NameCensus.

UK surname

Doye

A surname referring to someone who was dutiful or obedient.

In the 1881 census there were 47 people recorded with the Doye surname, ranking it #27,019 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 127, ranked #26,566, up from #27,019 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Egham, Epping and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Dorset, Runnymede and Camden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Doye is 141 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 170.2%.

1881 census count

47

Ranked #27,019

Modern count

127

2016, ranked #26,566

Peak year

1998

141 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Doye had 47 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,019 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 127 in 2016, ranked #26,566.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 106 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Doye surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Doye surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Doye 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 28 #28,274
1861 historical 67 #25,342
1881 historical 47 #27,019
1891 historical 54 #29,849
1901 historical 90 #24,021
1911 historical 106 #21,948
1997 modern 134 #22,608
1998 modern 141 #22,517
1999 modern 140 #22,789
2000 modern 136 #23,155
2001 modern 130 #23,457
2002 modern 135 #23,398
2003 modern 127 #24,019
2004 modern 123 #24,679
2005 modern 119 #25,193
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 118 #25,913
2008 modern 108 #27,684
2009 modern 108 #28,311
2010 modern 119 #27,250
2011 modern 122 #26,647
2012 modern 121 #26,829
2013 modern 132 #25,789
2014 modern 133 #25,851
2015 modern 133 #25,729
2016 modern 127 #26,566

Geography

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Where Doyes are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to East Dorset, Runnymede, Camden and Medway. 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 Egham Berkshire
2 Epping Essex
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Bexley Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Dorset 011 East Dorset
2 Runnymede 003 Runnymede
3 Camden 007 Camden
4 Runnymede 002 Runnymede
5 Medway 027 Medway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Doye

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Doye

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Doye is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Doye 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

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

Meaning and origin of Doye

The surname DOYE is of French origin, emerging in the 12th century in the northern regions of France, particularly Normandy and Picardy. It is derived from the Old French word "doie," meaning a small ditch or trench, suggesting the name may have been an occupational designation for someone who worked near or maintained such waterways.

Early records of the name can be found in medieval French documents, such as the Livre des métiers, a 13th-century book detailing various trades and professions in Paris. Variations in spelling, like Doyé and Doyez, were common in these early records due to the inconsistencies in written language at the time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hugues Doye, a landowner from Normandy whose name appears in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Wandrille, a cartulary from the 12th century. Another notable figure was Jean Doye, a merchant from Rouen mentioned in the city's tax records in the late 14th century.

In England, the name likely arrived after the Norman Conquest in 1066, as many French settlers brought their surnames to the British Isles. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the name DOYE, suggesting its arrival was after that period.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname began appearing in various English records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a Robert Doye from Oxfordshire. In the 15th century, a notable bearer was John Doye, a merchant from Bristol who traded with the Iberian Peninsula and is mentioned in the city's port records from the 1460s.

Another prominent figure was William Doye, a clergyman and scholar born in Somerset in the late 15th century. He was educated at Oxford University and became a chaplain to King Henry VIII. His writings on theology and philosophy were published in the early 16th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname DOYE include Thomas Doye (1572-1629), an English composer and musician who wrote sacred music for the Church of England, and Jean-Baptiste Doye (1670-1745), a French painter and engraver known for his portraits and religious works.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Doye families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Doye 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. Essex leads with 18 Doyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.89x.

County Total Index
Essex 18 19.89x
Kent 15 9.59x
Norfolk 5 7.09x
Lanarkshire 4 2.70x
Middlesex 3 0.65x
Surrey 2 0.90x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Epping in Essex leads with 16 Doyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 4324.32x.

Place Total Index
Epping 16 4324.32x
Plumstead 11 211.13x
Edgefield 5 6250.00x
Bexley 4 289.86x
Govan 4 10.91x
St Pancras London 3 8.13x
Chigwell 1 117.65x
Lambeth 1 2.50x
Richmond 1 31.95x
Theydon Bois 1 714.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Harriet 2
Mary 2
Susan 2
Alice 1
Betsey 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Emma 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 3
Henry 3
John 3
Alfred 2
George 2
William 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Charlie 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
Joseph 1
Saml. 1
Walter 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 Doye households.

FAQ

Doye surname: questions and answers

How common was the Doye surname in 1881?

In 1881, 47 people were recorded with the Doye surname. That placed it at #27,019 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Doye surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 127 in 2016. That gives Doye a modern rank of #26,566.

What does the Doye surname mean?

A surname referring to someone who was dutiful or obedient.

What does the Doye map show?

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