NameCensus.

UK surname

Driver

An occupational surname referring to a driver of horses or wagons.

In the 1881 census there were 5,553 people recorded with the Driver surname, ranking it #799 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,045, ranked #1,114, down from #799 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, London parishes and Bingley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Ipswich and Suffolk Coastal.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Driver is 7,154 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.9%.

1881 census count

5,553

Ranked #799

Modern count

6,045

2016, ranked #1,114

Peak year

1911

7,154 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Driver had 5,553 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #799 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,045 in 2016, ranked #1,114.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,154 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Driver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Driver surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Driver 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 3,626 #784
1861 historical 3,221 #892
1881 historical 5,553 #799
1891 historical 5,701 #826
1901 historical 6,635 #834
1911 historical 7,154 #727
1997 modern 6,430 #1,013
1998 modern 6,580 #1,039
1999 modern 6,635 #1,036
2000 modern 6,557 #1,043
2001 modern 6,406 #1,043
2002 modern 6,455 #1,059
2003 modern 6,275 #1,062
2004 modern 6,190 #1,079
2005 modern 6,061 #1,083
2006 modern 5,988 #1,089
2007 modern 6,021 #1,095
2008 modern 5,987 #1,109
2009 modern 6,107 #1,117
2010 modern 6,290 #1,105
2011 modern 6,161 #1,112
2012 modern 5,967 #1,120
2013 modern 6,113 #1,115
2014 modern 6,177 #1,112
2015 modern 6,089 #1,115
2016 modern 6,045 #1,114

Geography

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Where Drivers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, London parishes, Bingley, Bradford and Keighley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Ipswich and Suffolk Coastal. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 004 Bradford
2 Ipswich 001 Ipswich
3 Suffolk Coastal 009 Suffolk Coastal
4 Bradford 022 Bradford
5 Ipswich 003 Ipswich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Driver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Driver

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Driver is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Driver is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Driver

The surname DRIVER is an occupational name that originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "drife," which means to drive or herd animals. The name likely referred to a person who drove cattle or livestock for a living.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname DRIVER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1182, which mention a person named William le Driver. Another early reference is the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292, which include a Robert le Drivere.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname DRIVER or its variants, such as Drivere and Drivour. These entries provide evidence of the surname's existence in various parts of England during the 11th century.

The surname DRIVER is also connected to several place names in England, such as Driver's End in Berkshire and Driver's Green in Suffolk. These locations may have been named after individuals with the surname DRIVER who lived or owned land in those areas.

One notable person with the surname DRIVER was William Driver (c. 1615-1697), a renowned English botanist and author of the book "The Botanick Garden." Another was Sir Clements Robert Driver (1846-1904), a British diplomat and ambassador to Spain.

Other historical figures with the surname DRIVER include Edward Driver (1555-1598), an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr; John Driver (1703-1786), an English engraver and portrait painter; and Thomas Driver (c. 1630-1694), an English philosopher and mathematician.

The surname DRIVER has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Dryver, Drivere, and Drivour, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Driver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Driver 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 1,344 Drivers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.51x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,344 2.51x
Lancashire 1,075 1.67x
Middlesex 401 0.74x
Suffolk 328 4.97x
Surrey 278 1.05x
Kent 267 1.45x
Gloucestershire 191 1.80x
Northamptonshire 172 3.38x
Cambridgeshire 157 4.58x
Leicestershire 149 2.48x
Norfolk 124 1.49x
Essex 90 0.84x
Derbyshire 84 0.99x
Lincolnshire 75 0.87x
Devon 73 0.65x
Orkney 71 11.92x
Warwickshire 71 0.52x
Durham 68 0.42x
Worcestershire 67 0.95x
Sussex 66 0.72x
Cheshire 56 0.47x
Hampshire 44 0.40x
Hertfordshire 44 1.18x
Northumberland 39 0.48x
Nottinghamshire 31 0.42x
Staffordshire 29 0.16x
Shropshire 13 0.28x
Brecknockshire 10 0.92x
Cumberland 10 0.21x
Dorset 10 0.28x
Lanarkshire 10 0.06x
Somerset 10 0.11x
Clackmannanshire 9 2.01x
Huntingdonshire 9 0.84x
Westmorland 9 0.76x
Angus 7 0.14x
Oxfordshire 7 0.21x
Pembrokeshire 7 0.41x
Channel Islands 6 0.37x
Glamorgan 5 0.05x
Selkirkshire 5 1.02x
Cornwall 4 0.07x
Royal Navy 4 0.62x
Wiltshire 4 0.08x
Monmouthshire 3 0.08x
Berkshire 2 0.05x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.06x
Caithness 2 0.27x
Fife 2 0.06x
Midlothian 2 0.03x
Bedfordshire 1 0.04x
Inverness-shire 1 0.06x
Merionethshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Keighley in Yorkshire leads with 195 Drivers recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.11x.

Place Total Index
Keighley 195 34.11x
Morton In Keighley 113 268.22x
Great Little Marsden 87 29.57x
Habergham Eaves 80 13.63x
Leeds 71 2.34x
St Pancras London 64 1.47x
Blackburn 55 3.22x
Salford 53 2.81x
Islington London 52 0.99x
Seaton 52 119.73x
Pudsey 50 17.44x
Stretham 49 199.76x
Wandsworth 48 9.21x
Framfield 45 159.07x
Trawden 45 111.97x
Sheffield 44 2.58x
Westray Papa Westray 43 91.04x
Bury 40 5.45x
Thornton In Bradford 39 21.84x
Manningham 38 5.75x
Lambeth 37 0.78x
Colne 36 18.81x
Bisley 35 36.38x
Camberwell 34 0.98x
Kettering 34 16.51x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 34 17.74x
Glossop Dale 31 7.81x
Leicester St Margaret 31 2.12x
Oldham 31 1.50x
Birmingham 30 0.66x
Great Hormead 30 311.85x
Hackney London 30 0.99x
Castleton 29 4.52x
Chatburn 29 202.51x
Bermondsey 28 1.74x
Burnley 28 5.18x
Chelveston Cum Caldecott 28 357.14x
Iken 28 458.27x
Barrowford Booth 26 36.58x
Kildwick 26 53.24x
St Marylebone London 26 0.90x
Ashton Under Lyne 25 1.78x
Medbourne 25 242.72x
Manchester 24 0.83x
Yeadon 24 19.82x
Bradford 23 1.77x
Battersea 22 1.10x
Ecclesall Bierlow 22 2.02x
Hallaton 22 165.41x
Huddersfield 22 2.82x
Moreton In Marsh 22 82.74x
Newchurch 22 4.19x
Tonge 22 16.33x
Bramley In Bramley 21 10.23x
Brightside Bierlow 21 2.00x
Great Yarmouth 21 3.05x
Redgrave 21 203.09x
Thornhill 21 13.42x
Woolverstone 21 466.67x
Lewisham 20 2.03x
Otley 20 15.36x
Bristol St James St Paul 19 5.37x
Kensington London 19 0.63x
Kirkwall St Ola 19 21.30x
Elland Cum Greetland 18 7.45x
Gillingham 18 4.73x
Halifax 18 2.29x
Rothwell 18 35.20x
St Andrewthe Less 18 4.60x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 17 3.40x
Chatham 17 3.35x
Doddington 17 67.57x
Hulme 17 1.27x
Milton In Gravesend 17 6.14x
Newington 17 0.85x
Wanstead 17 9.09x
West Malling 17 40.89x
Wilsden 17 30.86x
Cowling 16 46.00x
Deal 16 10.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 358
Sarah 235
Elizabeth 234
Ann 93
Ellen 93
Emma 88
Hannah 79
Annie 78
Jane 77
Martha 76
Alice 75
Eliza 74
Emily 58
Margaret 46
Harriet 42
Ada 37
Louisa 35
Maria 34
Fanny 31
Caroline 30
Edith 29
Florence 29
Clara 22
Susannah 20
Anne 19
Harriett 19
Isabella 19
Kate 19
Amelia 18
Rebecca 18
Susan 18
Lucy 17
Charlotte 16
Esther 16
Ruth 16
Agnes 14
Amy 13
Grace 13
Julia 13
Frances 12
Minnie 12
Anna 11
Eleanor 11
Selina 11
Catherine 10
Ethel 10
Lily 10
Rachel 10
Betty 9
Matilda 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 324
William 292
James 193
Thomas 174
George 169
Joseph 105
Henry 102
Charles 101
Robert 69
Arthur 55
Alfred 54
Edward 53
Richard 52
Harry 49
Walter 49
Samuel 42
Frederick 40
Albert 36
Benjamin 24
Ernest 24
Herbert 24
Frank 21
Fred 21
Edwin 14
David 13
Edmund 13
Isaac 13
Tom 12
Wm. 12
Abraham 11
Jonas 11
Percy 11
Francis 10
Matthew 9
Enoch 8
Thos. 8
Daniel 7
Mark 7
Nathan 7
Hartley 6
Jacob 6
Lewis 6
Peter 6
Stephen 6
Edgar 5
Frederic 5
Fredrick 5
Hugh 5
Jonathan 5
Leonard 5

FAQ

Driver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Driver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,553 people were recorded with the Driver surname. That placed it at #799 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Driver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,045 in 2016. That gives Driver a modern rank of #1,114.

What does the Driver surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a driver of horses or wagons.

What does the Driver map show?

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