NameCensus.

UK surname

Dendy

Derived from a place name meaning "Dane's island" in Old English, referring to an island settled by Danes.

In the 1881 census there were 181 people recorded with the Dendy surname, ranking it #13,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 217, ranked #18,535, down from #13,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Battersea and Horsham, Sullington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mole Valley, Kingston upon Thames and Mid Sussex.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dendy is 288 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.9%.

1881 census count

181

Ranked #13,690

Modern count

217

2016, ranked #18,535

Peak year

1901

288 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dendy had 181 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016, ranked #18,535.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 288 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dendy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dendy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dendy 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 178 #11,397
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 181 #13,690
1891 historical 235 #13,316
1901 historical 288 #11,973
1911 historical 280 #11,982
1997 modern 229 #16,168
1998 modern 242 #16,037
1999 modern 248 #15,884
2000 modern 257 #15,468
2001 modern 241 #15,870
2002 modern 248 #15,896
2003 modern 240 #16,061
2004 modern 240 #16,144
2005 modern 241 #16,036
2006 modern 230 #16,690
2007 modern 226 #17,103
2008 modern 231 #16,973
2009 modern 240 #16,896
2010 modern 242 #17,138
2011 modern 234 #17,383
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 218 #18,441
2014 modern 217 #18,645
2015 modern 218 #18,478
2016 modern 217 #18,535

Geography

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Where Dendys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Battersea, Horsham, Sullington, Itchingfield and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mole Valley, Kingston upon Thames, Mid Sussex, Vale of White Horse and Malvern Hills. 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 3
2 Battersea London (South Districts)
3 Horsham, Sullington Sussex
4 Itchingfield Sussex
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mole Valley 012 Mole Valley
2 Kingston upon Thames 013 Kingston upon Thames
3 Mid Sussex 014 Mid Sussex
4 Vale of White Horse 015 Vale of White Horse
5 Malvern Hills 005 Malvern Hills

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dendy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dendy

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Dendy is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Dendy 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

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

Meaning and origin of Dendy

The surname Dendy originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dene" meaning a valley or a hollow, and "ey" meaning an island or a piece of dry land surrounded by water or marsh. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name referring to a valley or a piece of dry land near a marsh.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Dendy can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a person named Radulfus de Deneye is listed. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a place called Deneye or a similar sounding location in Lincolnshire.

The Dendy surname is also mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310, which lists a William de Dendy as a landowner. This record indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1524, where a John Dendy is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the Dendy family had established itself in the county of Sussex by that time.

One notable figure with the surname Dendy was Sir John Dendy (1615-1689), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire during the 17th century.

Another prominent individual was Walter Cooper Dendy (1794-1871), an English lawyer and writer who published several works on legal topics and was a member of the Inner Temple in London.

In the 19th century, Frank Dendy (1838-1908) was a notable English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Sussex County Cricket Club and was also a renowned artist and illustrator.

Another notable figure was Herbert Dendy (1842-1918), a British zoologist who made significant contributions to the study of sponges and was a fellow of the Royal Society.

Lastly, Walter Dendy (1848-1920) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Savoy Hotel and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

These examples demonstrate the wide range of fields and professions in which individuals with the surname Dendy have made their mark throughout history, from law and politics to sports, art, science, and architecture.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dendy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dendy 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. Sussex leads with 54 Dendys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.14x.

County Total Index
Sussex 54 18.14x
Surrey 51 5.93x
Middlesex 17 0.96x
Brecknockshire 9 25.50x
Kent 9 1.49x
Monmouthshire 9 7.05x
Lancashire 8 0.38x
Somerset 6 2.11x
Suffolk 4 1.86x
Essex 3 0.86x
Devon 2 0.54x
Durham 2 0.38x
Flintshire 2 4.21x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.89x
Cornwall 1 0.50x
Glamorgan 1 0.33x
Gloucestershire 1 0.29x
Norfolk 1 0.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Itchingfield in Sussex leads with 19 Dendys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7307.69x.

Place Total Index
Itchingfield 19 7307.69x
Battersea 14 21.55x
Kingston On Thames 14 67.76x
Horsham 10 173.01x
Ewhurst 9 1666.67x
Llanelly 9 213.27x
Upper Llanvrechva 9 454.55x
Worsley 8 61.97x
Eastbourne 7 51.09x
Mile End Old Town London 5 13.31x
Mitcham 5 91.91x
North Chapel 5 1041.67x
Gorleston 4 73.26x
Hammersmith London 4 9.20x
North Cheriton 4 2857.14x
St Pancras London 4 2.81x
Dartford 3 48.70x
Hornchurch 3 175.44x
Lambeth 3 1.95x
Pulborough 3 275.23x
Spitalfields London 3 22.59x
Subdeanery 3 132.74x
Bathwick 2 63.69x
Broadwater 2 29.28x
Gateshead 2 5.09x
Mold Hendrebiffa 2 869.57x
Paignton 2 71.43x
Reigate Foreign 2 21.48x
Tenterden 2 94.34x
Uckfield 2 153.85x
Bexley 1 18.76x
Cardiff St John 1 9.96x
Chiswick 1 10.36x
Clapham 1 4.53x
Clifton 1 5.71x
Cranworth 1 714.29x
Cuckfield 1 33.22x
Erith 1 16.86x
Faversham 1 17.42x
Richmond 1 8.30x
Rudgwick 1 147.06x
Rusper 1 303.03x
Saltash 1 64.52x
St Giles Cambridge 1 69.44x
Stoke 1 24.63x
Wandsworth 1 5.89x
Woolwich 1 4.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 14
John 7
Walter 6
Arthur 5
Frederick 5
Charles 4
George 4
Richard 4
Robert 4
Daniel 3
James 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
Samson 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Thos. 2
Timothy 2
Adolphus 1
Ambrose 1
Bertie 1
Chas.B. 1
Chas.J. 1
Darcy 1
Dennis 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Jas. 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Oliver 1
Peter 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Willard 1

FAQ

Dendy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dendy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 181 people were recorded with the Dendy surname. That placed it at #13,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dendy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016. That gives Dendy a modern rank of #18,535.

What does the Dendy surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Dane's island" in Old English, referring to an island settled by Danes.

What does the Dendy map show?

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