Surname Finder
Use this tool to map distributions of British surnames.
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Mike Catling for Salon IFA wrote:
The database reveals that many British surnames names can be mapped to specific places in the world from which they have spread out through the globe. Searching on the name ‘Catling’ for example, reveals that almost all of the people of that name were living in the Peterborough area in 1881 (this fits with family tradition that, until my father made the break, generations of Catlings had all worked in the brickfields of Whittlesey, three miles east of Peterborough). By 2006, Catlings were dispersed all round England, and were also to be found living in Auckland, New Jersey and the Australian Capital Territory.
Clearly the database is more useful to people with a distinctive surname, though even a relatively common name such as Owen had a very precise geographic origin that is still traceable as recently as 1881 (Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey). The developers of the database also found that some surnames can be too distinctive. They have tracked a significant decline in the numbers of people prepared to live with such embarrassing names as Smellie, Haggard, Slow, Willy, Pigg, Hustler, Nutter, Handcock or Glasscock. There were, for example, 3,211 people called Cock in Britain in 1881 — when most were centred around Truro — but only 826 in 1996, many having chosen to change their name.
By analysing the whereabouts of 100 million people in the United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the database has been used to track British migration. One conclusion is that migration is rarely random. Richard Webber, Visiting Professor at University College London, who led the development of the system, says: ‘Migration flows are very specific. The destinations chosen by Britons depended very much on where they were from. People from Cornwall were the most likely to have moved to the north-western United States and south-western Australia, whereas Devonians tended to head for southern and eastern Australia or, if they came from Bideford, to Newfoundland. People from western Scotland travelled most commonly to Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand. They tend to move at a specific time — Scots went to Tasmania in the 1890s, for instance, and people from Cornwall to Wyoming in the 1860s.’
Some people don’t travel at all, however: there are relatively few names in the United States from rural Yorkshire ─ such as Broadbent, Midgeley or Illingworth ─ suggesting that Yorkshire people travel less. The most travelled names, not surprisingly, tend to be from Scotland and Cornwall.
The developers have gone beyond location to look at occupations and other socio-economic data, such as educational attainments. This confirms that people called Felicity, Katherine, Phillippa, Penelope, Elizabeth, Hilary, Giles, Annabel, Alastair and Jeremy are more likely to be prosperous than people named Tracy, Michelle, Lee, Darren, Jason, Donna, Annie and Kelly.
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Mike Catling for Salon IFA wrote:
The database reveals that many British surnames names can be mapped to specific places in the world from which they have spread out through the globe. Searching on the name ‘Catling’ for example, reveals that almost all of the people of that name were living in the Peterborough area in 1881 (this fits with family tradition that, until my father made the break, generations of Catlings had all worked in the brickfields of Whittlesey, three miles east of Peterborough). By 2006, Catlings were dispersed all round England, and were also to be found living in Auckland, New Jersey and the Australian Capital Territory.
Clearly the database is more useful to people with a distinctive surname, though even a relatively common name such as Owen had a very precise geographic origin that is still traceable as recently as 1881 (Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey). The developers of the database also found that some surnames can be too distinctive. They have tracked a significant decline in the numbers of people prepared to live with such embarrassing names as Smellie, Haggard, Slow, Willy, Pigg, Hustler, Nutter, Handcock or Glasscock. There were, for example, 3,211 people called Cock in Britain in 1881 — when most were centred around Truro — but only 826 in 1996, many having chosen to change their name.
By analysing the whereabouts of 100 million people in the United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the database has been used to track British migration. One conclusion is that migration is rarely random. Richard Webber, Visiting Professor at University College London, who led the development of the system, says: ‘Migration flows are very specific. The destinations chosen by Britons depended very much on where they were from. People from Cornwall were the most likely to have moved to the north-western United States and south-western Australia, whereas Devonians tended to head for southern and eastern Australia or, if they came from Bideford, to Newfoundland. People from western Scotland travelled most commonly to Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand. They tend to move at a specific time — Scots went to Tasmania in the 1890s, for instance, and people from Cornwall to Wyoming in the 1860s.’
Some people don’t travel at all, however: there are relatively few names in the United States from rural Yorkshire ─ such as Broadbent, Midgeley or Illingworth ─ suggesting that Yorkshire people travel less. The most travelled names, not surprisingly, tend to be from Scotland and Cornwall.
The developers have gone beyond location to look at occupations and other socio-economic data, such as educational attainments. This confirms that people called Felicity, Katherine, Phillippa, Penelope, Elizabeth, Hilary, Giles, Annabel, Alastair and Jeremy are more likely to be prosperous than people named Tracy, Michelle, Lee, Darren, Jason, Donna, Annie and Kelly.
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