NameCensus.

UK surname

Andrews

A patronymic surname meaning "son of Andrew," derived from the Greek name Andreas, meaning "manly" or "masculine."

In the 1881 census there were 28,636 people recorded with the Andrews surname, ranking it #113 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 41,527, ranked #115, down from #113 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Merthyr Tydfil, Suffolk Coastal and Neath Port Talbot.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Andrews is 42,795 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.0%.

1881 census count

28,636

Ranked #113

Modern count

41,527

2016, ranked #115

Peak year

1999

42,795 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Andrews had 28,636 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #113 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 41,527 in 2016, ranked #115.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 38,159 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Andrews surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Andrews surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Andrews 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 17,585 #124
1861 historical 18,571 #118
1881 historical 28,636 #113
1891 historical 31,008 #108
1901 historical 36,064 #112
1911 historical 38,159 #96
1997 modern 41,018 #108
1998 modern 42,403 #108
1999 modern 42,795 #109
2000 modern 42,278 #113
2001 modern 41,358 #111
2002 modern 42,319 #111
2003 modern 41,240 #112
2004 modern 41,183 #113
2005 modern 40,339 #114
2006 modern 40,248 #114
2007 modern 40,508 #115
2008 modern 40,541 #115
2009 modern 41,633 #115
2010 modern 42,587 #115
2011 modern 41,983 #115
2012 modern 41,187 #115
2013 modern 42,108 #115
2014 modern 42,361 #115
2015 modern 41,729 #115
2016 modern 41,527 #115

Geography

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Where Andrews' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Merthyr Tydfil, Suffolk Coastal, Neath Port Talbot, St Edmundsbury and Wiltshire. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Merthyr Tydfil 007 Merthyr Tydfil
2 Suffolk Coastal 007 Suffolk Coastal
3 Neath Port Talbot 016 Neath Port Talbot
4 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
5 Wiltshire 048 Wiltshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Andrews

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Andrews

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Andrews surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Andrews household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Andrews 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

Andrews is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Andrews 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 Andrews is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Andrews

The surname ANDREWS is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Andrew, which itself comes from the Greek name Andreas, meaning "manly" or "brave".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ANDREWS is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Andrev". This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

The ANDREWS surname is believed to have originated in the counties of Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire in the East Midlands region of England. Over time, different spellings of the name emerged, such as Andreu, Androw, and Andrewes, before the modern spelling of ANDREWS became more standardized.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name ANDREWS was Robert Andrews, a scholar and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1235 to 1237.

During the 16th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname ANDREWS was Lancelot Andrews (1555-1626), an English bishop and scholar who was known for his sermons and religious writings. He served as the Bishop of Winchester from 1618 until his death.

Another notable figure from this period was Thomas Andrews (1573-1659), a renowned English clergyman and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Theology at the University of Oxford.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the name ANDREWS was John Andrews (1736-1809), an English author and historian who wrote extensively about the history of Great Britain.

The 19th century saw the birth of William Andrews (1835-1914), an English historian and antiquarian who made significant contributions to the study of local history and folklore in England.

Throughout its history, the surname ANDREWS has been associated with various place names in England, such as Andrews in Cambridgeshire, Andrews Tittleshall in Norfolk, and Andrews Ampton in Suffolk, further reinforcing its English origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Andrews families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Andrews 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. Middlesex leads with 4,142 Andrews' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.48x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 4,142 1.48x
Surrey 2,042 1.50x
Kent 1,771 1.85x
Hampshire 1,446 2.52x
Yorkshire 1,401 0.51x
Lancashire 1,392 0.42x
Devon 1,316 2.26x
Essex 1,098 1.99x
Worcestershire 961 2.63x
Somerset 902 2.00x
Gloucestershire 873 1.59x
Suffolk 835 2.45x
Warwickshire 788 1.12x
Wiltshire 743 3.00x
Dorset 667 3.63x
Norfolk 658 1.53x
Hertfordshire 569 2.95x
Staffordshire 539 0.57x
Sussex 536 1.14x
Lincolnshire 478 1.07x
Cambridgeshire 431 2.43x
Northamptonshire 399 1.52x
Berkshire 369 1.76x
Cheshire 343 0.56x
Glamorgan 307 0.63x
Durham 274 0.33x
Oxfordshire 266 1.54x
Lanarkshire 251 0.28x
Buckinghamshire 238 1.41x
Shropshire 236 0.98x
Herefordshire 225 1.96x
Nottinghamshire 210 0.56x
Monmouthshire 200 0.99x
Cornwall 195 0.62x
Bedfordshire 184 1.27x
Leicestershire 172 0.55x
Derbyshire 170 0.39x
Northumberland 147 0.35x
Midlothian 117 0.31x
Ayrshire 96 0.46x
Renfrewshire 86 0.40x
Angus 80 0.31x
Cumberland 53 0.22x
Royal Navy 51 1.53x
Carmarthenshire 48 0.41x
Huntingdonshire 43 0.77x
Montgomeryshire 39 0.61x
Channel Islands 33 0.40x
Flintshire 27 0.36x
Fife 25 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 22 0.25x
Stirlingshire 22 0.21x
Caernarfonshire 21 0.19x
Rutland 21 1.02x
Dunbartonshire 20 0.27x
Aberdeenshire 17 0.07x
Argyllshire 15 0.19x
Denbighshire 14 0.13x
Brecknockshire 12 0.21x
Wigtownshire 12 0.32x
Perthshire 10 0.08x
Merionethshire 6 0.12x
Banffshire 4 0.07x
Inverness-shire 4 0.05x
Radnorshire 4 0.18x
Caithness 2 0.05x
Cardiganshire 2 0.03x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 0.05x
Peeblesshire 2 0.15x
Anglesey 1 0.02x
Buteshire 1 0.06x
Isle of Man 1 0.02x
Kincardineshire 1 0.03x
Morayshire 1 0.02x
Nairnshire 1 0.12x
Ross-shire 1 0.01x
West Lothian 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 371 Andrews' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.37x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 371 1.37x
St Pancras London 366 1.62x
Lambeth 336 1.38x
Camberwell 331 1.85x
Birmingham 319 1.36x
Aston 281 1.45x
Kensington London 255 1.64x
Hackney London 254 1.62x
St Marylebone London 233 1.56x
Portsea 232 2.06x
Paddington London 212 2.06x
West Ham 200 1.64x
Shoreditch London 196 1.62x
Newington 179 1.73x
Battersea 170 1.65x
Mile End Old Town London 155 2.60x
Bermondsey 150 1.80x
Bethnal Green London 133 1.09x
Brighton 130 1.37x
Hammersmith London 129 1.87x
Chelsea London 127 1.51x
Deptford St Paul 126 1.71x
Hampstead London 111 2.55x
St George Hanover Square 108 2.19x
Croydon 103 1.36x
Liverpool 99 0.49x
Lewisham 98 1.92x
Clerkenwell London 97 1.47x
Stoke Damerel 97 2.38x
Southampton St Mary 90 2.49x
Folkestone 87 4.70x
Poplar London 87 1.65x
Manchester 86 0.58x
Redditch 84 11.33x
Wolverhampton 82 1.13x
Clayton 80 11.78x
Millbrook 80 5.54x
Northfield 79 11.39x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 78 1.51x
Passenham 78 72.17x
Plymouth St Andrew 78 1.74x
Bromley London 76 1.23x
Alton 74 17.11x
Clapham 71 2.03x
Tormoham 71 2.88x
Whittlesford 71 87.28x
Toxteth Park 70 0.62x
Holy Trinity 69 1.03x
Barony 67 0.29x
Bedminster 67 1.58x
Plymouth Charles The 67 2.61x
Greenwich 65 1.46x
Salford 65 0.67x
Govan 64 0.29x
Harborne 62 2.05x
Brightside Bierlow 61 1.12x
Cheltenham 61 1.44x
Luton 59 2.35x
Nottingham St Mary 59 0.60x
St Luke London 59 1.31x
Westminster St Margaret 59 4.37x
Tottenham 58 1.30x
Helion Bumpstead 57 76.56x
St George In East London 57 2.16x
Woolwich 57 1.62x
Ealing 55 2.20x
Hinxton 55 167.33x
Southwark St George Martyr 55 0.98x
Bow London 54 1.52x
Leeds 54 0.34x
Nether Hallam 54 1.44x
Portland 54 5.47x
Hulme 53 0.76x
Eling 52 8.95x
Aldershot 51 2.65x
Cheshunt 51 7.56x
Bradford On Avon 50 6.31x
Kings Norton 50 1.53x
Marnhull 50 37.38x
Leicester St Margaret 49 0.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,738
Elizabeth 1,055
Sarah 947
Jane 492
Eliza 481
Emma 470
Ann 448
Alice 436
Ellen 425
Emily 413
Annie 412
Louisa 267
Hannah 235
Florence 226
Martha 226
Harriet 209
Charlotte 206
Edith 188
Fanny 187
Caroline 184
Maria 183
Margaret 162
Kate 157
Ada 143
Clara 129
Susan 121
Catherine 118
Anne 117
Lucy 111
Frances 110
Harriett 106
Rose 105
Amelia 104
Agnes 101
Jessie 75
Julia 70
Esther 66
Sophia 63
Minnie 62
Amy 61
Rebecca 61
Elizth. 58
Gertrude 56
Laura 55
Matilda 55
Eleanor 53
Isabella 53
Susannah 53
Bessie 49
Lydia 49

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,758
John 1,331
George 1,065
James 792
Thomas 783
Charles 679
Henry 639
Alfred 407
Joseph 392
Edward 339
Frederick 333
Arthur 306
Robert 306
Richard 259
Walter 244
Albert 225
Samuel 204
Harry 160
Ernest 138
Frank 138
Edwin 131
Herbert 131
David 102
Wm. 75
Stephen 62
Francis 60
Fred 59
Benjamin 58
Geo. 46
Isaac 45
Fredk. 44
Sidney 41
Fredrick 39
Thos. 39
Percy 36
Andrew 35
Chas. 35
Daniel 35
Peter 34
Tom 29
Alexander 26
Leonard 26
Mark 26
Christopher 25
Lewis 24
Willm. 24
Eli 23
Abraham 22
Jas. 21
Jesse 21

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Andrews households.

FAQ

Andrews surname: questions and answers

How common was the Andrews surname in 1881?

In 1881, 28,636 people were recorded with the Andrews surname. That placed it at #113 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Andrews surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 41,527 in 2016. That gives Andrews a modern rank of #115.

What does the Andrews surname mean?

A patronymic surname meaning "son of Andrew," derived from the Greek name Andreas, meaning "manly" or "masculine."

What does the Andrews map show?

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