NameCensus.

UK surname

Derwent

In the 1881 census there were 143 people recorded with the Derwent surname, ranking it #15,955 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 132, ranked #25,882, down from #15,955 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, London parishes and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tameside, Hambleton and North Hertfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Derwent is 150 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.7%.

1881 census count

143

Ranked #15,955

Modern count

132

2016, ranked #25,882

Peak year

1998

150 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Derwent had 143 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,955 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016, ranked #25,882.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 146 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Derwent surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Derwent surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Derwent 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 85 #18,940
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 143 #15,955
1891 historical 86 #25,951
1901 historical 146 #18,335
1911 historical 124 #20,023
1997 modern 142 #21,856
1998 modern 150 #21,665
1999 modern 143 #22,521
2000 modern 144 #22,357
2001 modern 138 #22,647
2002 modern 137 #23,198
2003 modern 133 #23,359
2004 modern 127 #24,224
2005 modern 123 #24,663
2006 modern 122 #25,010
2007 modern 117 #26,066
2008 modern 119 #26,067
2009 modern 122 #26,220
2010 modern 130 #25,775
2011 modern 135 #24,922
2012 modern 132 #25,289
2013 modern 133 #25,655
2014 modern 137 #25,345
2015 modern 134 #25,607
2016 modern 132 #25,882

Geography

Back to top

Where Derwents are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, London parishes, Sheffield and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tameside, Hambleton, North Hertfordshire and Winchester. 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 Stockport Cheshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Manchester Cheshire
5 Stockport Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tameside 008 Tameside
2 Hambleton 001 Hambleton
3 Tameside 003 Tameside
4 North Hertfordshire 014 North Hertfordshire
5 Winchester 007 Winchester

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Derwent

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Derwent

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Derwent is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Derwent is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Derwent 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 Derwent is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Derwent families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Derwent 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. Yorkshire leads with 34 Derwents recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.44x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 34 2.44x
Lancashire 27 1.62x
Cheshire 26 8.39x
Derbyshire 19 8.64x
Staffordshire 9 1.90x
Durham 8 1.91x
Essex 6 2.16x
Middlesex 5 0.36x
Surrey 5 0.73x
Kent 2 0.42x
Shropshire 2 1.65x
Devon 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dukinfield in Cheshire leads with 14 Derwents recorded in 1881 and an index of 97.70x.

Place Total Index
Dukinfield 14 97.70x
Heaton Norris 10 105.37x
Middlesbrough 9 49.64x
Handsworth 8 68.43x
Reddish 8 347.83x
Thornhill 8 13333.33x
Ecclesall Bierlow 6 21.19x
Hathersage 6 967.74x
Linthorpe 6 72.20x
Linthrope 6 2307.69x
Throston 6 750.00x
West Ham 6 9.80x
Everton 5 9.41x
Stockport 5 31.33x
Brinnington 4 137.93x
Chapel En Le Frith 4 199.01x
Battersea 3 5.81x
Hyde 3 32.79x
Ashton Under Lyne 2 5.49x
Bramley In Bramley 2 37.52x
Hillingdon 2 44.64x
Manchester 2 2.67x
Wingate 2 69.93x
Bawtry 1 227.27x
Bradfield 1 18.62x
Burslem 1 7.36x
Chatham 1 7.59x
Clapham 1 5.69x
Emley 1 161.29x
Gillingham 1 10.12x
Heeley 1 23.64x
Highlow 1 5000.00x
Kensington London 1 1.28x
Lambeth 1 0.82x
Newport 1 68.49x
Sheffield 1 2.26x
St George Hanover Square 1 4.04x
St George In East London 1 7.57x
Tormoham 1 8.08x
Wellington 1 14.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 11
William 8
Thomas 6
Charles 5
Joseph 5
George 4
James 4
Arthur 3
Henry 3
Jacob 2
Matthew 2
Abel 1
Adjutant 1
Alfred 1
Barnard 1
Chas. 1
Cornelious 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
Eusebins 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Lewis 1
Mark 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Samuel 1
Timothy 1
Wm. 1
Wright 1

FAQ

Derwent surname: questions and answers

How common was the Derwent surname in 1881?

In 1881, 143 people were recorded with the Derwent surname. That placed it at #15,955 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Derwent surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016. That gives Derwent a modern rank of #25,882.

What does the Derwent map show?

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