NameCensus.

UK surname

Denver

An American surname derived from the name of the city of Denver, Colorado.

In the 1881 census there were 103 people recorded with the Denver surname, ranking it #19,410 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 305, ranked #14,576, up from #19,410 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, St Bees and Rutherglen. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley, IZ14 and IZ18.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Denver is 306 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 196.1%.

1881 census count

103

Ranked #19,410

Modern count

305

2016, ranked #14,576

Peak year

2014

306 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Denver had 103 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,410 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 305 in 2016, ranked #14,576.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 121 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Denver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Denver surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Denver 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 77 #19,998
1861 historical 79 #23,702
1881 historical 103 #19,410
1891 historical 74 #27,538
1901 historical 121 #20,444
1911 historical 121 #20,336
1997 modern 276 #14,290
1998 modern 273 #14,803
1999 modern 281 #14,578
2000 modern 259 #15,390
2001 modern 246 #15,684
2002 modern 251 #15,770
2003 modern 241 #16,013
2004 modern 254 #15,540
2005 modern 250 #15,639
2006 modern 249 #15,784
2007 modern 253 #15,776
2008 modern 263 #15,505
2009 modern 276 #15,300
2010 modern 293 #14,974
2011 modern 292 #14,863
2012 modern 275 #15,459
2013 modern 287 #15,224
2014 modern 306 #14,647
2015 modern 304 #14,617
2016 modern 305 #14,576

Geography

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Where Denvers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, St Bees, Rutherglen, Eccles and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chorley, IZ14, IZ18 and Rotherham. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 St Bees Cumberland
3 Rutherglen Lanark
4 Eccles Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chorley 009 Chorley
2 Chorley 006 Chorley
3 IZ14 West Dunbartonshire
4 IZ18 West Dunbartonshire
5 Rotherham 008 Rotherham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Denver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Denver

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Denver, 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 Denver surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Denver 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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Denver 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

Denver is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Denver

The surname Denver is of English origin, derived from the name of the city of Denver in England. The name first appeared in historical records in the late 12th century, likely referring to someone who hailed from the town of Denver in Norfolk, England.

The name Denver is thought to be derived from the Old English words "dene" meaning a valley, and "fara" meaning a traveler or explorer. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who traveled through or inhabited a particular valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Denver is found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, dated 1199. These were records of financial transactions and accounts kept by the English Crown during the reign of King Richard I.

In the 13th century, a Robert de Denver was listed as a tenant in the manor of Cranworth in Norfolk, according to the records of the Hundred Rolls of 1273. This suggests the Denver family had established themselves as landowners in the region by this time.

An early notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Denver, who served as a member of Parliament for Norfolk in 1339 during the reign of King Edward III. He was also appointed as the Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1344.

Another significant figure with the surname Denver was Thomas Denver, who was born in 1504 in Norfolk. He was a prominent member of the Protestant Reformation movement and served as a chaplain to King Henry VIII and later to King Edward VI.

In the 17th century, Walter Denver, born in 1615 in Norfolk, was a notable English politician and served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk from 1660 to 1679 during the reign of King Charles II.

The surname Denver has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Denver Priory in Norfolk, which was a Benedictine monastery founded in the 12th century, and Denver Sluice, a significant drainage channel in the Fens region of eastern England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Denver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Denver 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. Lancashire leads with 27 Denvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.36x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 27 2.36x
Lanarkshire 14 4.48x
Cumberland 10 12.03x
Cheshire 8 3.75x
Monmouthshire 6 8.60x
Surrey 6 1.28x
Warwickshire 6 2.46x
Ayrshire 5 6.92x
Glamorgan 5 2.97x
Peeblesshire 4 88.11x
Yorkshire 3 0.31x
Hampshire 1 0.51x
Midlothian 1 0.77x
Northumberland 1 0.70x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.77x
Wigtownshire 1 7.80x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 13 Denvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.68x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 13 18.68x
Rutherglen 12 262.01x
Crosscanonby 7 254.55x
Abergavenny 6 229.89x
Birmingham 6 7.39x
Thursley 6 1764.71x
Cardiff St Mary 5 54.00x
Innerleithen 4 330.58x
Toxteth Park 4 10.31x
Tranmere 4 51.09x
Wigan 4 24.98x
Cheadle 3 73.71x
Dalmellington 3 141.51x
Worsley 3 42.49x
Bradford 2 8.64x
Govan 2 2.59x
Manchester 2 3.88x
Preston Quarter 2 85.84x
Ardrossan 1 40.00x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.92x
Harpurhey 1 62.89x
Idle 1 22.52x
Leswalt 1 113.64x
Macclesfield 1 10.56x
Maybole 1 45.45x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 11.66x
Snenton 1 19.57x
Southwick 1 454.55x
Whitehaven 1 22.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Sarah 6
Eliza 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Elizabeth 2
Ada 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Eth. 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
H. 1
H.M. 1
Janet 1
Kate 1
M. 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Maryann 1
Wineford 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 7
John 7
William 3
Edward 2
Francis 2
Andrew 1
Austin 1
Birnard 1
Daniel 1
Ferdinand 1
Frank 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
J. 1
Joseph 1
Leopold 1
Patrick 1
Stephen 1
Thomas 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 Denver households.

FAQ

Denver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Denver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 103 people were recorded with the Denver surname. That placed it at #19,410 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Denver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 305 in 2016. That gives Denver a modern rank of #14,576.

What does the Denver surname mean?

An American surname derived from the name of the city of Denver, Colorado.

What does the Denver map show?

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