NameCensus.

UK surname

Dye

An occupational surname referring to someone who dyed fabrics or worked with dyes.

In the 1881 census there were 1,929 people recorded with the Dye surname, ranking it #2,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,120, ranked #2,165, up from #2,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North East Derbyshire, South Norfolk and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dye is 3,307 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.7%.

1881 census count

1,929

Ranked #2,265

Modern count

3,120

2016, ranked #2,165

Peak year

1999

3,307 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dye had 1,929 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,120 in 2016, ranked #2,165.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,715 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dye surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dye surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dye 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 1,528 #1,871
1881 historical 1,929 #2,265
1891 historical 95 #24,694
1901 historical 2,715 #2,045
1997 modern 3,194 #2,013
1998 modern 3,280 #2,040
1999 modern 3,307 #2,049
2000 modern 3,293 #2,045
2001 modern 3,217 #2,047
2002 modern 3,244 #2,074
2003 modern 3,141 #2,089
2004 modern 3,158 #2,078
2005 modern 3,070 #2,109
2006 modern 3,033 #2,142
2007 modern 3,043 #2,152
2008 modern 3,026 #2,171
2009 modern 3,104 #2,176
2010 modern 3,159 #2,189
2011 modern 3,091 #2,205
2012 modern 3,069 #2,178
2013 modern 3,156 #2,158
2014 modern 3,165 #2,169
2015 modern 3,127 #2,170
2016 modern 3,120 #2,165

Geography

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Where Dyes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a, Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and Pentney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North East Derbyshire, South Norfolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and South Holland. 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 London parishes London 3
2 St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a Norfolk
3 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
4 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
5 Pentney Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North East Derbyshire 014 North East Derbyshire
2 North East Derbyshire 001 North East Derbyshire
3 South Norfolk 009 South Norfolk
4 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 011 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
5 South Holland 002 South Holland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dye

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dye

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Dye is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Dye 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

Dye falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Dye

The surname Dye originated in England and dates back to the early 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "deag" or "deah," which means "to dye" or "to color." This name was given to people who worked as dyers or colored cloth and fabrics.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dye can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named Johannes le Deyere was mentioned. The name also appeared in various other early records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which listed a Richard le Dyer.

The Dye surname is closely associated with the dyeing industry, which was an important trade in medieval England. Dyers were skilled artisans who used natural dyes and pigments to color textiles, and their services were in high demand. Some notable individuals with the surname Dye from this period include William Dye, a dyer from York who was mentioned in records from 1379, and John Dye, a renowned dyer from London who lived in the late 15th century.

As the dyeing industry grew and spread across England, the Dye surname became more widespread. In the 16th century, records show the name appearing in various parts of the country, including the parish registers of Gloucestershire, where a Thomas Dye was listed in 1572.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Dye surname was Sir John Dye (c. 1495-1577), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London. He was a prominent figure in the city's trade and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1556-1557.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dye throughout history include William Dye (1604-1688), a Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts in the 17th century, and John Dye (1700-1758), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Dye surname continued to be found across England, with concentrations in counties such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Gloucestershire, reflecting the historical importance of the dyeing trade in these areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dye families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dye 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. Norfolk leads with 831 Dyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.88x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 831 27.88x
Middlesex 243 1.25x
Surrey 149 1.58x
Yorkshire 124 0.65x
Kent 123 1.86x
Suffolk 113 4.79x
Cambridgeshire 40 3.26x
Hertfordshire 39 2.92x
Leicestershire 36 1.68x
Angus 32 1.78x
Lancashire 29 0.13x
Durham 25 0.43x
Hampshire 23 0.58x
Essex 22 0.58x
Derbyshire 21 0.69x
Cheshire 17 0.40x
Northumberland 16 0.55x
Lincolnshire 14 0.45x
Sussex 13 0.40x
Midlothian 10 0.39x
Warwickshire 8 0.16x
Berkshire 7 0.48x
Gloucestershire 6 0.16x
Kincardineshire 6 2.54x
Northamptonshire 6 0.33x
Staffordshire 6 0.09x
Glamorgan 4 0.12x
Lanarkshire 4 0.06x
Morayshire 4 1.33x
Bedfordshire 3 0.30x
Rutland 3 2.11x
Somerset 3 0.10x
Royal Navy 2 0.87x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.06x
Cornwall 1 0.05x
Devon 1 0.02x
Dorset 1 0.08x
Shropshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk leads with 70 Dyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.36x.

Place Total Index
Great Yarmouth 70 28.36x
Lakenham 46 108.64x
Pentney 35 988.70x
Lambeth 34 2.01x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 27 30.18x
Heigham 26 16.25x
Shoreditch London 25 2.98x
Leeds 24 2.21x
Lowestoft 24 21.52x
Wacton 24 1548.39x
Hartest 22 537.90x
St George Hanover Square 22 6.44x
Dundee 21 3.13x
Camberwell 19 1.53x
Gayton 19 377.73x
Paddington London 19 2.67x
St Pancras London 19 1.22x
Bethnal Green London 18 2.14x
Bracon Ash 18 962.57x
Deptford St Paul 18 3.53x
Leicester St Margaret 18 3.43x
Mileham 17 523.08x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 16 88.25x
Norwich St Peter 16 81.80x
Newington 15 2.09x
Northwold 15 187.73x
Portsea 15 1.93x
Swaffham 15 61.88x
Wells Next Sea 15 86.31x
West Newton 15 688.07x
Ware 14 36.55x
Croydon 13 2.48x
Ecclesall Bierlow 13 3.33x
Hackney London 13 1.20x
Hertford All Saints 13 174.03x
Normanton 13 22.52x
St Andrewthe Less 13 9.27x
Wymondham 13 42.66x
Bromley London 12 2.81x
Gorleston 12 20.01x
Islington London 12 0.64x
Marham 12 240.96x
Narborough 12 415.22x
Norwich St James 12 51.33x
Norwich St Julian 12 95.62x
Plumstead 12 5.44x
Woolwich 12 4.91x
Lewisham 11 3.12x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 11 56.88x
South Lynn 11 32.71x
St Giles Cripplegate 11 42.75x
Tottenham 11 3.56x
Attleborough 10 66.45x
Bury 10 3.81x
Clapham 10 4.13x
Dickleburgh 10 181.82x
Helmingham 10 442.48x
Marske In Guisbrough 10 29.32x
Norwich St Benedict 10 75.30x
Norwich St George Colegate 10 92.25x
St George In East London 10 5.49x
St Luke London 10 3.22x
Stratton St Mary 10 242.13x
Burlingham St Andrew 9 762.71x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 0.86x
Eskdaleside 9 95.34x
Great Ellingham 9 205.01x
Kensington London 9 0.84x
Mulbarton 9 261.63x
Newton Flotman 9 471.20x
North Wingfield 9 66.37x
Salford 9 1.33x
Thorpe Next Norwich 9 28.49x
Bergh Apton 8 255.59x
Bircham Newton 8 1212.12x
Didlington 8 1269.84x
Eye 8 52.46x
Littleport 8 34.12x
Norwich St Paul 8 44.84x
West Ham 8 0.95x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 116
Elizabeth 81
Sarah 60
Alice 47
Emma 38
Eliza 34
Ann 29
Ellen 28
Jane 28
Harriet 25
Susan 24
Emily 23
Charlotte 21
Hannah 18
Caroline 17
Maria 16
Edith 15
Martha 15
Louisa 13
Annie 12
Lucy 12
Anna 11
Margaret 11
Esther 10
Harriett 10
Matilda 10
Ada 9
Amelia 8
Susanna 8
Agnes 7
Florence 7
Frances 7
Susannah 7
Anne 6
Kate 6
Laura 6
Rachel 6
Amy 5
Deborah 5
Fanny 5
Gertrude 5
Jessie 5
Rosa 5
Selina 5
Clara 4
Francis 4
Julia 4
Lydia 4
Rose 4
Sophia 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 117
John 94
James 80
George 72
Charles 67
Robert 57
Alfred 41
Henry 35
Edward 31
Thomas 26
Arthur 22
Frederick 19
Samuel 18
Walter 17
Daniel 15
David 12
Ernest 10
Joseph 10
Albert 8
Harry 7
Chas. 6
Benjamin 5
Edmund 5
Francis 5
Geo. 5
Herbert 5
Richard 5
Wm. 5
Adam 3
Christopher 3
Elijah 3
Horace 3
Jacob 3
Jeremiah 3
Josiah 3
Martin 3
Philip 3
Reuben 3
Edwin 2
Fred. 2
Frederic 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
Jesse 2
Job 2
Lightwin 2
Noah 2
Thos. 2
Augustus 1
Edgar 1

FAQ

Dye surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dye surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,929 people were recorded with the Dye surname. That placed it at #2,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dye surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,120 in 2016. That gives Dye a modern rank of #2,165.

What does the Dye surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who dyed fabrics or worked with dyes.

What does the Dye map show?

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