No change

Social status in England is even more strongly inherited than height, according to a new study by economists from the University of California and the London School of Economics.

‘Surnames and Social Mobility in England, 1170–2012’ found that if your ancestors descended from the upper classes in England in 1066, you are more likely to be upper class today - almost 1,000 years on. In the study, published in the journal Human Nature, researchers looked at the Oxbridge attendance records of people with rare English surnames as well as probate records and records of rich property owners to track social mobility from 1170-2012.

“Even more remarkable is the lack of a sign of any decline in status persistence across major institutional changes, such as the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, the spread of universal schooling in the late 19th century, or the rise of the social democratic state in the twentieth century.”