NameCensus.

UK surname

Curphey

A surname derived from a Manx Gaelic term referring to something curved or bent.

In the 1881 census there were 91 people recorded with the Curphey surname, ranking it #20,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 209, ranked #19,009, up from #20,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Toxteth Park, West Derby and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnsley, Halton and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Curphey is 236 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 129.7%.

1881 census count

91

Ranked #20,843

Modern count

209

2016, ranked #19,009

Peak year

1999

236 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Curphey had 91 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 209 in 2016, ranked #19,009.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 220 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Curphey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Curphey surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Curphey 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 16 #30,441
1861 historical 47 #28,023
1881 historical 91 #20,843
1891 historical 151 #18,242
1901 historical 187 #15,793
1911 historical 220 #14,088
1997 modern 214 #16,893
1998 modern 235 #16,358
1999 modern 236 #16,404
2000 modern 229 #16,695
2001 modern 218 #17,017
2002 modern 222 #17,147
2003 modern 205 #17,851
2004 modern 193 #18,622
2005 modern 201 #18,080
2006 modern 208 #17,835
2007 modern 208 #18,013
2008 modern 208 #18,171
2009 modern 220 #17,911
2010 modern 223 #18,096
2011 modern 232 #17,481
2012 modern 206 #18,837
2013 modern 215 #18,598
2014 modern 216 #18,705
2015 modern 208 #19,085
2016 modern 209 #19,009

Geography

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Where Curpheys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Toxteth Park, West Derby, Liverpool, Bidstone and Sefton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnsley, Halton, Leeds, Rochdale and Barrow-in-Furness. 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 Toxteth Park Lancashire
2 West Derby Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Bidstone Cheshire
5 Sefton Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnsley 006 Barnsley
2 Halton 007 Halton
3 Leeds 004 Leeds
4 Rochdale 022 Rochdale
5 Barrow-in-Furness 010 Barrow-in-Furness

Forenames

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First names often paired with Curphey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Curphey

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Curphey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Curphey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Curphey is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Curphey is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Curphey falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Curphey

The surname Curphey has its origins in the Isle of Man, a small island situated between Great Britain and Ireland. The name is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

It is thought to be derived from the Manx Gaelic word "curragh," meaning a marsh or a bog, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a marshy area. The spelling "Curphey" is a later Anglicized variation of the original Manx Gaelic form.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Manx Book of Records, also known as the Manx Domesday Book, which dates back to the late 16th century. This historical document contains records of land ownership and taxation on the Isle of Man, and several individuals with the surname Curphey are listed as landowners or tenants.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records and court documents from the Isle of Man. One notable individual was John Curphey, born in 1652, who served as a member of the House of Keys, the lower house of the Manx Parliament, in the late 17th century.

Another significant figure was William Curphey, born in 1775, who was a prominent merchant and shipowner in Castletown, the former capital of the Isle of Man. He played an essential role in the island's maritime trade during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The name Curphey also has a strong connection to the island's agricultural heritage. In the 19th century, there were several farmers and landowners with the surname Curphey, including Thomas Curphey, born in 1812, who owned a large estate in the parish of Bride.

Additionally, the Curphey name has been associated with various place names on the Isle of Man, such as Curphey's Bridge and Curphey's Hill, suggesting that the name was well-established in certain regions of the island.

While the name Curphey is predominantly found on the Isle of Man, it has also spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond due to migration and diaspora communities. Notable individuals with the surname Curphey include Robert Curphey, a Scottish-born Australian engineer and inventor (1881-1954), and Marjorie Curphey, an American actress and singer (1920-1996).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Curphey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Curphey 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. Isle of Man leads with 269 Curpheys recorded in 1881 and an index of 412.51x.

County Total Index
Isle of Man 269 412.51x
Lancashire 58 1.39x
Cheshire 13 1.68x
Dorset 9 3.91x
Surrey 5 0.29x
Glamorgan 3 0.49x
Gloucestershire 1 0.15x
Middlesex 1 0.03x
Suffolk 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Onchan in Isle of Man leads with 55 Curpheys recorded in 1881 and an index of 292.86x.

Place Total Index
Onchan 55 292.86x
Lezayre 40 1365.19x
Malew 38 666.67x
Andreas 24 1355.93x
Jurby 23 2911.39x
German Peel 17 452.13x
West Derby 17 13.95x
Braddan 15 421.35x
Michael 14 1052.63x
Maughold 12 238.57x
Everton 11 8.28x
Macclesfield 9 26.12x
Melcombe Regis 9 94.24x
Liverpool 8 3.16x
Rushen 8 181.41x
Accrington 7 18.48x
Arbory 6 422.54x
German 6 168.54x
Battersea 4 3.10x
Douglas 4 425.53x
Toxteth Park 4 2.83x
Cardiff St John 3 15.02x
Chorlton On Medlock 3 4.53x
Great Budworth 3 218.98x
St Anne 3 428.57x
Thornton In Fylde 3 32.89x
Malew Castletown 2 1666.67x
Moss Side 2 9.12x
Bride 1 112.36x
Bristol St Nicholas 1 80.65x
Crompton 1 8.42x
Ipswich St Nicholas 1 42.37x
Lonan 1 25.32x
Much Woolton 1 17.70x
Newington 1 0.77x
Newton In Makerfield 1 7.84x
St George Bloomsbury 1 4.96x
Tranmere 1 3.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 15
Catherine 14
Mary 12
Ann 10
Jane 10
Margaret 9
Isabella 7
Annie 5
Ellen 5
Edith 4
Eleanor 4
Eliza 4
Margret 4
Alice 3
Anne 3
Maria 3
Bessie 2
Catharine 2
Christiana 2
Clara 2
Eva 2
Fanny 2
Isabel 2
Janie 2
Lizzie 2
Louisa 2
Martha 2
Sarah 2
Sophia 2
Alberta 1
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Caroline 1
Cathrin 1
Cecilia 1
Ella 1
Emeline 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Flory 1
Frances 1
Helena 1
Hen.Jane 1
James 1
Julia 1
Lilian 1
Mabel 1
Marey 1
Margrett 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 39
William 35
Thomas 17
Edward 13
James 10
Henry 9
Robert 9
Charles 6
George 6
Richard 6
Arthur 2
Daniel 2
David 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
Stephen 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Auther 1
Benjimin 1
Douglas 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Evan 1
Fredrick 1
Gerald 1
Herbert 1
Howard 1
J. 1
Jno. 1
Lewis 1
Mathias 1
Peter 1
Robt. 1
Stanley 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
W.H. 1
Walter 1
Wilfred 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Curphey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Curphey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 91 people were recorded with the Curphey surname. That placed it at #20,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Curphey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 209 in 2016. That gives Curphey a modern rank of #19,009.

What does the Curphey surname mean?

A surname derived from a Manx Gaelic term referring to something curved or bent.

What does the Curphey map show?

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