NameCensus.

UK surname

York

A locational surname referring to the city of York in northern England or any of several similarly-named places.

In the 1881 census there were 3,963 people recorded with the York surname, ranking it #1,144 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,903, ranked #1,379, down from #1,144 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Finedon or Thingdon and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Northamptonshire, Blaenau Gwent and Wellingborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for York is 5,138 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.7%.

1881 census count

3,963

Ranked #1,144

Modern count

4,903

2016, ranked #1,379

Peak year

2000

5,138 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • York had 3,963 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,144 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,903 in 2016, ranked #1,379.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,830 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

York surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

York surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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York 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 2,789 #1,047
1861 historical 2,899 #997
1881 historical 3,963 #1,144
1891 historical 3,996 #1,199
1901 historical 4,504 #1,267
1911 historical 4,830 #1,079
1997 modern 4,972 #1,321
1998 modern 5,134 #1,321
1999 modern 5,120 #1,336
2000 modern 5,138 #1,322
2001 modern 5,008 #1,326
2002 modern 5,071 #1,339
2003 modern 4,927 #1,341
2004 modern 4,937 #1,335
2005 modern 4,777 #1,365
2006 modern 4,765 #1,373
2007 modern 4,821 #1,370
2008 modern 4,864 #1,364
2009 modern 4,978 #1,366
2010 modern 5,074 #1,368
2011 modern 4,957 #1,383
2012 modern 4,876 #1,376
2013 modern 4,977 #1,373
2014 modern 5,019 #1,366
2015 modern 4,969 #1,366
2016 modern 4,903 #1,379

Geography

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Where Yorks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Finedon or Thingdon, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Kettering and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Northamptonshire, Blaenau Gwent, Wellingborough and Kettering. 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 Finedon or Thingdon Northamptonshire
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Kettering Northamptonshire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Northamptonshire 005 East Northamptonshire
2 Blaenau Gwent 008 Blaenau Gwent
3 Wellingborough 010 Wellingborough
4 Kettering 003 Kettering
5 Wellingborough 001 Wellingborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with York

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for York

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the York surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every York household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, York 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

York 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

York 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 York is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of York

The surname York originated in the north of England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire. The name is derived from the Old English word "Eofor-wic," which means "boar town" or "boar settlement." The city of York was originally known as Eoforwic, and the name eventually evolved into its modern form.

York is an ancient city with a rich history dating back to Roman times. It was an important settlement during the Anglo-Saxon period and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname York can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus de Yeork is mentioned. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a man named John de York.

The surname York has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent (1301-1330), who was the younger son of King Edward I. Another notable bearer of the name was Richard York, Duke of York (1411-1460), who played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses and was the father of King Edward IV.

Other notable individuals with the surname York include Sir Joseph York (1713-1795), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War, and Philip York (1755-1834), an English clergyman and author who wrote several books on religious topics.

The surname York has also been associated with various place names in England, such as York Minster, one of the largest and most magnificent cathedrals in the country, and the University of York, a prestigious institution founded in 1963.

While the surname York has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient city of York and the Old English word "Eofor-wic."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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York families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the York 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. Northamptonshire leads with 778 Yorks recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.42x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 778 21.42x
Middlesex 381 0.99x
Staffordshire 291 2.23x
Yorkshire 232 0.61x
Surrey 229 1.22x
Leicestershire 218 5.09x
Lancashire 204 0.45x
Warwickshire 173 1.78x
Gloucestershire 123 1.62x
Somerset 121 1.95x
Shropshire 115 3.45x
Durham 114 0.99x
Worcestershire 91 1.80x
Lincolnshire 89 1.44x
Essex 81 1.06x
Kent 73 0.55x
Northumberland 71 1.24x
Bedfordshire 66 3.30x
Derbyshire 61 1.01x
Lanarkshire 56 0.45x
Buckinghamshire 51 2.18x
Sussex 51 0.78x
Wiltshire 47 1.38x
Nottinghamshire 28 0.54x
Renfrewshire 18 0.60x
Berkshire 17 0.59x
Hampshire 16 0.20x
Norfolk 16 0.27x
Cheshire 14 0.16x
Glamorgan 14 0.21x
Angus 13 0.36x
Devon 11 0.14x
Suffolk 11 0.23x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.41x
Oxfordshire 10 0.42x
Herefordshire 9 0.57x
Hertfordshire 8 0.30x
Berwickshire 7 1.50x
Dorset 6 0.24x
Midlothian 5 0.10x
Clackmannanshire 3 0.94x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.29x
Fife 3 0.13x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.39x
Ayrshire 2 0.07x
Cornwall 2 0.05x
Cumberland 2 0.06x
Denbighshire 2 0.14x
East Lothian 2 0.39x
Monmouthshire 2 0.07x
Royal Navy 2 0.43x
Argyllshire 1 0.09x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Morayshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rothwell in Northamptonshire leads with 79 Yorks recorded in 1881 and an index of 216.56x.

Place Total Index
Rothwell 79 216.56x
Finedon 66 207.48x
Worsley 62 21.95x
Northampton Priory St 60 27.53x
Madeley 56 45.79x
Moulton 52 257.55x
Lambeth 50 1.49x
Wolverhampton 50 4.99x
Islington London 49 1.31x
Leicester St Margaret 44 4.21x
Kettering 42 28.59x
Birmingham 41 1.26x
St Pancras London 41 1.32x
West Ham 39 2.32x
Battersea 38 2.67x
Walsall Foreign 38 5.64x
Tipton 36 9.02x
Cowpen 32 24.19x
Aston 31 1.16x
Northampton St Giles 31 22.41x
Wolvey 31 299.52x
Northampton All Sts 29 23.53x
Dudley 27 4.40x
Oldbury 27 10.88x
Barony 26 0.82x
Sibbertoft 26 673.58x
St Marylebone London 26 1.26x
Bradford On Avon 25 22.87x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 24 3.37x
Hanslope 24 114.45x
Southwark St Saviour 24 12.09x
Mile End Old Town 23 3.77x
Shoreditch London 23 1.37x
Wellingborough 23 12.60x
Glasgow 21 0.95x
Hargrave 21 445.86x
Bethnal Green London 20 1.19x
Great Creaton 20 481.93x
Pelsall 20 51.61x
Yelvertoft 20 299.85x
Darlington 19 4.28x
Fulham London 19 3.39x
Northampton St Sepulchre 19 10.28x
Sedgley 19 3.93x
Kings Norton 18 3.98x
Newland 18 28.28x
Bedminster 17 2.91x
Long Buckby 17 50.63x
Wigston Magna 17 29.94x
Cosby 16 120.57x
Everton 16 1.10x
Greenwich 16 2.60x
Harborne 16 3.83x
Scawton 16 919.54x
Southwark St George Martyr 16 2.06x
Claverley 15 66.61x
Daventry 15 29.20x
Ecton 15 183.60x
Kingsthorpe 15 37.17x
Paddington London 15 1.06x
Sutton 15 9.76x
Belgrave 14 14.49x
Earls Barton 14 45.19x
Harlestone 14 186.17x
Sheffield 14 1.15x
Spitalfields London 14 4.82x
Wookey 14 102.26x
Wootton 14 129.63x
Alkborough 13 246.68x
Clapham 13 161.29x
Denford 13 197.57x
Ewhurst 13 89.90x
Hammersmith London 13 1.37x
Tanfield 13 9.52x
Tettenhall 13 16.32x
West Dean 13 10.57x
Winford 13 103.83x
Hunslet 12 2.01x
Kensington London 12 0.56x
Lower Penn 12 267.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 241
Sarah 168
Elizabeth 139
Ann 82
Emma 67
Annie 62
Jane 62
Eliza 52
Ellen 44
Alice 42
Martha 42
Hannah 37
Louisa 34
Emily 32
Charlotte 30
Florence 30
Maria 30
Harriet 29
Edith 27
Lucy 26
Margaret 26
Fanny 24
Caroline 20
Kate 20
Ada 19
Rose 18
Rebecca 16
Catherine 15
Elizth. 15
Frances 14
Harriett 13
Clara 12
Esther 11
Selina 11
Agnes 10
Anne 10
Susan 10
Amelia 9
Isabella 9
Matilda 9
Lydia 8
Rachel 8
Sophia 8
Bertha 7
Betsy 7
Minnie 7
Susannah 7
Jessie 6
Laura 6
Phebe 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 257
John 225
George 155
Thomas 133
Charles 90
James 88
Henry 84
Joseph 77
Alfred 51
Arthur 47
Frederick 44
Edward 37
Robert 34
Samuel 34
Harry 30
Walter 29
Richard 28
Albert 27
Benjamin 20
Frank 16
David 15
Herbert 14
Ernest 13
Francis 13
Edwin 12
Wm. 11
Stephen 10
Tom 9
Daniel 8
Fred 8
Isaac 7
Amos 6
Geo. 6
Job 6
Levi 6
Chas. 5
Fredrick 5
Mark 5
Reuben 5
Thos. 5
Abraham 4
Andrew 4
Edmund 4
Josiah 4
Lewis 4
Matthew 4
Percy 4
Ralph 4
Reginald 4
Leonard 3

FAQ

York surname: questions and answers

How common was the York surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,963 people were recorded with the York surname. That placed it at #1,144 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the York surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,903 in 2016. That gives York a modern rank of #1,379.

What does the York surname mean?

A locational surname referring to the city of York in northern England or any of several similarly-named places.

What does the York map show?

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