NameCensus.

UK surname

Durning

An English surname derived from the Old English word "durning" meaning "bold" or "daring."

In the 1881 census there were 86 people recorded with the Durning surname, ranking it #21,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 238, ranked #17,361, up from #21,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Durham St Oswald and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dunoon, Bishopbriggs West and Cadder and Cowal North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Durning is 244 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 176.7%.

1881 census count

86

Ranked #21,449

Modern count

238

2016, ranked #17,361

Peak year

2010

244 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Durning had 86 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 238 in 2016, ranked #17,361.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 139 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Durning surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Durning surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Durning 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 69 #21,148
1861 historical 102 #20,797
1881 historical 86 #21,449
1891 historical 139 #19,311
1901 historical 138 #18,955
1911 historical 29 #30,190
1997 modern 208 #17,219
1998 modern 224 #16,888
1999 modern 227 #16,834
2000 modern 223 #16,978
2001 modern 223 #16,765
2002 modern 223 #17,099
2003 modern 234 #16,343
2004 modern 231 #16,591
2005 modern 225 #16,831
2006 modern 230 #16,690
2007 modern 242 #16,296
2008 modern 238 #16,640
2009 modern 236 #17,103
2010 modern 244 #17,056
2011 modern 243 #16,968
2012 modern 239 #17,027
2013 modern 243 #17,114
2014 modern 239 #17,429
2015 modern 235 #17,530
2016 modern 238 #17,361

Geography

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Where Durnings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Durham St Oswald, Glasgow, Liverpool and Bedlington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dunoon, Bishopbriggs West and Cadder, Cowal North, Ibrox East and Cessnock and Gourock Central, Upper East and IRH. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Durham St Oswald Durham
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Bedlington Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dunoon Argyll and Bute
2 Bishopbriggs West and Cadder East Dunbartonshire
3 Cowal North Argyll and Bute
4 Ibrox East and Cessnock Glasgow City
5 Gourock Central, Upper East and IRH Inverclyde

Forenames

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First names often paired with Durning

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Durning

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Durning surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Durning household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Durning is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Durning 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

Durning 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 Durning 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Durning

The surname Durning is believed to have originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "dyrnan," which means "to hide" or "to conceal." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a secluded or hidden place.

The earliest recorded instances of the Durning name date back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Dernynge, Derning, and Durnynge appearing in various historical records and documents from that period. One notable early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mentions a John de Dernynge.

In the Middle Ages, the Durning surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. Some early bearers of the name were associated with places like Durning's Heath in Gloucestershire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Durning surname was Thomas Durning, who was born around 1350 in Worcestershire. He is mentioned in the Worcestershire County Records as a landowner and freeman.

Another notable figure was Sir John Durning, a wealthy merchant and alderman from London, who lived from 1592 to 1670. He was a prominent figure in the City of London and served as the Lord Mayor in 1643.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Durning family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire.

In the 18th century, William Durning (1707-1785) was a notable English lawyer and Member of Parliament, representing the borough of Cricklade in Wiltshire.

Another prominent figure was Sir Walter Durning (1806-1888), a British politician and industrialist who served as the Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth in Cornwall.

Throughout its history, the Durning surname has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Durning's Heath in Gloucestershire, Durning's Farm in Somerset, and Durning's Meadow in Worcestershire, reflecting the family's presence and influence in these areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Durning families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Durning 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. Lanarkshire leads with 40 Durnings recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.92x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 40 14.92x
Northumberland 9 7.30x
Lancashire 8 0.81x
Middlesex 7 0.84x
Yorkshire 7 0.85x
Durham 4 1.62x
Ayrshire 2 3.22x
Warwickshire 2 0.96x
Caithness 1 8.81x
Dorset 1 1.84x
Dunbartonshire 1 4.49x
Essex 1 0.61x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 8.33x
Renfrewshire 1 1.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Old Monkland in Lanarkshire leads with 12 Durnings recorded in 1881 and an index of 112.78x.

Place Total Index
Old Monkland 12 112.78x
Govan 11 16.59x
Barony 9 13.26x
Bedlington 9 218.45x
Glasgow 8 16.80x
Bethnal Green London 5 13.88x
Barnsley 4 47.23x
Escomb 4 353.98x
Liverpool 3 5.02x
Irvine 2 116.28x
Much Woolton 2 150.38x
Bradford 1 5.03x
Brailes 1 312.50x
Eccleshill 1 50.00x
Great Crosby 1 37.31x
Harwick St Nicholas 1 384.62x
Kilmalcolm 1 129.87x
Kirkdale 1 6.04x
Melcombe Regis 1 44.25x
Row 1 34.72x
Shoreditch London 1 2.78x
Solihull 1 66.67x
St Pancras London 1 1.50x
Toxteth Park 1 3.00x
Troqueer 1 63.69x
Wick 1 27.25x
Worsbrough 1 41.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Catherine 2
Elizabeth 2
Emily 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Frances 1
Jane 1
Marjone 1
Richd. 1
Rosanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
James 2
Abel 1
Charles 1
Hugh 1
Matthew 1
Owen 1
Thomas 1
Walter 1
William 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 Durning households.

FAQ

Durning surname: questions and answers

How common was the Durning surname in 1881?

In 1881, 86 people were recorded with the Durning surname. That placed it at #21,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Durning surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 238 in 2016. That gives Durning a modern rank of #17,361.

What does the Durning surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English word "durning" meaning "bold" or "daring."

What does the Durning map show?

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