Website reveals where's in a name

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 18 Jan 2006 at 15:25

A new website has been launched that shows the geographical distribution of surnames throughout the UK.

The surname profiler has geographical data on more than 25,000 surnames and is the result of a year's research into social patterns such as economic and cultural migration.

The data comes from the 1881 census and 1998 electoral register. Data prior to this was not used Professor Paul Longley told the BBC, because between the 13th century and the 19 century the vast majority of the population remained in the area they grew up in.

However since the transport and commercial breakthroughs of the industrial revolution, demand has been much greater on those with skills to move to areas where those skills are needed, because it has become more practical to make such migrations.

Longley noted that historically, such movements were traumatic, and borne out of necessity rather than opportunism.

One such example cited involves a high proportion of Cornish surnames around Middlesborough, where many families moved to find work after the Cornish tin industry collapsed.

The surname profiler was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. At the time of writing, the site was unavailable due to high levels of traffic.