NameCensus.

UK surname

Chilver

In the 1881 census there were 197 people recorded with the Chilver surname, ranking it #12,955 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 302, ranked #14,660, down from #12,955 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Walthamstow, Low Leyton, St Matthew Bethnal Green and Thorpe Abbots. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Daventry, Tendring and Brighton and Hove.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Chilver is 367 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.3%.

1881 census count

197

Ranked #12,955

Modern count

302

2016, ranked #14,660

Peak year

1997

367 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Chilver had 197 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,955 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 302 in 2016, ranked #14,660.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 341 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Chilver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Chilver surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Chilver 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 138 #13,745
1861 historical 172 #13,619
1881 historical 197 #12,955
1891 historical 283 #11,573
1901 historical 314 #11,285
1911 historical 341 #10,468
1997 modern 367 #11,751
1998 modern 365 #12,175
1999 modern 350 #12,609
2000 modern 351 #12,534
2001 modern 341 #12,588
2002 modern 347 #12,699
2003 modern 338 #12,735
2004 modern 336 #12,848
2005 modern 345 #12,496
2006 modern 336 #12,842
2007 modern 339 #12,896
2008 modern 345 #12,839
2009 modern 342 #13,193
2010 modern 348 #13,304
2011 modern 336 #13,498
2012 modern 316 #13,994
2013 modern 307 #14,522
2014 modern 314 #14,371
2015 modern 307 #14,504
2016 modern 302 #14,660

Geography

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Where Chilvers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Walthamstow, Low Leyton, St Matthew Bethnal Green, Thorpe Abbots, London parishes and Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Daventry, Tendring, Brighton and Hove, Waveney and Middlesbrough. 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 Walthamstow, Low Leyton Essex
2 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
3 Thorpe Abbots Norfolk
4 London parishes London 2
5 Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Daventry 002 Daventry
2 Tendring 004 Tendring
3 Brighton and Hove 029 Brighton and Hove
4 Waveney 005 Waveney
5 Middlesbrough 003 Middlesbrough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Chilver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Chilver

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Chilver, 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 Chilver surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Chilver 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, Chilver 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.

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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

Chilver is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Chilver falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Chilver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Chilver 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. Norfolk leads with 56 Chilvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.95x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 56 18.95x
Essex 47 12.39x
Middlesex 31 1.61x
Suffolk 22 9.40x
Yorkshire 16 0.84x
Lancashire 7 0.31x
Surrey 7 0.75x
Kent 3 0.46x
Hertfordshire 2 1.51x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.77x
Sussex 2 0.62x
Berkshire 1 0.69x
Devon 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thorpe Abbotts in Norfolk leads with 42 Chilvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 28000.00x.

Place Total Index
Thorpe Abbotts 42 28000.00x
Ardleigh 19 1809.52x
Bow London 12 49.06x
Ipswich St Mathew 8 121.95x
Great Bolton 7 23.18x
Kingston On Thames 7 31.12x
Leyton Low 7 90.79x
Long Riston 7 2916.67x
Great Dunham 6 2307.69x
Hornsey 6 24.69x
Walthamstow 6 43.96x
Bethnal Green London 5 5.99x
Linthorpe 5 44.01x
Redenhall 5 434.78x
Barking 4 36.04x
Ipswich St Margaret 4 50.38x
St George Hanover Square 4 11.81x
Ipswich St Stephen 3 750.00x
Stebbing 3 410.96x
Berkhampstead 2 67.11x
Billingford In Depwade 2 1538.46x
Hackney London 2 1.86x
Harwich St Nicholas 2 68.26x
Harwick St Nicholas 2 333.33x
Little Bromley 2 800.00x
Middlesbrough 2 8.06x
Nottingham St Mary 2 2.99x
Ormesby 2 39.06x
Sudbury St Gregory 2 106.38x
Wrentham 2 307.69x
Brighton 1 1.53x
Chislehurst 1 28.41x
East Ham 1 14.20x
Horringer 1 227.27x
Hove 1 7.03x
Ipswich St Nicholas 1 77.52x
Kensington London 1 0.94x
Lawford 1 181.82x
Lewisham 1 2.86x
Malborough 1 62.89x
New Windsor 1 20.62x
Stowmarket 1 37.04x
Tonbridge 1 4.23x
Tottenham 1 3.27x
Weasenham All Sts 1 416.67x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 12
John 7
Samuel 7
William 7
James 6
Arthur 5
Alfred 4
Charles 4
Ernest 3
Frederick 3
Henry 3
Edward 2
Herbert 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Allan 1
Amos 1
Arther 1
Barnabus 1
Benjamin 1
Bertram 1
Elgernon 1
Enoch 1
Frederic 1
Hary 1
Hubert 1
Percy 1
Philip 1
Sidney 1
Simon 1
Thomas 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1
Zachriah 1

FAQ

Chilver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Chilver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 197 people were recorded with the Chilver surname. That placed it at #12,955 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Chilver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 302 in 2016. That gives Chilver a modern rank of #14,660.

What does the Chilver map show?

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