NameCensus.

UK surname

Downes

Derived from the Old English "dun," referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or downs.

In the 1881 census there were 3,702 people recorded with the Downes surname, ranking it #1,234 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,758, ranked #852, up from #1,234 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Mary Islington and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Downes is 8,229 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 109.6%.

1881 census count

3,702

Ranked #1,234

Modern count

7,758

2016, ranked #852

Peak year

2000

8,229 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Downes had 3,702 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,234 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,758 in 2016, ranked #852.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,064 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Downes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Downes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Downes 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 2,263 #1,299
1861 historical 2,483 #1,177
1881 historical 3,702 #1,234
1891 historical 4,385 #1,079
1901 historical 5,532 #1,009
1911 historical 6,064 #852
1997 modern 7,815 #827
1998 modern 8,189 #816
1999 modern 8,224 #823
2000 modern 8,229 #813
2001 modern 8,014 #812
2002 modern 8,166 #815
2003 modern 7,972 #815
2004 modern 7,945 #813
2005 modern 7,778 #821
2006 modern 7,792 #820
2007 modern 7,791 #829
2008 modern 7,829 #832
2009 modern 8,018 #835
2010 modern 8,178 #833
2011 modern 8,074 #830
2012 modern 7,819 #840
2013 modern 7,922 #844
2014 modern 7,946 #845
2015 modern 7,834 #847
2016 modern 7,758 #852

Geography

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Where Downes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Mary Islington, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire. 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 Mary Islington London (North Districts)
4 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 028 Shropshire
2 Shropshire 026 Shropshire
3 Shropshire 039 Shropshire
4 Shropshire 014 Shropshire
5 Shropshire 023 Shropshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Downes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Downes

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Downes is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Downes is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Downes falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Downes 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 Downes, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Downes

The surname Downes has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "dun" and "dune," meaning "hill" or "down," referring to individuals who resided near or on a hill. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de Duna."

The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Hampshire, where many early bearers of the surname were landowners or farmers living in areas with hilly or undulating terrain. Over time, the spelling evolved to include variations such as Doun, Doune, and Downe, before settling on the modern form of Downes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1198, which mentions a Richard de Duna. In the 13th century, a John de Doun is documented in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272, indicating the name's spread across various regions of England.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Downes include Sir John Downes (1572-1631), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Arundel during the reign of King James I. In the realm of literature, Andrew Downes (1550-1628) was a noted English poet and translator, best known for his translation of the works of the Roman poet Ovid.

In the 18th century, John Downes (1677-1712) was a prominent English dramatist and author, known for his work "Roscius Anglicanus," a historical account of English actors and actresses of his time. Another notable figure was Thomas Downes (1781-1853), an English naturalist and botanist who contributed significantly to the study of plant life in the West Indies.

During the 19th century, John Downes (1820-1883) was a distinguished English architect and surveyor, responsible for the design of several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Downes, highlighting its longstanding presence and significance within English society across various fields and professions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Downes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Downes 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. Shropshire leads with 517 Downes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.56x.

County Total Index
Shropshire 517 16.56x
Middlesex 373 1.03x
Staffordshire 322 2.64x
Lancashire 281 0.66x
Yorkshire 246 0.69x
Warwickshire 218 2.39x
Cheshire 216 2.71x
Essex 207 2.90x
Surrey 181 1.03x
Worcestershire 157 3.33x
Norfolk 109 1.96x
Kent 98 0.79x
Durham 67 0.62x
Herefordshire 63 4.25x
Hampshire 59 0.80x
Suffolk 41 0.93x
Lanarkshire 39 0.33x
Derbyshire 38 0.67x
Lincolnshire 36 0.62x
Cumberland 31 1.00x
Northamptonshire 31 0.91x
Sussex 31 0.51x
Gloucestershire 29 0.41x
Devon 27 0.36x
Montgomeryshire 26 3.14x
Northumberland 24 0.45x
Somerset 20 0.34x
Berkshire 18 0.66x
Monmouthshire 18 0.69x
Midlothian 17 0.35x
Dorset 16 0.67x
Wiltshire 13 0.41x
Hertfordshire 12 0.48x
Oxfordshire 11 0.49x
Radnorshire 10 3.43x
Renfrewshire 9 0.32x
Ayrshire 8 0.30x
Bedfordshire 8 0.43x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.37x
Nottinghamshire 8 0.16x
Roxburghshire 8 1.22x
Dunbartonshire 7 0.72x
Royal Navy 7 1.63x
Westmorland 7 0.88x
Brecknockshire 5 0.69x
Leicestershire 5 0.12x
Carmarthenshire 4 0.26x
Channel Islands 3 0.28x
Glamorgan 3 0.05x
Rutland 3 1.13x
Cornwall 2 0.05x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 0.38x
Wigtownshire 2 0.42x
Denbighshire 1 0.07x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.14x
Merionethshire 1 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 88 Downes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.90x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 88 2.90x
Aston 73 2.91x
Liverpool 53 2.03x
Shifnal 50 58.98x
Sutton In Macclesfield 46 55.56x
Lambeth 40 1.27x
Manchester 39 2.02x
Bethnal Green London 38 2.42x
Macclesfield 38 10.72x
St Pancras London 36 1.24x
Leeds 35 1.73x
Wolverhampton 34 3.62x
Cleobury Mortimer 28 142.28x
Edmonton 28 9.62x
Harborne 28 7.16x
Ardleigh 26 131.45x
Camberwell 25 1.08x
Munslow 25 332.01x
St Marylebone London 25 1.30x
Worcester St John 25 44.36x
Islington London 24 0.69x
Kings Norton 24 5.67x
Stoke 24 28.88x
North Bierley 22 11.38x
West Ham 22 1.40x
Bridgnorth St Leonard 21 59.31x
Besthorpe 20 331.13x
Shrewsbury St Chad 20 18.25x
Walsall Foreign 20 3.17x
Attleborough 19 67.69x
Chelsea London 19 1.74x
Hackney London 19 0.94x
Wednesfield 19 10.58x
Bishopwearmouth 18 1.95x
Deptford St Paul 18 1.89x
Poynton 18 67.11x
Rushbury 18 290.32x
Salford 18 1.43x
Sedgley 18 3.97x
Cannock 17 7.99x
Northampton St Giles 17 13.13x
Willenhall 17 7.44x
Stoke Upon Trent 16 1.24x
Toxteth Park 16 1.10x
Dudley 15 2.61x
Glasgow 15 0.72x
Heigham 15 5.03x
Kirdford 15 70.89x
West Bromwich 15 2.15x
Battersea 14 1.05x
Blandford Forum 14 29.91x
Clerkenwell London 14 1.64x
Colchester St James 14 48.43x
Ellesmere 14 26.11x
Hammersmith London 14 1.57x
Lewisham 14 2.13x
Berwick Upon Tweed 13 11.41x
Bilston 13 5.50x
Foleshill 13 13.56x
Handsworth 13 4.32x
Llandysilio 13 171.73x
Newport 13 34.50x
Shoreditch London 13 0.83x
Upper Clatford 13 142.08x
Wem 13 27.99x
Chrtltn Cdngtn Nwtn 12 188.98x
Condover 12 54.60x
Holy Trinity 12 1.39x
Pebmarsh 12 187.21x
Rutherglen 12 7.00x
Bristol St James In 11 10.55x
Croydon 11 1.13x
Eaton 11 197.13x
Halesworth 11 35.25x
Kensington London 11 0.55x
Newton In Makerfield 11 8.38x
Quarnford 11 203.33x
Stoke Upon Tern 11 95.49x
Sunderland 11 5.79x
Wrockwardine 11 16.02x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 238
Elizabeth 138
Sarah 127
Jane 91
Ann 72
Emma 59
Eliza 58
Ellen 56
Annie 51
Alice 48
Hannah 38
Maria 33
Harriet 32
Margaret 31
Martha 30
Emily 28
Edith 27
Fanny 24
Louisa 22
Caroline 21
Catherine 21
Florence 20
Charlotte 18
Clara 18
Frances 17
Ada 16
Anne 14
Elizth. 14
Ethel 13
Harriett 13
Lucy 13
Susan 12
Minnie 11
Agnes 10
Eleanor 10
Julia 10
Kate 10
Matilda 10
Amelia 9
Esther 9
Jessie 9
Rose 9
Susannah 9
Isabella 8
Bertha 7
Gertrude 7
Sophia 7
Amy 6
Laura 6
Maud 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 246
John 245
George 134
Thomas 124
James 103
Charles 76
Edward 70
Henry 63
Joseph 62
Alfred 42
Frederick 40
Richard 36
Robert 36
Arthur 32
Walter 29
Samuel 28
Albert 16
Francis 15
Ernest 14
Harry 14
Benjamin 13
Edwin 11
Thos. 10
Herbert 9
Daniel 8
Isaac 8
Tom 8
Wm. 8
David 7
Patrick 7
Saml. 7
Fred 6
Percy 6
Clement 5
Frank 5
Geo. 5
Jeremiah 5
Andrew 4
Isaiah 4
Jno. 4
Mathew 4
Matthew 4
Philip 4
Richd. 4
Alexander 3
J. 3
Jonathan 3
Peter 3
Sidney 3
Stephen 3

FAQ

Downes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Downes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,702 people were recorded with the Downes surname. That placed it at #1,234 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Downes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,758 in 2016. That gives Downes a modern rank of #852.

What does the Downes surname mean?

Derived from the Old English "dun," referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or downs.

What does the Downes map show?

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