NameCensus.

UK surname

Bice

An Italian surname derived from the personal name Bici, a diminutive of Benedetto, meaning "blessed."

In the 1881 census there were 150 people recorded with the Bice surname, ranking it #15,489 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 88, ranked #32,396, down from #15,489 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Columb Major, Gluvias and Gwennap. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull, Guildford and Harlow.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bice is 209 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 41.3%.

1881 census count

150

Ranked #15,489

Modern count

88

2016, ranked #32,396

Peak year

1861

209 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Bice had 150 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,489 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 88 in 2016, ranked #32,396.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 209 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Bice surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bice surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bice 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 193 #10,704
1861 historical 209 #11,596
1881 historical 150 #15,489
1891 historical 188 #15,609
1901 historical 172 #16,643
1911 historical 165 #16,808
1997 modern 115 #24,834
1998 modern 116 #25,332
1999 modern 113 #25,913
2000 modern 113 #25,843
2001 modern 108 #26,184
2002 modern 105 #27,123
2003 modern 98 #28,046
2004 modern 101 #27,813
2005 modern 98 #28,325
2006 modern 99 #28,453
2007 modern 100 #28,669
2008 modern 101 #28,825
2009 modern 106 #28,666
2010 modern 99 #30,397
2011 modern 101 #29,938
2012 modern 94 #31,258
2013 modern 99 #30,934
2014 modern 98 #31,370
2015 modern 90 #32,245
2016 modern 88 #32,396

Geography

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Where Bices are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Columb Major, Gluvias, Gwennap, St Enoder and St Blazey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kingston upon Hull, Guildford, Harlow, Chichester and Cornwall. 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 St Columb Major Cornwall
2 Gluvias Cornwall
3 Gwennap Cornwall
4 St Enoder Cornwall
5 St Blazey Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 025 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 Guildford 018 Guildford
3 Harlow 002 Harlow
4 Chichester 001 Chichester
5 Cornwall 033 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bice

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bice

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Bice surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Bice household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Bice is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bice is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bice falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bice is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Bice

The surname Bice has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "bicio," which means "cross-eyed" or "squinting." This nickname likely referred to someone who had a distinctive facial feature or a squinting gaze.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Bice can be found in historical documents from various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy. Some of the earliest mentions of the surname date back to the 13th and 14th centuries, during the Renaissance period.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Bice di Calcavecchia was mentioned in the historical records of Florence. She was a noblewoman and a prominent figure in the city's cultural and social circles. Another early reference to the name can be found in the writings of the renowned Italian poet Dante Alighieri, who immortalized a character named Bice Portinari in his literary masterpiece, the Divine Comedy.

As the centuries passed, the Bice surname continued to be present in various parts of Italy. In the 16th century, a man named Giovanni Battista Bice was a renowned painter and architect from the city of Genoa. His works can still be admired in several churches and palaces throughout the region.

During the 17th century, a notable figure named Girolamo Bice was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar from Bologna. He authored several influential treatises on law and jurisprudence, which were widely studied and referenced by legal professionals of the time.

In the 18th century, a musician named Niccolò Bice gained recognition for his compositions and performances in the city of Milan. He was highly regarded for his expertise in opera and sacred music, and his works were performed in various theatres and churches across northern Italy.

Another notable individual with the surname Bice was Luisa Bice, a 19th-century writer and poet from Tuscany. Her collection of poems and literary works gained widespread acclaim, and she was celebrated for her contribution to Italian literature during the Romantic period.

These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the surname Bice throughout the centuries, highlighting the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds associated with this Italian name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bice families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bice 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. Cornwall leads with 90 Bices recorded in 1881 and an index of 54.34x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 90 54.34x
Lancashire 11 0.63x
Hampshire 8 2.67x
Middlesex 8 0.55x
Devon 7 2.30x
Surrey 6 0.84x
Glamorgan 5 1.96x
Lanarkshire 5 1.06x
Lincolnshire 5 2.14x
Yorkshire 4 0.28x
Worcestershire 1 0.52x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Perranzabuloe in Cornwall leads with 15 Bices recorded in 1881 and an index of 1048.95x.

Place Total Index
Perranzabuloe 15 1048.95x
St Enoder 14 2500.00x
St Columb Major 11 802.92x
Lower Booths 10 321.54x
Tywardreath 10 943.40x
Linkinhorne 9 782.61x
Aldershot 8 79.60x
Lambeth 6 4.70x
Calstock 5 153.85x
Govan 5 4.27x
Hackney London 5 6.10x
Louth 5 93.28x
Neath 5 96.53x
Totnes 5 280.90x
Brotton 4 211.64x
Mevagissey 4 363.64x
Newlyn 4 563.38x
Redruth 4 85.29x
St Austell 3 53.00x
St Gluvias Penryn 3 225.56x
Ladock 2 425.53x
Plymouth St Andrew 2 8.53x
St Martin In Fields 2 22.83x
Illogan 1 22.78x
Kea 1 81.30x
Liverpool 1 0.95x
Madron Penzance 1 16.61x
St Allen 1 344.83x
St Columb Minor 1 71.94x
St Erme 1 400.00x
Tottenham 1 4.29x
Wolverley 1 59.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 8
Mary 7
Annie 4
Caroline 3
Catherine 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Fanny 3
Sarah 3
Clara 2
Edith 2
Matilda 2
Ada.J. 1
Adaline 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Celia 1
Edna 1
Elezabeth 1
Elinor 1
Elizabth. 1
Elizath. 1
Ellen 1
Fannie 1
Florance 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriot 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lilla.B. 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Mildred 1
Minnie 1
Nanny 1
Nany 1
Philippa 1
Phillippa 1
Selina 1
Tamisine 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Joseph 8
Charles 7
James 5
Luke 5
John 4
Thomas 4
William 4
Francis 3
Benjamin 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Malachi 2
Samuel 2
Zaccheus 2
Andrew 1
Edwin 1
George 1
Jabez 1
Jno.A. 1
Leed 1
Lewis 1
Malahil 1
Percey 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Tom 1
Wm.A. 1
Zacchus 1

FAQ

Bice surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bice surname in 1881?

In 1881, 150 people were recorded with the Bice surname. That placed it at #15,489 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bice surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 88 in 2016. That gives Bice a modern rank of #32,396.

What does the Bice surname mean?

An Italian surname derived from the personal name Bici, a diminutive of Benedetto, meaning "blessed."

What does the Bice map show?

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