NameCensus.

UK surname

Dearness

In the 1881 census there were 165 people recorded with the Dearness surname, ranking it #14,559 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 110, ranked #29,225, down from #14,559 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkwall and St.Ola, South Ronaldsay and Burray and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Isles, East Kirkwall and East Mainland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dearness is 165 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 33.3%.

1881 census count

165

Ranked #14,559

Modern count

110

2016, ranked #29,225

Peak year

1881

165 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dearness had 165 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,559 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016, ranked #29,225.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 165 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Dearness surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dearness surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dearness 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 114 #15,716
1861 historical 131 #17,052
1881 historical 165 #14,559
1891 historical 145 #18,752
1901 historical 134 #19,288
1911 historical 9 #32,754
1997 modern 74 #30,218
1998 modern 83 #29,638
1999 modern 90 #29,056
2000 modern 106 #26,848
2001 modern 98 #27,672
2002 modern 101 #27,766
2003 modern 101 #27,561
2004 modern 99 #28,136
2005 modern 100 #28,025
2006 modern 102 #27,926
2007 modern 105 #27,868
2008 modern 105 #28,180
2009 modern 103 #29,127
2010 modern 107 #29,153
2011 modern 115 #27,634
2012 modern 103 #29,733
2013 modern 105 #29,916
2014 modern 109 #29,452
2015 modern 110 #29,157
2016 modern 110 #29,225

Geography

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Where Dearness' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkwall and St.Ola, South Ronaldsay and Burray, Edinburgh, Westray and Papa Westray and Cross and Burness. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Isles, East Kirkwall, East Mainland, West Kirkwall and Kingston upon Hull. 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 Kirkwall and St.Ola Orkney
2 South Ronaldsay and Burray Orkney
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Westray and Papa Westray Orkney
5 Cross and Burness Orkney

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Isles Orkney Islands
2 East Kirkwall Orkney Islands
3 East Mainland Orkney Islands
4 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
5 Kingston upon Hull 025 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dearness

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dearness

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Dearness surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Dearness household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dearness is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dearness is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dearness falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dearness is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Under 10 mbit/s.

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

1
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Dearness families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dearness 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. Orkney leads with 131 Dearness' recorded in 1881 and an index of 749.00x.

County Total Index
Orkney 131 749.00x
Midlothian 20 9.39x
Lancashire 6 0.32x
Durham 4 0.85x
Angus 1 0.68x
Cheshire 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cross Burness N in Orkney leads with 58 Dearness' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6373.63x.

Place Total Index
Cross Burness N 58 6373.63x
Lady 25 4807.69x
Kirkwall St Ola 21 801.53x
South Ronaldshay 14 773.48x
South Leith 11 45.89x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 8 9.34x
Stronsay Eday 5 438.60x
Bishopwearmouth 4 9.85x
Evie Rendall 4 540.54x
Kirkdale 3 9.45x
Toxteth Park 2 3.13x
Westray Papa Westray 2 143.88x
Birsay Harray 1 78.74x
Dunham Massey 1 92.59x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 23.87x
Edzell 1 222.22x
Heaton Norris 1 9.31x
Stromness 1 76.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Ann 1
Annie 1
Janet 1
Margarett 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 2
David 1
John 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Dearness households.

FAQ

Dearness surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dearness surname in 1881?

In 1881, 165 people were recorded with the Dearness surname. That placed it at #14,559 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dearness surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016. That gives Dearness a modern rank of #29,225.

What does the Dearness map show?

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