NameCensus.

UK surname

Ely

Derived from a place name meaning "eel island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a place.

In the 1881 census there were 1,572 people recorded with the Ely surname, ranking it #2,694 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,687, ranked #3,711, down from #2,694 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Kirkheaton and Batley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, East Lindsey and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ely is 1,963 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 7.3%.

1881 census count

1,572

Ranked #2,694

Modern count

1,687

2016, ranked #3,711

Peak year

1901

1,963 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ely had 1,572 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,694 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,687 in 2016, ranked #3,711.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,963 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ely surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ely surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ely 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 1,240 #2,306
1881 historical 1,572 #2,694
1891 historical 5 #33,939
1901 historical 1,963 #2,699
1997 modern 1,745 #3,417
1998 modern 1,782 #3,483
1999 modern 1,817 #3,442
2000 modern 1,801 #3,453
2001 modern 1,767 #3,446
2002 modern 1,781 #3,498
2003 modern 1,791 #3,405
2004 modern 1,783 #3,426
2005 modern 1,738 #3,471
2006 modern 1,728 #3,497
2007 modern 1,730 #3,522
2008 modern 1,725 #3,555
2009 modern 1,725 #3,619
2010 modern 1,771 #3,614
2011 modern 1,721 #3,658
2012 modern 1,709 #3,629
2013 modern 1,714 #3,677
2014 modern 1,709 #3,698
2015 modern 1,704 #3,675
2016 modern 1,687 #3,711

Geography

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Where Elys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Kirkheaton and Batley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, East Lindsey, Cornwall and Ipswich. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Kirkheaton Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 011 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 East Lindsey 013 East Lindsey
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 003 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 Cornwall 073 Cornwall
5 Ipswich 008 Ipswich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ely

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ely

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Ely 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

Ely is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Ely

The surname Ely is an English habitation name derived from the town of Ely in Cambridgeshire. The name Ely comes from the Old English words "ēl" meaning "eel" and "ēg" meaning "island", referring to the town's location on an island in the fens.

The name Ely appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which records landowners in England at the time of the Norman Conquest. This suggests that the surname Ely has been in use for at least nine centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ely is Sir William Ely, who was a Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire in the early 15th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Richard Ely, who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1486 to 1492 during the reign of Henry VII.

In the 16th century, the surname Ely was sometimes spelled as Elie or Ealy. A notable example is Nathaniel Eaton (1610-1674), an English Puritan who served as the first headmaster of Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Ely was Ezra Stiles Ely (1786-1861), an American Presbyterian minister and educator. He served as the president of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Marion, Alabama, and wrote several influential works on theology.

Another notable bearer of the name was Ralph Ely (1809-1887), an American politician who served as the 14th Governor of New York from 1877 to 1880. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863.

In the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname Ely was Norman F. Ely (1901-1985), an American pioneer aviator and record-breaking pilot. He was the first person to cross the Rocky Mountains in an airplane and set several altitude and endurance records in the 1920s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ely families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ely 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. Middlesex leads with 226 Elys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.47x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 226 1.47x
Yorkshire 207 1.36x
Suffolk 150 8.02x
Surrey 141 1.88x
Essex 112 3.69x
Kent 111 2.12x
Norfolk 89 3.77x
Lancashire 58 0.32x
Gloucestershire 50 1.66x
Hampshire 48 1.52x
Lincolnshire 43 1.75x
Warwickshire 39 1.01x
Derbyshire 35 1.46x
Wiltshire 34 2.50x
Cheshire 26 0.77x
Cornwall 25 1.44x
Cambridgeshire 21 2.16x
Worcestershire 20 1.00x
Berkshire 19 1.65x
Nottinghamshire 16 0.77x
Herefordshire 15 2.38x
Northumberland 11 0.48x
Durham 10 0.22x
Staffordshire 10 0.19x
Northamptonshire 9 0.62x
Devon 8 0.25x
Sussex 8 0.31x
Huntingdonshire 7 2.29x
Oxfordshire 7 0.74x
Glamorgan 5 0.19x
Channel Islands 3 0.66x
Leicestershire 3 0.18x
Monmouthshire 3 0.27x
Royal Navy 2 1.09x
Cumberland 1 0.08x
Hertfordshire 1 0.09x
Inverness-shire 1 0.22x
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. Faversham in Kent leads with 46 Elys recorded in 1881 and an index of 92.02x.

Place Total Index
Faversham 46 92.02x
Camberwell 36 3.67x
Rothwell 36 117.07x
Shoreditch London 26 3.90x
Islington London 24 1.61x
Bury St Edmunds St James 23 46.02x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 22 62.64x
Lambeth 20 1.49x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 20 36.78x
Highworth 19 109.38x
Soothill 18 32.73x
Barton Bendish 17 739.13x
Ipswich St Clement 17 35.74x
Wimbledon 17 20.23x
Wymondham 17 70.36x
St George Hanover Square 16 5.91x
West Keal 16 824.74x
Birmingham 15 1.16x
Bromley 14 17.52x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 14 19.74x
Leeds 14 1.63x
Sale 14 33.65x
Hampstead London 13 5.43x
Lepton 13 81.76x
Mile End Old Town London 13 3.98x
West Ham 13 1.94x
Martlesham 12 458.02x
South Hamlet 12 64.38x
St Pancras London 12 0.97x
Batley 11 7.60x
Ilkeston 11 16.31x
Kensington London 11 1.29x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 11 59.30x
Methley 11 51.31x
Millbrook 11 13.87x
Shotley 11 333.33x
Streatham 11 9.65x
Battersea 10 1.77x
Cottenham 10 77.34x
Ipswich St Peter 10 39.70x
Ledbury 10 46.21x
Lewisham 10 3.58x
St Anne Soho London 10 11.40x
Stapenhill 10 27.93x
Stowmarket 10 46.23x
Chelsea London 9 1.94x
Croydon 9 2.17x
Dalton In Furness 9 12.79x
Dewsbury 9 5.76x
Hackney London 9 1.04x
Halstead 9 25.44x
Oldbury 9 9.12x
Peterborough 9 8.60x
St Marylebone London 9 1.10x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 9 17.15x
Abingdon St Nicholas 8 249.22x
Almondbury 8 10.87x
Chelmsford 8 15.38x
Claines 8 14.53x
Gateshead 8 2.34x
Huddersfield 8 3.61x
Ipswich St Margaret 8 12.60x
Little Thurlow 8 444.44x
Normanby In 8 19.66x
Northwood 8 17.84x
Nottingham St Mary 8 1.49x
Poplar London 8 2.76x
Stisted 8 204.08x
Chapel Allerton 7 30.73x
Chatham 7 4.85x
Coventry Holy Trinity 7 6.05x
Deptford St Paul 7 1.73x
Ealing 7 5.10x
Foleshill 7 17.17x
North Cerney 7 212.12x
Richmond 7 6.67x
Stoke Damerel 7 3.13x
Wallingford St Mary Le 7 107.36x
Wheatenhurst 7 366.49x
Wretton 7 406.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 100
Elizabeth 73
Sarah 52
Ann 37
Jane 32
Alice 31
Ellen 27
Eliza 24
Emma 24
Annie 22
Hannah 22
Emily 16
Harriet 16
Margaret 15
Ada 13
Florence 11
Kate 11
Louisa 11
Martha 11
Caroline 10
Charlotte 10
Fanny 9
Lucy 9
Edith 8
Eleanor 8
Susannah 8
Catherine 7
Clara 7
Jessie 6
Laura 6
Maria 6
Rebecca 6
Anna 5
Susan 5
Agnes 4
Betsy 4
Lydia 4
Matilda 4
Rachel 4
Rose 4
Amelia 3
Angelina 3
Blanch 3
Dorothy 3
Elizth. 3
Ethel 3
Jemima 3
Julia 3
Lizzie 3
Phoebe 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 87
William 73
George 56
Charles 48
Thomas 45
James 38
Alfred 24
Joseph 24
Henry 22
Robert 22
Arthur 19
Richard 16
Samuel 14
Frederick 13
Edward 12
Walter 11
Benjamin 10
Albert 9
Fred 7
Geo. 7
Harry 7
Ernest 6
Frank 6
Herbert 6
David 5
Edwin 5
Wm. 5
Abraham 4
Elijah 4
Jonathan 4
Eli 3
Fredk. 3
Isaac 3
Joe 3
Josiah 3
Sidney 3
Wilfred 3
Aaron 2
Anthony 2
Clement 2
Daniel 2
Edwyn 2
Fred. 2
Leonard 2
Lionel 2
Martin 2
Newport 2
Owen 2
Philip 2
Robt. 2

FAQ

Ely surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ely surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,572 people were recorded with the Ely surname. That placed it at #2,694 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ely surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,687 in 2016. That gives Ely a modern rank of #3,711.

What does the Ely surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "eel island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a place.

What does the Ely map show?

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