NameCensus.

UK surname

Beaver

An occupational surname referring to a person who hunted beavers or worked with beaver pelts.

In the 1881 census there were 1,326 people recorded with the Beaver surname, ranking it #3,097 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,349, ranked #4,472, down from #3,097 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Greenwich, London parishes and Pickering. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Somerset, Shropshire and Milton Keynes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Beaver is 1,656 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.7%.

1881 census count

1,326

Ranked #3,097

Modern count

1,349

2016, ranked #4,472

Peak year

1901

1,656 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Beaver had 1,326 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,097 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,349 in 2016, ranked #4,472.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,656 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Beaver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Beaver surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Beaver 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 778 #3,430
1861 historical 975 #2,852
1881 historical 1,326 #3,097
1891 historical 1,338 #3,257
1901 historical 1,656 #3,112
1911 historical 1,652 #2,949
1997 modern 1,508 #3,888
1998 modern 1,614 #3,813
1999 modern 1,592 #3,891
2000 modern 1,546 #3,959
2001 modern 1,508 #3,964
2002 modern 1,538 #3,990
2003 modern 1,488 #4,029
2004 modern 1,475 #4,059
2005 modern 1,436 #4,108
2006 modern 1,418 #4,153
2007 modern 1,427 #4,170
2008 modern 1,435 #4,173
2009 modern 1,482 #4,154
2010 modern 1,501 #4,181
2011 modern 1,480 #4,194
2012 modern 1,421 #4,252
2013 modern 1,407 #4,351
2014 modern 1,387 #4,427
2015 modern 1,381 #4,397
2016 modern 1,349 #4,472

Geography

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Where Beavers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Greenwich, London parishes, Pickering and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Somerset, Shropshire, Milton Keynes, Rutland and Cheltenham. 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 Greenwich London (South Districts)
2 London parishes London 1
3 Pickering Yorkshire, North Riding
4 London parishes London 3
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Somerset 001 West Somerset
2 Shropshire 028 Shropshire
3 Milton Keynes 027 Milton Keynes
4 Rutland 005 Rutland
5 Cheltenham 001 Cheltenham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Beaver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Beaver

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Beaver 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

Beaver is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Beaver falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Beaver 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 Beaver, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Beaver

The surname BEAVER is of English origin, deriving from the Middle English word "bever," which referred to the semi-aquatic rodent of the same name. The name likely originated as an occupational surname, given to someone whose trade or occupation involved working with beavers or beaver pelts.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the late 12th century, with references found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a William Bevere is mentioned. During this time, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Bever, Bevere, and Beavre.

In the 13th century, the surname BEAVER can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a Richard le Bevere is listed. This record suggests that the surname may have been derived from a place name, possibly a location associated with beavers or beaver habitats.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname BEAVER was Sir John Beaver (c. 1548-1628), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

In the 17th century, the surname BEAVER appeared in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with a John Beaver listed as a freeman in 1632. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname had migrated to the American colonies during the early colonial period.

Another prominent figure was Captain Philemon Beaver (1660-1749), an English naval officer and explorer who commanded several voyages to the West Indies and the Americas in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

In the 18th century, the BEAVER surname gained recognition through the achievements of Philip Beaver (1766-1813), a British engineer and inventor who is credited with developing the first practical method for rendering animal bones into a viable fertilizer.

During the 19th century, the surname was associated with several notable individuals, including Reverend Samuel Ricker Beaver (1825-1897), an American Congregationalist minister and author, and James Addams Beaver (1837-1914), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who later served as the 20th Governor of Pennsylvania.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Beaver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Beaver 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. Lancashire leads with 241 Beavers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.57x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 241 1.57x
Yorkshire 241 1.88x
Middlesex 124 0.96x
Gloucestershire 83 3.27x
Kent 73 1.65x
Surrey 72 1.14x
Leicestershire 63 4.39x
Rutland 60 63.18x
Northamptonshire 42 3.45x
Norfolk 38 1.91x
Lincolnshire 32 1.55x
Derbyshire 29 1.43x
Hampshire 29 1.09x
Cheshire 21 0.74x
Warwickshire 21 0.64x
Nottinghamshire 18 1.03x
Buckinghamshire 17 2.17x
Cornwall 15 1.02x
Hertfordshire 11 1.23x
Herefordshire 10 1.89x
Sussex 9 0.41x
Berkshire 8 0.82x
Essex 8 0.31x
Devon 6 0.22x
Glamorgan 6 0.27x
Somerset 6 0.29x
Huntingdonshire 5 1.95x
Anglesey 4 1.74x
Bedfordshire 4 0.60x
Monmouthshire 4 0.43x
Staffordshire 4 0.09x
Durham 3 0.08x
Lanarkshire 3 0.07x
Royal Navy 3 1.95x
Wiltshire 3 0.26x
Denbighshire 2 0.41x
Northumberland 2 0.10x
Suffolk 2 0.13x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.12x
Dorset 1 0.12x
Worcestershire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Oakham Lordshold in Rutland leads with 41 Beavers recorded in 1881 and an index of 412.47x.

Place Total Index
Oakham Lordshold 41 412.47x
Manchester 32 4.64x
Pickering 27 167.29x
Woolwich 26 15.95x
Everton 24 4.91x
Greenwich 24 11.66x
Birmingham 19 1.75x
Ashton Under Lyne 17 5.07x
Salford 17 3.77x
Bristol St George 16 13.64x
Leicester St Margaret 16 4.57x
Great Marlow 15 71.06x
Haworth 15 49.23x
Newington 15 3.14x
Oakham Deanshold 14 330.19x
Peterborough 14 15.89x
Portsea 14 2.69x
Wittering 14 1206.90x
Bingley 13 15.93x
Cheetham 13 11.36x
Hackney London 13 1.79x
Mangotsfield 12 47.45x
Stapleton 12 24.94x
Burnham Westgate 11 256.41x
Chorley 11 12.77x
Hartshead 11 191.64x
Liversedge 11 19.28x
Tong 11 44.43x
Bradford 10 3.22x
Bristol St Paul In 10 14.80x
Castleton 10 6.52x
Sheviock 10 403.23x
Bitton Oldland 9 34.71x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 9 3.77x
Harpley 9 478.72x
Hereford St Owen 9 51.37x
Islington London 9 0.72x
Kirkby In Ashfield 9 48.26x
Preston 9 2.19x
Ault Hucknall 8 240.96x
Camberwell 8 0.97x
Chatham 8 6.59x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 3.07x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 8 24.74x
Twyford 8 126.18x
Walton Le Dale 8 19.40x
West Grinstead 8 121.58x
Whittle Le Woods 8 157.17x
Adlington 7 48.71x
Baildon 7 29.00x
Barkby 7 250.90x
Bourn 7 41.89x
Charlton Kings 7 39.89x
Glossop Dale 7 7.38x
Hitchin 7 17.40x
Hundleby 7 250.90x
Keighley 7 5.12x
Leeds 7 0.97x
Leyland 7 26.22x
St Luke London 7 3.37x
Thornton In Fylde 7 20.85x
West Drayton 7 156.60x
Willesden 7 5.74x
Battersea 6 1.26x
Bethnal Green London 6 1.07x
Bitton 6 27.17x
Blackburn 6 1.47x
Hepworth 6 115.83x
Kingsclere 6 49.55x
Kirkdale 6 2.32x
Lambeth 6 0.53x
Litherland 6 18.70x
Llanwonno 6 7.41x
Ovenden 6 10.52x
Paddington London 6 1.26x
Queniborough 6 245.90x
Sheffield 6 1.47x
South Lynn 6 26.74x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 2.31x
Spalding 6 14.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 96
Sarah 60
Elizabeth 47
Ann 32
Jane 26
Ellen 25
Alice 20
Emma 19
Eliza 18
Martha 16
Hannah 13
Margaret 13
Annie 12
Harriet 12
Fanny 11
Catherine 10
Charlotte 10
Emily 10
Florence 9
Edith 8
Rose 8
Ada 7
Kate 7
Lucy 7
Maria 7
Caroline 6
Rebecca 6
Agnes 5
Maud 5
Clara 4
Eleanor 4
Ida 4
Isabella 4
Louisa 4
Rhoda 4
Amy 3
Anne 3
Helen 3
Jessie 3
Julia 3
Lillian 3
Adeline 2
Anna 2
Christiana 2
Gertrude 2
Juliana 2
Minnie 2
Mirrian 2
Nellie 2
Rachael 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 87
John 80
George 57
James 40
Thomas 39
Henry 34
Joseph 20
Alfred 19
Charles 17
Edward 15
Albert 14
Robert 14
Richard 13
Arthur 11
Samuel 11
Frederick 9
Ernest 8
Francis 8
Fred 5
Harry 5
Isaac 5
Walter 5
Wm. 5
Benjamin 4
David 4
Edwin 4
Frank 4
Eli 3
Herbert 3
Jonas 3
Matthew 3
Robt. 3
Tom 3
Alexander 2
Allen 2
Chas. 2
Christopher 2
Dennington 2
Fredk. 2
Harold 2
Hugh 2
Jacob 2
Jno. 2
Louis 2
Mathew 2
Philip 2
Sam 2
Silas 2
Thos. 2
Yacraia 1

FAQ

Beaver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Beaver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,326 people were recorded with the Beaver surname. That placed it at #3,097 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Beaver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,349 in 2016. That gives Beaver a modern rank of #4,472.

What does the Beaver surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person who hunted beavers or worked with beaver pelts.

What does the Beaver map show?

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