NameCensus.

UK surname

Chance

An English surname derived from the Old French word "chance," meaning luck, good fortune, or opportunity.

In the 1881 census there were 1,385 people recorded with the Chance surname, ranking it #2,980 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,053, ranked #3,148, down from #2,980 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick, London parishes and Oldswinford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Chance is 2,148 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.2%.

1881 census count

1,385

Ranked #2,980

Modern count

2,053

2016, ranked #3,148

Peak year

2000

2,148 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Chance had 1,385 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,980 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,053 in 2016, ranked #3,148.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,986 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Chance surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Chance surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Chance 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 850 #3,199
1861 historical 808 #3,405
1881 historical 1,385 #2,980
1891 historical 1,490 #2,956
1901 historical 1,755 #2,957
1911 historical 1,986 #2,499
1997 modern 2,114 #2,922
1998 modern 2,140 #2,992
1999 modern 2,138 #3,016
2000 modern 2,148 #2,986
2001 modern 2,073 #3,016
2002 modern 2,129 #3,010
2003 modern 2,086 #3,002
2004 modern 2,073 #3,026
2005 modern 2,020 #3,057
2006 modern 2,028 #3,047
2007 modern 2,032 #3,082
2008 modern 2,053 #3,076
2009 modern 2,099 #3,080
2010 modern 2,119 #3,127
2011 modern 2,095 #3,111
2012 modern 2,080 #3,078
2013 modern 2,098 #3,114
2014 modern 2,106 #3,123
2015 modern 2,094 #3,103
2016 modern 2,053 #3,148

Geography

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Where Chances are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick, London parishes, Oldswinford and Bromsgrove, Upton Warren. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills and Dudley. 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 Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick Worcestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Oldswinford Worcestershire
4 Bromsgrove, Upton Warren Worcestershire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bromsgrove 013 Bromsgrove
2 Malvern Hills 001 Malvern Hills
3 Dudley 035 Dudley
4 Dudley 037 Dudley
5 Dudley 027 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Chance

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Chance

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Chance is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Chance 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

Chance 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 Chance is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Chance

The surname Chance originated in England and is a locational name derived from the Old French word 'chance', meaning happy or fortunate. It is believed to have first emerged in the medieval period, referring to someone who lived near a happy or fortunate place.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William de la Chaunce. The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 also reference a John de Chauns. These early spellings demonstrate the evolution of the name from its Old French roots.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Chaunce and Chauns, in records from counties like Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 list a John Chaunce, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1334 record a Thomas Chaunce.

The surname Chance may have also derived from place names like Chance Wood in Shropshire or Chance Street in Tring, Hertfordshire. These locations likely took their names from the Old French word, indicating areas that were considered fortunate or desirable.

Notable historical figures with the surname Chance include:

1. Sir John Chance (c. 1520-1599), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1585. 2. John Chance (1718-1784), an English minister and dissenting tutor who founded the Prospect Academy in Coventry. 3. Henry Chance (1786-1865), an English glassmaker and entrepreneur who co-founded the glassmaking company Chance Brothers. 4. Michael Chance (born 1955), an English countertenor and opera singer known for his performances of Baroque and contemporary works. 5. Brittany Chance (born 1986), an American professional wrestler and former WWE Diva.

The surname Chance has a rich history, originating from the Old French word denoting fortune and evolving over centuries to become a well-established English surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Chance families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Chance 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. Worcestershire leads with 470 Chances recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.62x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 470 26.62x
Middlesex 185 1.37x
Staffordshire 125 2.74x
Warwickshire 118 3.46x
Surrey 92 1.40x
Bedfordshire 78 11.14x
Hertfordshire 42 4.51x
Yorkshire 36 0.27x
Kent 30 0.65x
Hampshire 27 0.97x
Buckinghamshire 25 3.06x
Herefordshire 20 3.61x
Lancashire 19 0.12x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.77x
Durham 9 0.22x
Glamorgan 9 0.38x
Northamptonshire 9 0.71x
Northumberland 9 0.45x
Leicestershire 8 0.53x
Oxfordshire 8 0.96x
Cambridgeshire 7 0.82x
Gloucestershire 7 0.26x
Berkshire 6 0.59x
Fife 5 0.62x
Wiltshire 5 0.42x
Devon 4 0.14x
Sussex 4 0.18x
Brecknockshire 2 0.74x
Cumberland 2 0.17x
Norfolk 2 0.10x
Shropshire 2 0.17x
Cornwall 1 0.07x
Derbyshire 1 0.05x
Dorset 1 0.11x
Essex 1 0.04x
Flintshire 1 0.28x
Radnorshire 1 0.92x
Royal Navy 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lye in Worcestershire leads with 114 Chances recorded in 1881 and an index of 388.02x.

Place Total Index
Lye 114 388.02x
Upperswinford 59 394.91x
Kingswinford 48 28.97x
Bromsgrove 45 75.73x
Aston 41 4.37x
Birmingham 39 3.43x
Stourbridge 35 77.04x
Hackney London 30 3.96x
Edgbaston 28 26.49x
Ombersley 25 254.32x
Bilston 20 22.61x
Powick 20 163.53x
Wandsworth 20 15.37x
Watford 19 26.30x
Worcester St Martin 19 79.76x
Harlington 18 725.81x
Oldbury 18 20.72x
Camberwell 17 1.97x
Eardisley 17 423.94x
Elmley Lovett 17 1055.90x
Eversholt 17 478.87x
Chelsea London 15 3.68x
Claines 15 30.95x
Islington London 15 1.14x
St Pancras London 15 1.38x
Stevenage 15 103.81x
Worcester St John 15 71.12x
Lambeth 13 1.10x
Deptford St Paul 12 3.37x
Dudley 12 5.59x
Middlesbrough 12 6.88x
Wolverhampton 12 3.42x
Chesham 11 36.52x
Clerkenwell London 11 3.45x
Battersea 10 2.01x
Harborne 10 6.84x
Elswick 9 5.61x
Luton 9 7.43x
Shoreditch London 9 1.54x
Barton In Clay 8 162.93x
Bethnal Green London 8 1.36x
Bromley 8 11.38x
Lenton 8 18.64x
Bromley London 7 2.35x
Heston 7 15.59x
Heworth 7 8.83x
Kinver 7 53.19x
Paddington London 7 1.41x
Toddington 7 69.72x
West Bromwich 7 2.68x
Worcester Blockhouse 7 72.16x
Ashford 6 56.18x
Cobham 6 55.50x
Dodderhill 6 79.68x
Great Malvern 6 16.29x
Kingsclere 6 47.39x
Newstead 6 133.93x
St Luke London 6 2.77x
Sunninghill 6 42.61x
Whittlesey St Mary St 6 20.06x
Worcester St Peter 6 17.95x
Bradford 5 1.54x
Burntisland 5 22.34x
Egham 5 12.36x
Himbleton 5 235.85x
Leigh 5 23.33x
Llandaff 5 6.38x
Newland 5 480.77x
Normanton 5 12.42x
Oxford St Giles 5 12.55x
Poplar London 5 1.96x
Rowley Regis 5 3.93x
Shearsby 5 413.22x
Southwark St Saviour 5 7.20x
St Marylebone London 5 0.69x
Wavendon 5 110.38x
Yardley 5 11.07x
Beverley St Martin 4 17.89x
Darfield 4 32.81x
Preston 4 0.93x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 110
Sarah 57
Elizabeth 51
Ann 37
Emma 25
Eliza 24
Ellen 22
Jane 19
Annie 18
Emily 14
Hannah 14
Maria 14
Alice 13
Louisa 13
Harriet 12
Clara 11
Esther 11
Amelia 10
Fanny 9
Ada 8
Margaret 8
Catherine 7
Florence 7
Matilda 7
Rose 7
Caroline 5
Charlotte 5
Julia 5
Kate 5
Lucy 5
Minnie 5
Agnes 4
Lizzie 4
Martha 4
Phoebe 4
Betsy 3
Edith 3
Frances 3
Sophia 3
Susan 3
Anne 2
Beatrice 2
Bessie 2
Elizth. 2
Grace 2
Jessie 2
Lavinia 2
Lydia 2
Patience 2
Rebecca 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 83
John 79
Joseph 53
Thomas 53
James 51
George 48
Benjamin 23
Henry 23
Robert 20
Charles 19
Alfred 17
Edward 17
Samuel 17
Albert 10
Arthur 10
Walter 10
Jesse 9
Frederick 8
Peter 7
Elijah 6
Stephen 6
Ernest 5
Richard 5
David 4
Edwin 4
Fredrick 4
Harry 4
Thos. 4
Wm. 4
Daniel 3
Dudley 3
Enoch 3
Frank 3
W. 3
Alexander 2
Emanuel 2
Fred 2
Gilbert 2
Herbert 2
Leonard 2
Philip 2
Robt. 2
Steven 2
Willie 2
Willm. 2
Arent 1
Caleb 1
Cecil 1
Elias 1
Eward 1

FAQ

Chance surname: questions and answers

How common was the Chance surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,385 people were recorded with the Chance surname. That placed it at #2,980 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Chance surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,053 in 2016. That gives Chance a modern rank of #3,148.

What does the Chance surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old French word "chance," meaning luck, good fortune, or opportunity.

What does the Chance map show?

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