NameCensus.

UK surname

Carver

An occupational surname referring to a wood carver or sculptor.

In the 1881 census there were 2,709 people recorded with the Carver surname, ranking it #1,644 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,934, ranked #1,716, down from #1,644 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Buckland Denham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, South Norfolk and Chichester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Carver is 4,016 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.2%.

1881 census count

2,709

Ranked #1,644

Modern count

3,934

2016, ranked #1,716

Peak year

1999

4,016 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Carver had 2,709 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,644 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,934 in 2016, ranked #1,716.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,492 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Carver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Carver surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Carver 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 1,634 #1,757
1861 historical 1,464 #1,938
1881 historical 2,709 #1,644
1891 historical 2,653 #1,798
1901 historical 3,416 #1,629
1911 historical 3,492 #1,495
1997 modern 3,874 #1,676
1998 modern 4,015 #1,683
1999 modern 4,016 #1,694
2000 modern 3,963 #1,712
2001 modern 3,844 #1,721
2002 modern 3,924 #1,726
2003 modern 3,845 #1,730
2004 modern 3,836 #1,732
2005 modern 3,709 #1,762
2006 modern 3,715 #1,766
2007 modern 3,722 #1,769
2008 modern 3,779 #1,753
2009 modern 3,881 #1,754
2010 modern 3,965 #1,755
2011 modern 3,941 #1,734
2012 modern 3,832 #1,750
2013 modern 3,932 #1,742
2014 modern 3,979 #1,729
2015 modern 3,949 #1,724
2016 modern 3,934 #1,716

Geography

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Where Carvers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Buckland Denham and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, South Norfolk, Chichester and Mendip. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Buckland Denham Somerset
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 018 County Durham
2 County Durham 017 County Durham
3 South Norfolk 006 South Norfolk
4 Chichester 005 Chichester
5 Mendip 006 Mendip

Forenames

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First names often paired with Carver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Carver

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Carver, 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 Carver surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Carver 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Carver 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

Carver 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

Carver 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 Carver 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 Carver, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Carver

The surname Carver is an occupational name that originated in England. It is derived from the Old English word 'cerfan', which means 'to cut or carve'. The name was first given to those who practiced the craft of woodcarving or stone carving.

Carver is a surname that can be traced back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where a person named William le Carver was mentioned.

During the Middle Ages, the Carver surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Some early spellings of the name included Carvar, Kervere, and Kervour.

In the 13th century, a family by the name of Carver owned land in the village of Carver, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This place name may have influenced the surname's spelling in that region.

One notable individual with the Carver surname was John Carver, who was born around 1576 in Doncaster, Yorkshire. He was a prominent figure among the Pilgrims and served as the first governor of the Plymouth Colony in America from 1620 to 1621.

Another famous Carver was George Washington Carver, an American botanist, and inventor who was born into slavery in 1864 in Missouri. He made significant contributions to agriculture and is best known for his work with peanuts and other crops.

In the 16th century, a family of Carvers resided in the village of Carver in Norfolk, England. One member of this family, William Carver, was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk in 1589.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Carver fought for the Parliamentarian forces. He is mentioned in the memoirs of Sir William Dugdale, a renowned English antiquary.

In the 18th century, a renowned English painter named Robert Carver was active. He was born in 1670 in Northamptonshire and is known for his portraits and still-life paintings.

The Carver surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Carver Grange in Yorkshire, Carver's Hill in Norfolk, and Carver Marsh in Lincolnshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Carver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Carver 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. Yorkshire leads with 281 Carvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.07x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 281 1.07x
Middlesex 262 0.99x
Sussex 259 5.81x
Nottinghamshire 207 5.80x
Surrey 191 1.48x
Norfolk 178 4.38x
Lancashire 145 0.46x
Somerset 126 2.96x
Essex 75 1.44x
Gloucestershire 65 1.25x
Suffolk 64 1.99x
Derbyshire 58 1.40x
Hampshire 54 1.00x
Staffordshire 54 0.60x
Herefordshire 50 4.61x
Leicestershire 47 1.60x
Warwickshire 47 0.70x
Northumberland 46 1.17x
Angus 44 1.80x
Kent 44 0.49x
Durham 41 0.52x
Shropshire 37 1.62x
Monmouthshire 36 1.88x
Glamorgan 34 0.74x
Bedfordshire 26 1.90x
Cheshire 20 0.34x
Flintshire 20 2.81x
Lincolnshire 19 0.45x
Cumberland 17 0.75x
Worcestershire 17 0.49x
Cambridgeshire 13 0.78x
Carmarthenshire 13 1.17x
Devon 13 0.24x
Perthshire 13 1.09x
Dorset 12 0.69x
Berkshire 9 0.45x
Hertfordshire 9 0.49x
Wiltshire 8 0.34x
Channel Islands 7 0.89x
Cornwall 7 0.23x
Fife 7 0.45x
Westmorland 7 1.20x
Oxfordshire 6 0.37x
Inverness-shire 5 0.63x
Kincardineshire 5 1.55x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.25x
Northamptonshire 4 0.16x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.24x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.17x
Morayshire 1 0.24x
Radnorshire 1 0.47x
Royal Navy 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 88 Carvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.54x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 88 9.54x
Eastbourne 36 17.54x
Islington London 33 1.29x
Camberwell 30 1.78x
Lambeth 30 1.30x
Chelsea London 27 3.39x
Birmingham 26 1.17x
Manchester 26 1.84x
Great Yarmouth 25 7.42x
Bridgewater 24 20.76x
Buckland Dinham 24 583.94x
Brighton 23 2.56x
Kensington London 23 1.56x
East Ardsley 21 92.51x
Skelton In Guisbrough 21 29.61x
Southwark St George Martyr 21 3.94x
Everton 20 2.00x
Radford 20 11.04x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 19 52.10x
St Marylebone London 18 1.27x
Arundel 17 68.05x
Tillington 17 211.97x
Long Ditton 16 76.01x
Lowestoft 16 10.51x
Westbury 16 295.20x
Battersea 15 1.54x
Hartshorn 15 95.85x
Kirby Muxloe 15 433.53x
Loddon 15 143.40x
West Derby 15 1.63x
Wrestlingworth 15 255.10x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 14 53.03x
St Pancras London 14 0.66x
Clifton 13 4.96x
Kirton 13 227.67x
Lodsworth 13 210.36x
Long Eaton 13 23.78x
Norwich St Clement 13 27.57x
Pudsey 13 9.28x
Kirkdale 12 2.27x
Portsea 12 1.13x
Thorpe Next Norwich 12 27.84x
Wakefield 12 5.96x
West Ham 12 1.04x
Westgate 12 4.92x
Willenhall 12 7.17x
Barnsley 11 4.07x
Distington 11 93.94x
Hackney London 11 0.74x
Hawarden 11 19.69x
Midhurst 11 75.19x
Monifieth 11 12.71x
Newport 11 12.06x
Norwich St Benedict 11 60.67x
Westminster St John 11 3.41x
Aston 10 0.54x
Bristol St Paul In 10 7.23x
Fulham London 10 2.61x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 10 8.19x
Little Ilford 10 110.74x
St Andrew Holborn London 10 8.73x
Bermondsey 9 1.14x
Boltby 9 327.27x
Broughton In Salford 9 3.14x
Carlton Husthwaite 9 592.11x
Dorstone 9 222.22x
Glossop Dale 9 4.64x
Graffham 9 240.64x
Hexham 9 14.77x
Huddersfield 9 2.36x
Ipswich St Nicholas 9 50.70x
Leeds 9 0.61x
Putney 9 7.46x
Rochford 9 59.21x
Slindon 9 196.08x
Winlaton 9 11.92x
Wroxeter 9 203.62x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 8 8.40x
Hereford St Martin 8 60.88x
Staunton 8 727.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 172
Elizabeth 103
Sarah 90
Jane 67
Eliza 47
Ann 45
Annie 42
Alice 40
Emily 40
Emma 38
Ellen 36
Hannah 33
Charlotte 26
Harriet 25
Fanny 23
Florence 23
Caroline 22
Maria 22
Edith 20
Louisa 20
Martha 17
Margaret 16
Lucy 15
Anne 14
Kate 13
Ada 12
Catherine 11
Frances 10
Harriett 10
Susan 10
Agnes 9
Clara 9
Isabella 9
Jessie 8
Amelia 7
Matilda 7
Rebecca 7
Minnie 6
Rose 6
Susannah 6
Amy 5
Eleanor 5
Gertrude 5
Julia 5
Rosa 5
Ruth 5
Sophia 5
Esther 4
Helen 4
Lydia 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 191
John 132
George 118
James 90
Thomas 72
Charles 61
Henry 60
Robert 38
Alfred 36
Frederick 36
Edward 35
Joseph 31
Arthur 30
Harry 22
Albert 17
Richard 16
Walter 16
David 15
Samuel 13
Ernest 12
Frank 12
Edwin 11
Francis 11
Fredk. 6
Wm. 6
Fred 5
Andrew 4
Chas. 4
Herbert 4
Joe 4
Stephen 4
Benjamin 3
Colin 3
Daniel 3
Horace 3
Hugh 3
Jesse 3
Leonard 3
Mark 3
Thos. 3
Alexander 2
Clarence 2
Clifford 2
Eustace 2
Jno. 2
Levi 2
Michael 2
Peter 2
Richmond 2
Sam 2

FAQ

Carver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Carver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,709 people were recorded with the Carver surname. That placed it at #1,644 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Carver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,934 in 2016. That gives Carver a modern rank of #1,716.

What does the Carver surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a wood carver or sculptor.

What does the Carver map show?

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