NameCensus.

UK surname

Deering

Derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the deer enclosure" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 323 people recorded with the Deering surname, ranking it #9,240 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 605, ranked #8,661, up from #9,240 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Dunstan Stepney and Missenden, Great. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Trafford, Barnsley and Aylesbury Vale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Deering is 641 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 87.3%.

1881 census count

323

Ranked #9,240

Modern count

605

2016, ranked #8,661

Peak year

2010

641 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Deering had 323 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,240 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 605 in 2016, ranked #8,661.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 421 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Deering surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Deering surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Deering 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 213 #9,934
1861 historical 133 #16,835
1881 historical 323 #9,240
1891 historical 395 #8,961
1901 historical 396 #9,539
1911 historical 421 #8,950
1997 modern 588 #8,269
1998 modern 628 #8,120
1999 modern 638 #8,074
2000 modern 608 #8,356
2001 modern 598 #8,314
2002 modern 636 #8,107
2003 modern 624 #8,076
2004 modern 606 #8,286
2005 modern 618 #8,081
2006 modern 613 #8,151
2007 modern 615 #8,203
2008 modern 616 #8,237
2009 modern 632 #8,252
2010 modern 641 #8,336
2011 modern 628 #8,384
2012 modern 624 #8,333
2013 modern 640 #8,312
2014 modern 629 #8,473
2015 modern 597 #8,772
2016 modern 605 #8,661

Geography

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Where Deerings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Dunstan Stepney, Missenden, Great and Aylesbury, Bierton with Broughton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Trafford, Barnsley, Aylesbury Vale, Kirklees and Northampton. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
4 Missenden, Great Buckinghamshire
5 Aylesbury, Bierton with Broughton Buckinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Trafford 017 Trafford
2 Barnsley 020 Barnsley
3 Aylesbury Vale 015 Aylesbury Vale
4 Kirklees 051 Kirklees
5 Northampton 031 Northampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Deering

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Deering

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Deering 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.

Read profile summary

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

Deering is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Deering 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 Deering 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 Deering, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Deering

The surname Deering originated in England and is derived from the Old English words "deru" meaning wild animal or deer, and "ing" which is a patronymic suffix indicating familial descent. It is thought to have first emerged as a hereditary surname in the 12th or 13th century.

The name is believed to have originated in the county of Derbyshire, where it referred to someone who lived near a deer park or woodland area frequented by deer. Variations in spelling over the centuries include Deeringes, Deringe, and Dering.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Edric Deringis is listed as a landowner in Derbyshire. In the 13th century, a Richard de Deringe is recorded as holding lands in Wiltshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Deering include Sir Edward Deering (1590-1645), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I. Another prominent figure was John Deering (1676-1749), an Anglo-Irish philosopher and writer who published works on theological subjects.

In the 18th century, Ebenezer Deering (1719-1768) was a merchant and landowner in colonial America, known for his involvement in the establishment of the town of Deering, New Hampshire, which was named after him. The English naturalist and entomologist Charles Deering (1811-1865) made significant contributions to the study of insects and arthropods.

A more recent historical figure was James Deering (1859-1925), an American industrialist and art collector who founded the Deering Estate in Miami, Florida, which is now a historic site and environmental preserve.

While the name Deering has spread globally over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in England, where it was likely derived from an association with deer or deer hunting grounds.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Deering families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Deering 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. Middlesex leads with 96 Deerings recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.04x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 96 3.04x
Buckinghamshire 74 38.73x
Kent 24 2.23x
Lancashire 19 0.51x
Surrey 17 1.10x
Essex 11 1.76x
Hampshire 10 1.54x
Somerset 10 1.97x
Yorkshire 10 0.32x
Devon 9 1.37x
Derbyshire 8 1.62x
Sussex 8 1.50x
Warwickshire 8 1.00x
Durham 7 0.74x
Staffordshire 7 0.66x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.47x
Suffolk 2 0.52x
Hertfordshire 1 0.46x
Royal Navy 1 2.66x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wendover in Buckinghamshire leads with 43 Deerings recorded in 1881 and an index of 2087.38x.

Place Total Index
Wendover 43 2087.38x
Bierton With Broughton 19 2159.09x
Islington London 13 4.24x
Kirkdale 11 17.44x
St George Hanover Square 11 19.76x
West Ham 11 7.99x
Fulham London 9 19.64x
Mile End Old Town London 9 13.38x
Atherstone 8 196.56x
Camberwell 8 3.96x
Chesterfield 8 43.13x
Lambeth 8 2.90x
Tiverton 8 70.61x
Weston Turville 8 898.88x
Chiswick 7 40.53x
Hove 7 29.94x
St Pancras London 7 2.75x
Tipton 7 21.43x
Wrotham 7 196.08x
Gravesend 6 65.72x
Limehouse London 6 17.30x
Snodland 6 196.08x
Taunton St Mary 6 64.24x
Wymering 6 560.75x
Whitechapel London 5 16.05x
Bromley London 4 5.75x
Gateshead 4 5.68x
Oldham 4 3.30x
Poplar London 4 6.71x
Portsea 4 3.15x
Rotherham 4 22.66x
St Marylebone London 4 2.37x
Wales 4 161.94x
Aylesbury 3 35.42x
Milton In Gravesend 3 18.55x
Seaton Carew 3 158.73x
St Andrew Holborn London 3 21.93x
Tottenham 3 5.96x
Bedingfield 2 555.56x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.46x
Nottingham St Mary 2 1.82x
Taunton St James 2 26.95x
Bedminster 1 2.09x
Bishop Burton 1 200.00x
Bow London 1 2.49x
Buckland 1 107.53x
Chelsea London 1 1.05x
East Grinstead 1 13.26x
Everton 1 0.84x
Fishwick 1 43.10x
Goxhill 1 1250.00x
Hampstead London 1 2.03x
Kensington London 1 0.57x
Leysdown 1 476.19x
Liverpool 1 0.44x
Lyncombe Widcombe 1 7.51x
Margate St John Baptist 1 5.07x
Royal Navy 1 3.11x
Spitalfields London 1 4.21x
St George Bloomsbury 1 5.52x
Stoke Damerel 1 2.17x
Stoke Newington London 1 4.06x
Toxteth Park 1 0.79x
Wandsworth 1 3.29x
Watford 1 5.92x
Westminster St James 1 3.08x
Westminster St John 1 2.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 17
John 15
Thomas 12
Henry 10
George 9
Joseph 8
Alfred 7
Charles 7
James 7
Samuel 6
Edward 5
Albert 4
Arthur 4
Robert 4
Walter 4
David 3
Edwin 3
Frederick 3
Martin 3
Richard 3
Daniel 2
Fredk. 2
Harry 2
Michael 2
Abel 1
Albion 1
Alexander 1
Alf. 1
Christopher 1
Dan 1
E. 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
F. 1
Francis 1
Hellen 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
J. 1
Lucius 1
Mark 1
Nicholas 1
Patsy 1
Philip 1
Ruprt 1
Stephen 1

FAQ

Deering surname: questions and answers

How common was the Deering surname in 1881?

In 1881, 323 people were recorded with the Deering surname. That placed it at #9,240 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Deering surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 605 in 2016. That gives Deering a modern rank of #8,661.

What does the Deering surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the deer enclosure" in Old English.

What does the Deering map show?

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