NameCensus.

UK surname

Devos

A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a fox's den or burrow.

In the 1881 census there were 13 people recorded with the Devos surname, ranking it #31,761 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 233, ranked #17,625, up from #31,761 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newark and Sherwood, Camden and Lambeth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Devos is 234 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1692.3%.

1881 census count

13

Ranked #31,761

Modern count

233

2016, ranked #17,625

Peak year

2013

234 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Devos had 13 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,761 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016, ranked #17,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 29 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Devos surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Devos surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Devos 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 1 #33,412
1861 historical 8 #32,887
1881 historical 13 #31,761
1891 historical 22 #32,449
1901 historical 20 #31,803
1911 historical 29 #30,190
1997 modern 153 #20,868
1998 modern 167 #20,258
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 164 #20,584
2001 modern 163 #20,372
2002 modern 178 #19,671
2003 modern 177 #19,549
2004 modern 164 #20,609
2005 modern 168 #20,227
2006 modern 163 #20,789
2007 modern 173 #20,243
2008 modern 178 #20,094
2009 modern 186 #19,946
2010 modern 216 #18,492
2011 modern 210 #18,677
2012 modern 228 #17,584
2013 modern 234 #17,556
2014 modern 232 #17,761
2015 modern 234 #17,577
2016 modern 233 #17,625

Geography

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Where Devos' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newark and Sherwood, Camden, Lambeth, Kingston upon Thames and Nottingham. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newark and Sherwood 004 Newark and Sherwood
2 Camden 025 Camden
3 Lambeth 010 Lambeth
4 Kingston upon Thames 009 Kingston upon Thames
5 Nottingham 011 Nottingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Devos

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Devos

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

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Devos surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Devos 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 includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Devos 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

Devos 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

Devos falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Devos 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 - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Devos

The surname DEVOS is of Dutch origin, originating from the medieval Dutch provinces in the Low Countries during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "vos" meaning "fox." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a fox's den or had some association with foxes.

DEVOS is a variant spelling of the more common Dutch surname "de Vos." It first appeared in the historical records of the Netherlands and Belgium in the 13th and 14th centuries. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in municipal records and tax rolls from cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp.

One of the earliest known bearers of the DEVOS surname was Jan de Vos, a merchant from Ghent, Belgium, who was mentioned in a business contract dated 1387. Another early record is of a Pieter de Vos, a farmer from the village of Dordrecht, Netherlands, who was listed in a land deed from 1412.

The DEVOS name gained prominence in the 16th and 17th centuries during the Dutch Golden Age. Cornelis de Vos (1584-1651) was a renowned Flemish Baroque painter from Antwerp, known for his religious and historical works. Abraham de Vos (1591-1649) was a successful merchant and shipowner from Amsterdam, who financed several voyages of the Dutch East India Company.

In the 18th century, Jacobus de Vos (1717-1789) was a respected jurist and legal scholar from Leiden, who served as a judge in the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Adriaan de Vos (1744-1813) was a Dutch military officer and a participant in the Dutch Patriot Revolution against the Stadtholder William V.

During the 19th century, the DEVOS surname spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas due to Dutch emigration. One notable bearer was Hendrik de Vos (1831-1910), a Dutch-American entrepreneur who established a successful brewing company in Chicago, Illinois.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Devos families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Devos 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 5 Devos' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.41x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 5 6.41x
Surrey 2 5.26x
Yorkshire 1 1.29x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Fulham London in Middlesex leads with 5 Devos' recorded in 1881 and an index of 442.48x.

Place Total Index
Fulham London 5 442.48x
Lambeth 2 29.41x
Sculcoates 1 81.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Louise 2
Annie 1
Christine 1
Frances 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Albert 1
Christopher 1
Modest 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 Devos households.

FAQ

Devos surname: questions and answers

How common was the Devos surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13 people were recorded with the Devos surname. That placed it at #31,761 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Devos surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016. That gives Devos a modern rank of #17,625.

What does the Devos surname mean?

A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a fox's den or burrow.

What does the Devos map show?

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