NameCensus.

UK surname

Clues

In the 1881 census there were 125 people recorded with the Clues surname, ranking it #17,335 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 102, ranked #30,722, down from #17,335 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Mearns and Chester-le-Street. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Castle Douglas, Daventry and Peterborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Clues is 134 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 18.4%.

1881 census count

125

Ranked #17,335

Modern count

102

2016, ranked #30,722

Peak year

1911

134 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Clues had 125 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,335 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 102 in 2016, ranked #30,722.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 134 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Clues surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Clues surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Clues 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 100 #17,164
1861 historical 118 #18,512
1881 historical 125 #17,335
1891 historical 102 #23,719
1901 historical 125 #20,061
1911 historical 134 #19,131
1997 modern 90 #28,360
1998 modern 100 #27,619
1999 modern 100 #27,757
2000 modern 100 #27,695
2001 modern 97 #27,823
2002 modern 99 #28,082
2003 modern 102 #27,383
2004 modern 98 #28,297
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 102 #27,926
2007 modern 98 #29,019
2008 modern 102 #28,664
2009 modern 101 #29,445
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 95 #30,877
2012 modern 110 #28,514
2013 modern 112 #28,675
2014 modern 108 #29,658
2015 modern 103 #30,444
2016 modern 102 #30,722

Geography

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Where Clues' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Mearns, Chester-le-Street, St Mary Islington and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Castle Douglas, Daventry, Peterborough, Tamworth and Brent. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Mearns Renfrew
3 Chester-le-Street Durham
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Castle Douglas Dumfries and Galloway
2 Daventry 009 Daventry
3 Peterborough 011 Peterborough
4 Tamworth 002 Tamworth
5 Brent 014 Brent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Clues

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Clues

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Clues surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Clues household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Clues 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

Clues 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

Clues falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Clues families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Clues 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. Renfrewshire leads with 27 Clues' recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.86x.

County Total Index
Renfrewshire 27 26.86x
Middlesex 19 1.46x
Durham 16 4.15x
Northamptonshire 13 10.65x
Warwickshire 12 3.67x
Staffordshire 11 2.51x
Isle of Man 8 33.21x
Angus 4 3.33x
Lanarkshire 4 0.95x
Surrey 4 0.63x
Northumberland 3 1.55x
Oxfordshire 3 3.74x
Cheshire 2 0.70x
Yorkshire 2 0.16x
Bedfordshire 1 1.49x
Gloucestershire 1 0.39x
Inverness-shire 1 2.58x
Lancashire 1 0.07x
Midlothian 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Mearns in Renfrewshire leads with 20 Clues' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1136.36x.

Place Total Index
Mearns 20 1136.36x
Long Buckby 11 973.45x
Aston 9 9.99x
Islington London 8 6.36x
Lamesley 8 384.62x
Lonan 8 547.95x
St Pancras London 6 5.75x
Walsall Foreign 6 26.53x
Winlaton 5 135.14x
Dundee 4 8.91x
Govan 4 3.85x
Neilston 4 79.21x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 15.32x
Birmingham 3 2.75x
Bushbury 3 379.75x
E Adderbury 3 750.00x
Gateshead 3 10.38x
Paisley Low Church 3 94.34x
Whitley 3 483.87x
Northampton Priory St 2 27.32x
Pelsall 2 153.85x
Shoreditch London 2 3.56x
Bedford St Paul 1 21.69x
Chelsea London 1 2.56x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.43x
Hampnett 1 1428.57x
Haworth 1 32.68x
Kensington London 1 1.39x
Liverpool 1 1.07x
Oxton 1 61.73x
Stayley 1 30.58x
Strath 1 84.75x
Tottenham 1 4.84x
York St Mary 1 18.80x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Alice 4
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Elizabeth 3
Catherine 2
Emma 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Abigail 1
Ada 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Carrie 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Emalin 1
Florance 1
Harriet 1
M. 1
Martha 1
May 1
Merry 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 5
George 4
Thomas 4
William 4
Frederick 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Henry 2
John 2
Joseph 2
Josiah 2
Robert 2
David 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Geo. 1
Hugh 1
Josiaah 1
Ralph 1
Wiliam 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Clues surname: questions and answers

How common was the Clues surname in 1881?

In 1881, 125 people were recorded with the Clues surname. That placed it at #17,335 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Clues surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 102 in 2016. That gives Clues a modern rank of #30,722.

What does the Clues map show?

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