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These are the most common surnames in Greater Manchester – is yours there?

The most popular names across all ten boroughs.

The Manc The Manc - 28th June 2021

There are just under 3 million people living in Greater Manchester today.

Across the ten boroughs, two cities, and 493 square miles, there’s more than 112,000 different surnames to be found.

Genealogy website Forebears has published data showing the incredible range of monikers in Greater Manchester – revealing the most popular in the region.

‘Smith’ emerged as the runaway ‘winner’ (apparently there are more than 29,000 people with this surname in this part of the country) with Jones, Taylor, Williams and Brown all making the top five.

The most common 50 surnames are listed below. Where does yours rank?

A new piece of research has revealed the most common names across GM’s ten boroughs / Image: Wikimedia Commons
  1. Smith 29,118
  2. Jones 25,113
  3. Taylor 21,163
  4. Williams 14,107
  5. Brown 12,144
  6. Davies 11,922
  7. Johnson 10,825
  8. Khan 9,993
  9. Wilson 9,846
  10. Jackson 9,789
  11. Patel 9,556
  12. Roberts 9,416
  13. Robinson 9,233
  14. Walker 8,716
  15. Hughes 8,680
  16. Wood 8,105
  17. Ahmed 8,076
  18. Harrison 7,670
  19. Thompson 7,658
  20. Kelly 7,657
  21. Evans 7,611
  22. Begum 7,474
  23. Shaw 7,361
  24. Ali 7,295
  25. Green 7,193

Greater Manchester is home to just under 3 million people / Image: Wikimedia Commons
  1. Hall 7,095
  2. Hussain 6,984
  3. Wright 6,933
  4. Clarke 6,921
  5. Turner 6,732
  6. Edwards 6,524
  7. Lee 6,443
  8. Morris 6,278
  9. Thomas 6,189
  10. Murphy 6,061
  11. Walsh 6,054
  12. Ward 5,870
  13. Hill 5,842
  14. White 5,458
  15. Booth 5,422
  16. Cooper 5,350
  17. Howarth 5,068
  18. Moore 4,917
  19. Bailey 4,912
  20. Buckley 4,813
  21. Holt 4,768
  22. Bennett 4,742
  23. Wilkinson 4,577
  24. Martin 4,505
  25. Lewis 4,493

The full list – which features a grand old total of 941 names – is available online at Forebears.

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Noah Kahan begs fans to ‘just go to the bathroom’ ahead of Manchester shows

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Noah Kahan has had to issue a bizarre warning on concert etiquette ahead of his UK tour, after a fan apparently defecated on the floor at his show.

The Stick Season singer-songwriter, who will headline two massive gigs in Manchester this year, has begged his fans to ‘just go to the bathroom lmao’.

He’s had to speak out after videos circulated online that appeared to show human faeces beneath a chair and in the walkway at one of his US gigs.

According to witnesses at his Philadelphia show, one concert-goer relieved themselves onto the floor, then tried to kick the faeces under the seat in front.

Noah Kahan has now released a statement online that says: “If you have to poop at a show please dear god just go to the bathroom lmao.

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“I’ve pooped my pants as much as the next 29 year old but you guys gotta understand there’s a venue worker out there with a 1000 yard stare after dealing with that.”

The star has since gone one step further, and addressed the poop incident on stage in Toronto.

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He told fans inside the venue: “This is awkward. When you enter this building, you enter a social contract, right? 

“And rule number two besides ‘don’t literally f**king kill each other’, is ‘don’t s**t on the floor’.

“So we’re gonna do some therapy type thing where we all repeat after me, okay?”

He then led the crowd to repeat the following chant: “I solemnly swear, I will not s**t my pants, and if I do, I won’t take it from my pants and put it on the floor.”

@much

Noah Kahan asks the Toronto crowd to take an oath to use the bathrooms during his show 😅 #TheGreatDivideTour #NoahKahan

♬ original sound – MuchMusic

Noah’s warning comes just days after Olivia Rodrigo’s chilling revelation that she has ‘smelled’ fans in adult nappies at her shows.

Olivia revealed on Kiss FM that some concert-goers choose to wear adult nappies so that they can keep their spot at the barricade all day long.

I think we can all agree that we have taken things too far, at this point…

Noah Kahan will play two sold-out shows at the AO Arena in Manchester on 9 and 10 November.

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Featured image: Publicity picture

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Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave

Danny Jones Danny Jones NBHD Music fest lineup Manchester city centre 2026

Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.

Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.

However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.

Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.

As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.

Especially for us Mancs.

With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.

That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.

We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.

For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…

It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.

We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.

Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.

Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.

And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.

Review | We need NBHD Weekender every year – and so does the North West
Such a great duo.

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Featured Images — Anthony Mooney Photography (supplied via SJM Concerts)

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