NameCensus.

UK surname

Dryden

A locational surname referring to someone from a dry valley or from one of the places named Dryden.

In the 1881 census there were 1,817 people recorded with the Dryden surname, ranking it #2,397 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,557, ranked #2,585, down from #2,397 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Silkstone and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Scarborough and Montrose South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dryden is 2,672 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.7%.

1881 census count

1,817

Ranked #2,397

Modern count

2,557

2016, ranked #2,585

Peak year

2010

2,672 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dryden had 1,817 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,397 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,557 in 2016, ranked #2,585.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,226 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dryden surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dryden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dryden 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 1,202 #2,371
1861 historical 1,153 #2,443
1881 historical 1,817 #2,397
1891 historical 1,895 #2,427
1901 historical 2,226 #2,426
1911 historical 1,864 #2,655
1997 modern 2,484 #2,524
1998 modern 2,551 #2,559
1999 modern 2,541 #2,593
2000 modern 2,556 #2,563
2001 modern 2,524 #2,539
2002 modern 2,631 #2,504
2003 modern 2,585 #2,492
2004 modern 2,543 #2,525
2005 modern 2,471 #2,564
2006 modern 2,475 #2,565
2007 modern 2,501 #2,567
2008 modern 2,536 #2,552
2009 modern 2,603 #2,557
2010 modern 2,672 #2,548
2011 modern 2,619 #2,562
2012 modern 2,545 #2,582
2013 modern 2,580 #2,592
2014 modern 2,583 #2,599
2015 modern 2,594 #2,566
2016 modern 2,557 #2,585

Geography

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Where Drydens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Silkstone, London parishes, Gateshead and Selkirk. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Scarborough, Montrose South and Barnsley. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Silkstone Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Selkirk Selkirk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 001 Northumberland
2 Scarborough 001 Scarborough
3 Montrose South Angus
4 Northumberland 006 Northumberland
5 Barnsley 017 Barnsley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dryden

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dryden

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dryden surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dryden household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dryden 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

Dryden is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dryden falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Dryden

The surname Dryden has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the early 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "dryge" meaning dry and "dene" meaning valley or hollow, suggesting that the name originated from a dry valley or hollow area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dryden can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, which mention a William de Drugedene. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as Driggedene.

The Dryden family was originally from the village of Dryden in Northamptonshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Drigedene. This place name likely gave rise to the surname, as it was common practice for people to adopt surnames based on the location they were from.

In the 14th century, the Dryden family established themselves in the village of Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire. Sir Erasmus Dryden (1553-1632) was a prominent member of the family during this time and served as a Baronet.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Dryden was the English poet, literary critic, and playwright John Dryden (1631-1700). He was born in Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire, and is considered one of the greatest English poets of the 17th century, known for works such as "Absalom and Achitophel" and "The Hind and the Panther."

Another notable Dryden was Sir Henry Dryden (1818-1899), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as Governor of British Honduras (now Belize) from 1857 to 1863.

Charles Dryden (1617-1701) was an English Member of Parliament who represented the constituency of Northamptonshire in the 17th century.

Jonathan Dryden (1815-1888) was a British civil engineer who worked on various railway projects in England and India during the 19th century.

Elizabeth Dryden (1687-1758) was an English painter and one of the first female artists to gain recognition in Britain during the 18th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dryden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dryden 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. Northumberland leads with 416 Drydens recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.88x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 416 15.88x
Durham 357 6.82x
Yorkshire 181 1.04x
Midlothian 121 5.13x
Angus 101 6.19x
Roxburghshire 85 26.65x
Middlesex 83 0.47x
Surrey 78 0.91x
Lanarkshire 60 1.05x
Selkirkshire 59 37.04x
Cumberland 31 2.04x
Dumfriesshire 28 7.20x
Lancashire 28 0.13x
Kirkcudbrightshire 17 6.67x
Hampshire 15 0.42x
Berwickshire 12 5.63x
Perthshire 11 1.39x
Devon 10 0.27x
Kent 10 0.17x
Essex 9 0.26x
Peeblesshire 8 9.66x
Fife 7 0.67x
Ross-shire 7 1.45x
West Lothian 7 2.64x
Glamorgan 6 0.20x
Hertfordshire 6 0.49x
Stirlingshire 6 0.92x
Westmorland 6 1.55x
Worcestershire 5 0.22x
Cornwall 4 0.20x
Lincolnshire 4 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.17x
Derbyshire 3 0.11x
Renfrewshire 3 0.22x
Sussex 3 0.10x
Warwickshire 3 0.07x
Leicestershire 2 0.10x
Northamptonshire 2 0.12x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.09x
Cheshire 1 0.03x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.21x
Flintshire 1 0.21x
Gloucestershire 1 0.03x
Herefordshire 1 0.14x
Somerset 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Westoe in Durham leads with 59 Drydens recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.87x.

Place Total Index
Westoe 59 19.87x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 56 5.90x
Dundee 54 8.87x
Selkirk 53 118.09x
Barnsley 46 25.56x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 39 24.93x
Newcastle On Tyne St 34 25.04x
Tweedmouth 33 101.04x
Elswick 29 13.87x
Gateshead 28 7.14x
Longbenton 28 25.23x
Barony 25 1.73x
Bishopwearmouth 24 5.34x
Whitby 24 40.82x
Bedlington 21 24.01x
Hawick 21 29.42x
Elvet 19 50.25x
Wallsend 19 22.87x
Stockton On Tees 18 7.13x
Glanton 17 564.78x
Govan 17 1.21x
Bermondsey 16 3.05x
Byker 16 12.36x
Kirkcudbright 16 75.87x
Lochmaben 16 93.90x
Southwark St George Martyr 16 4.52x
Jedburgh 14 44.79x
Linthorpe 14 13.45x
Camberwell 13 1.16x
St Boswells 13 224.53x
Alnwick 12 26.64x
Boldon 12 64.27x
Darlington 12 5.93x
Kelso 12 37.76x
Portsea 12 1.70x
Thornaby 12 18.40x
Tynemouth 12 8.55x
Edinburgh Old 11 76.87x
Haltwhistle 11 86.55x
Kirkhaugh 11 982.14x
St Pancras London 11 0.78x
Alston 10 35.79x
Benwell 10 34.93x
Carstairs 10 84.75x
Chiswick 10 10.39x
Inverkeillor 10 98.91x
Preston 10 1.79x
Durham St Nicholas 9 69.93x
Edinburgh St Johns 9 60.44x
Monkwearmouth Shore 9 8.80x
Plenmeller 9 796.46x
South Shields 9 19.29x
Southwick 9 18.14x
Cowpen 8 13.26x
Craig 8 50.79x
East Chevington 8 91.74x
Hart 8 62.70x
Haydon 8 55.83x
Innerleithen 8 36.40x
Islington London 8 0.47x
Middlesbrough 8 3.52x
Morpeth 8 25.97x
Morton 8 61.97x
Pelton 8 32.10x
Ryhope 8 22.00x
St Giles In Fields London 8 9.26x
Barnard Castle 7 27.04x
Dairsie 7 165.88x
Duddingston 7 14.78x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 7 50.98x
Eston 7 18.42x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 7 3.09x
Huddersfield 7 2.75x
Leeds 7 0.71x
Linlithgow 7 20.59x
Longforgan 7 62.67x
Putney 7 8.72x
Tughall 7 1320.75x
Westgate 7 4.31x
Wilton 7 20.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 97
Elizabeth 53
Margaret 49
Jane 42
Ann 40
Sarah 39
Hannah 20
Isabella 20
Ellen 18
Annie 14
Eliza 14
Alice 10
Catherine 10
Dorothy 7
Martha 7
Agnes 6
Eleanor 6
Emily 6
Ada 5
Charlotte 5
Emma 5
Julia 5
Amelia 4
Anne 4
Clara 4
Edith 4
Esther 4
Harriet 4
Maggie 4
Minnie 4
Frances 3
Jemima 3
Kate 3
Louisa 3
Lucy 3
Margt. 3
Phillis 3
Ruth 3
Susan 3
Bella 2
Catharine 2
Elleanor 2
Janet 2
Jessie 2
Malvine 2
Margret 2
Phoebe 2
Rachel 2
Rose 2
William 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 102
William 84
George 61
James 51
Robert 45
Thomas 45
Henry 20
Joseph 18
Charles 15
Alfred 8
Frederick 8
Hugh 8
Andrew 6
Edward 6
Geo. 6
Matthew 6
Richard 6
Benjamin 5
Francis 5
Wm. 5
Adam 4
Christopher 4
David 4
Simon 4
Cuthbert 3
Herbert 3
Jonathan 3
Mathew 3
Robt. 3
Samuel 3
Thos. 3
Alexander 2
Arthur 2
Caleb 2
Douglas 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
J.W. 2
Jacob 2
Jno. 2
Leonard 2
Luke 2
Margaret 2
Michael 2
Patrick 2
Sam 2
Stephen 2
Walter 2
Daniel 1
Fredk 1

FAQ

Dryden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dryden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,817 people were recorded with the Dryden surname. That placed it at #2,397 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dryden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,557 in 2016. That gives Dryden a modern rank of #2,585.

What does the Dryden surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a dry valley or from one of the places named Dryden.

What does the Dryden map show?

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