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 Yeoman is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Yeoman

The surname "YEOMAN" has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "geman," which means a villager or a peasant freeholder. The word later evolved into "yeman" and eventually "yeoman."

The earliest recorded use of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where a person named Richard le Yeman is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, referring to a John le Yeman.

Yeoman was initially used as an occupational surname, referring to a class of small freeholders who owned and cultivated their own land. They were considered a cut above the ordinary peasantry but below the gentry or nobility. The yeomen played a significant role in medieval English society, often serving as archers or foot soldiers in the military.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Yeoman was Sir John Yeoman, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire, who lived in the late 14th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Lincoln and served as the city's Mayor in 1395.

Another well-known individual with this surname was Robert Yeoman, a renowned architect from the 16th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including parts of the Hampton Court Palace in London, which was commissioned by King Henry VIII.

In the 17th century, William Yeoman was a prominent lawyer and politician from Yorkshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for Knaresborough from 1640 to 1653 and played an active role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.

During the 18th century, John Yeoman was a notable writer and poet from Warwickshire. He published several works, including a collection of poems titled "The Poetical Works of John Yeoman" in 1772.

Another figure of note was Thomas Yeoman, a renowned clockmaker from London, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was known for his exceptional craftsmanship and produced some of the finest clocks of his time, many of which are still highly prized by collectors today.

The surname Yeoman has maintained its presence throughout the centuries, with various spellings and variations emerging in different regions, such as Yeman, Yoman, and Yeomen. It continues to be a recognizable surname, particularly in areas of England where it originated.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Yeoman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Yeoman 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 344 Yeomans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.88x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 344 1.88x
Devon 186 4.85x
Middlesex 159 0.86x
Lancashire 118 0.54x
Kent 107 1.70x
Somerset 88 2.97x
Surrey 85 0.95x
Durham 74 1.35x
Northumberland 61 2.22x
Aberdeenshire 57 3.34x
Hampshire 54 1.43x
Midlothian 52 2.11x
Staffordshire 51 0.82x
Gloucestershire 49 1.36x
Derbyshire 45 1.56x
Warwickshire 37 0.80x
Cheshire 29 0.71x
Cornwall 27 1.29x
Norfolk 23 0.81x
Essex 22 0.60x
Worcestershire 22 0.91x
Leicestershire 18 0.88x
Lanarkshire 17 0.29x
Sussex 17 0.55x
Monmouthshire 15 1.13x
Cumberland 12 0.76x
Dorset 11 0.91x
Wiltshire 11 0.67x
Northamptonshire 10 0.58x
Argyllshire 9 1.75x
Perthshire 9 1.09x
Dumfriesshire 8 1.96x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.28x
Angus 6 0.35x
Glamorgan 6 0.19x
Kincardineshire 6 2.67x
Roxburghshire 6 1.80x
Bedfordshire 4 0.42x
Berkshire 4 0.29x
Herefordshire 4 0.53x
Suffolk 4 0.18x
Royal Navy 3 1.37x
Channel Islands 2 0.37x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.40x
Hertfordshire 2 0.16x
Renfrewshire 2 0.14x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.13x
East Lothian 1 0.41x
Fife 1 0.09x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.27x
Lincolnshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Malborough in Devon leads with 71 Yeomans recorded in 1881 and an index of 465.57x.

Place Total Index
Malborough 71 465.57x
Aberdeen Old Machar 42 11.78x
Leeds 31 3.00x
Lambeth 28 1.74x
Camberwell 25 2.12x
Islington London 25 1.40x
Kingsteignton 24 224.93x
East Pennard 23 597.40x
Scarborough 22 13.25x
Wanstrow 22 1057.69x
Wallsend 21 24.14x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 20 2.01x
Belper 19 33.95x
Penshurst 19 179.58x
Ruswarp 19 93.50x
Westoe 19 6.11x
Frome 18 25.36x
Manningham 18 8.00x
South Huish 17 904.26x
Southampton St Mary 17 7.15x
Birmingham 16 1.03x
Bitton 16 50.84x
Portsea 16 2.16x
Ealing 14 8.50x
Gateshead 14 3.41x
Inveresk 14 20.94x
Osmotherley 14 240.96x
Shoreditch London 14 1.75x
Everton 13 1.86x
Aston 12 0.94x
Burslem 12 6.73x
Hackney London 12 1.16x
Hanwell 12 36.72x
Bossall Claxton 11 614.53x
Liverpool 11 0.83x
Ruswarp Hawsker Cum 11 243.36x
Sedgley 11 4.76x
Berwick Upon Tweed 10 17.21x
Deptford St Paul 10 2.06x
Govan 10 0.68x
Lofthouse 10 36.66x
Manchester 10 1.02x
Margate St John Baptist 10 8.68x
Reigate Foreign 10 10.28x
South Leith 10 3.60x
Thorganby Cum West 10 390.63x
Tottenham 10 3.41x
Abergavenny 9 18.03x
Kidderminster Foreign 9 26.44x
Kilmore Kilbride 9 27.62x
Liverton 9 213.27x
Lytchett Minster 9 167.91x
Manfield 9 517.24x
Poynton 9 65.79x
Ardwick 8 4.05x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 8 24.29x
Caldbergh With East 8 1777.78x
Canterbury St Mildred 8 53.58x
Chelsea London 8 1.44x
East Hartburn 8 352.42x
Falmouth 8 10.83x
Lee 8 8.76x
Norwood 8 18.98x
Ormesby 8 16.29x
Plumstead 8 3.82x
Plymouth St Andrew 8 2.71x
Salford 8 1.24x
St Andrew Holborn 8 12.80x
Attleborough 7 48.88x
Chailey 7 72.69x
Hastings Holy Trinity 7 30.55x
Huncoat 7 119.25x
Middleham 7 135.40x
Mitton Henthorn 7 1521.74x
Otford 7 79.73x
Paignton 7 23.97x
Stockport 7 3.34x
Stockton On Forest 7 249.11x
Stoke Upon Trent 7 1.06x
Thorner 7 118.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 118
John 114
Thomas 68
George 57
James 53
Joseph 34
Henry 27
Charles 23
Alfred 19
Arthur 16
Robert 16
Edward 14
Harry 13
Walter 12
Frank 11
Richard 11
Albert 10
Frederick 10
Ernest 8
Samuel 8
Francis 7
David 6
Herbert 6
Christopher 5
Nicholas 5
Peter 5
Thos. 5
Wm. 5
Fred 4
Fredk. 4
Hugh 4
Matthew 4
Saml. 4
Alexander 3
Benjamin 3
Levi 3
Phillip 3
Sidney 3
Willie 3
Abraham 2
Anthony 2
Fredrick 2
Horace 2
Isaac 2
Lewis 2
Percy 2
Stephen 2
Timothy 2
Willm. 2
Edwin 1

FAQ

Yeoman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Yeoman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,887 people were recorded with the Yeoman surname. That placed it at #2,310 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Yeoman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,099 in 2016. That gives Yeoman a modern rank of #3,083.

What does the Yeoman surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant in a royal or noble household.

What does the Yeoman map show?

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