NameCensus.

UK surname

Dron

A surname indicating someone who lived near or worked with drones (small flies or bees).

In the 1881 census there were 194 people recorded with the Dron surname, ranking it #13,097 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 217, ranked #18,535, down from #13,097 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Willesden, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Comrie, Gilmerton and St Fillans, Kingston upon Hull and Northampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dron is 217 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.9%.

1881 census count

194

Ranked #13,097

Modern count

217

2016, ranked #18,535

Peak year

2016

217 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dron had 194 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,097 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016, ranked #18,535.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 196 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Dron surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dron surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dron 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 95 #17,707
1861 historical 144 #15,817
1881 historical 194 #13,097
1891 historical 196 #15,163
1901 historical 191 #15,579
1911 historical 75 #25,322
1997 modern 193 #18,035
1998 modern 195 #18,397
1999 modern 201 #18,179
2000 modern 186 #19,055
2001 modern 187 #18,708
2002 modern 192 #18,767
2003 modern 192 #18,568
2004 modern 191 #18,723
2005 modern 188 #18,866
2006 modern 193 #18,675
2007 modern 186 #19,337
2008 modern 197 #18,818
2009 modern 195 #19,329
2010 modern 202 #19,322
2011 modern 198 #19,410
2012 modern 204 #18,973
2013 modern 215 #18,598
2014 modern 212 #18,945
2015 modern 210 #18,958
2016 modern 217 #18,535

Geography

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Where Drons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Willesden, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Couper Angus and Crieff. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Comrie, Gilmerton and St Fillans, Kingston upon Hull, Northampton, Southend-on-Sea and Brighton and Hove. 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 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Couper Angus Perth
5 Crieff Perth

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Comrie, Gilmerton and St Fillans Perth and Kinross
2 Kingston upon Hull 004 Kingston upon Hull, City of
3 Northampton 026 Northampton
4 Southend-on-Sea 015 Southend-on-Sea
5 Brighton and Hove 026 Brighton and Hove

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dron

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dron

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Dron surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Dron household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Dron is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Dron is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dron falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dron is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Dron

The surname DRON originated in England in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dran" or "draen," which means a drone bee or male bee. This surname was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who was seen as industrious or hard-working like a drone bee.

The earliest recorded example of the surname DRON dates back to 1568 in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire. The name was spelled "Dronne" in these records. Other early spellings of the surname include "Dron," "Drone," and "Dron-yon."

In the 17th century, the DRON surname can be found in various records across England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. One notable example is John Dron, who was born in 1632 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, and served as a soldier in the English Civil War.

The DRON surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Dronfield in Derbyshire, which was originally spelled "Dranfeld" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This place name may have influenced the surname's development in some cases.

Among notable individuals with the DRON surname throughout history are:

1. Sir Edward Dron (1592-1670), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in the 17th century. 2. Mary Dron (1710-1782), an English writer and poet from Nottinghamshire. 3. Robert Dron (1756-1829), a Scottish architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh. 4. William Dron (1823-1895), a British naval officer who served in the Crimean War and received the Victoria Cross for his bravery. 5. Edith Dron (1878-1964), an English suffragette and women's rights activist from Yorkshire.

While the DRON surname may have originated as a nickname, it has become a well-established surname with a rich history spanning several centuries in England and beyond.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dron families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dron 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. Angus leads with 36 Drons recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.54x.

County Total Index
Angus 36 20.54x
Lanarkshire 30 4.90x
Midlothian 22 8.68x
Perthshire 21 24.73x
Fife 18 16.07x
Middlesex 14 0.74x
Durham 12 2.13x
Lancashire 12 0.53x
Ayrshire 10 7.06x
Dorset 7 5.64x
Northumberland 5 1.78x
Clackmannanshire 4 25.59x
Yorkshire 2 0.11x
Dunbartonshire 1 1.97x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 16 Drons recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.33x.

Place Total Index
Barony 16 10.33x
Dundee 15 22.92x
Coupar Angus 13 783.13x
Glasgow 12 11.04x
Ardrossan 10 204.08x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 9.81x
Cupar 9 184.80x
Crieff 8 253.16x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 7 693.07x
Harton 7 315.32x
Inverarity 7 1250.00x
Newburgh 7 492.96x
Newton 7 823.53x
Findo Gask 6 2500.00x
Litherland 5 106.61x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 5 29.74x
Willesden 5 28.03x
Dalkeith 4 80.00x
Dollar 4 246.91x
Liverpool 4 2.93x
Stockton On Tees 4 14.74x
Bootle Cum Linacre 3 16.83x
Hampstead London 3 10.18x
Westminster St James 3 15.42x
Auchterarder 2 84.39x
Govan 2 1.32x
Abernethy 1 90.09x
Brotton 1 40.82x
Ceres 1 74.07x
Crook Billy Row 1 13.87x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 20.04x
Islington London 1 0.55x
Leuchars 1 70.42x
Little Dunkeld 1 69.44x
Middlesbrough 1 4.10x
Paddington London 1 1.44x
Perth Middle Church 1 31.35x
Perth West Church 1 24.81x
Row 1 15.20x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.00x
St Vigeans 1 10.57x
Tibbermore 1 81.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Annie 4
Jane 2
Sarah 2
Sophia 2
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Barbra 1
Christin 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Euphenna 1
Isabella 1
Jeannie 1
Kate 1
Katie 1
Louisa 1
Madaline 1
Margaret 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 5
George 3
Alexander 2
Andrew 2
Henry 2
John 2
Albert 1
Charles 1
Chas.M. 1
Clement 1
David 1
Geo. 1
Robt. 1
Walter 1
William 1
Wm.H. 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 Dron households.

FAQ

Dron surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dron surname in 1881?

In 1881, 194 people were recorded with the Dron surname. That placed it at #13,097 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dron surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016. That gives Dron a modern rank of #18,535.

What does the Dron surname mean?

A surname indicating someone who lived near or worked with drones (small flies or bees).

What does the Dron map show?

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