NameCensus.

UK surname

Evans

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Evan, meaning "the son of Evan" in Welsh.

In the 1881 census there were 130,734 people recorded with the Evans surname, ranking it #8 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 173,080, also still ranked #8.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes and Merthyr Tydfil. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ceredigion, Powys and Carmarthenshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Evans is 181,237 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.4%.

1881 census count

130,734

Ranked #8

Modern count

173,080

2016, ranked #8

Peak year

1999

181,237 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Evans had 130,734 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 173,080 in 2016, ranked #8.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 175,464 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Evans surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Evans surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Evans 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 90,709 #8
1861 historical 91,210 #9
1881 historical 130,734 #8
1891 historical 140,362 #8
1901 historical 159,998 #8
1911 historical 175,464 #7
1997 modern 172,468 #8
1998 modern 179,742 #8
1999 modern 181,237 #8
2000 modern 180,536 #8
2001 modern 175,102 #8
2002 modern 178,478 #8
2003 modern 174,317 #8
2004 modern 173,916 #8
2005 modern 170,515 #8
2006 modern 170,397 #8
2007 modern 171,631 #8
2008 modern 171,916 #8
2009 modern 175,741 #8
2010 modern 179,156 #8
2011 modern 176,805 #8
2012 modern 172,557 #8
2013 modern 175,697 #8
2014 modern 176,456 #8
2015 modern 174,322 #8
2016 modern 173,080 #8

Geography

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Where Evans' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Bedwelty. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ceredigion, Powys and Carmarthenshire. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Merthyr Tydfil Glamorganshire
4 Aberdare Glamorganshire
5 Bedwelty Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ceredigion 011 Ceredigion
2 Ceredigion 010 Ceredigion
3 Powys 001 Powys
4 Carmarthenshire 027 Carmarthenshire
5 Ceredigion 008 Ceredigion

Forenames

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First names often paired with Evans

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Evans

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Evans 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

Evans is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Evans falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Evans

The surname Evans is of Welsh origin, derived from the personal name Iefan, which is the Welsh form of John. It is believed to have originated in the early Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, in various parts of Wales.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Black Book of St. David's, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions an individual named Ieuan ab Iorwerth. The name Ieuan, later anglicized as Evan or Evans, became a common patronymic surname in Wales, meaning "son of Evan."

The surname Evans is also linked to several place names in Wales, such as Evanstown in Flintshire and Evanslough in Radnorshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname Evans who lived or owned land in those areas.

Among the notable individuals with the surname Evans throughout history are:

1. Griffith Evans (c. 1670-1737), a Welsh clergyman and author known for his work "A Map of Universal History." 2. Sir John Evans (1823-1908), a British archaeologist and numismatist, known for his contributions to the study of ancient stone tools and coins. 3. Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880), better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist renowned for works such as "Middlemarch" and "The Mill on the Floss." 4. William Evans (1790-1872), a Welsh Baptist minister and educator, who played a significant role in the establishment of the Baptist College in Haverfordwest. 5. Sir John Evans (1928-2011), a British entrepreneur and philanthropist, known for founding and leading the successful retail chain Next.

The surname Evans has a rich history rooted in the Welsh culture and language. Over time, it has spread beyond Wales to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by individuals of Welsh descent or those who adopted the name for various reasons.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Evans families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Evans 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. Glamorgan leads with 19,139 Evans' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.61x.

County Total Index
Glamorgan 19,139 8.61x
Carmarthenshire 9,240 17.17x
Lancashire 9,220 0.61x
Cardiganshire 8,229 26.43x
Middlesex 7,451 0.58x
Staffordshire 6,041 1.40x
Shropshire 5,582 5.06x
Montgomeryshire 5,262 17.99x
Caernarfonshire 4,986 9.66x
Monmouthshire 4,825 5.23x
Denbighshire 4,455 9.24x
Pembrokeshire 4,156 10.24x
Surrey 3,419 0.55x
Merionethshire 3,372 14.44x
Warwickshire 3,045 0.95x
Cheshire 2,706 0.96x
Gloucestershire 2,451 0.98x
Brecknockshire 2,412 9.45x
Yorkshire 2,350 0.19x
Flintshire 2,166 6.31x
Worcestershire 1,960 1.18x
Kent 1,548 0.36x
Herefordshire 1,414 2.70x
Anglesey 1,289 5.70x
Devon 1,228 0.46x
Radnorshire 1,162 11.28x
Derbyshire 1,090 0.55x
Somerset 1,040 0.51x
Durham 926 0.24x
Essex 860 0.34x
Hampshire 855 0.33x
Sussex 609 0.28x
Cornwall 523 0.36x
Nottinghamshire 512 0.30x
Berkshire 497 0.52x
Buckinghamshire 442 0.57x
Leicestershire 432 0.31x
Lanarkshire 361 0.09x
Bedfordshire 345 0.52x
Hertfordshire 341 0.39x
Northamptonshire 338 0.28x
Wiltshire 334 0.30x
Oxfordshire 324 0.41x
Northumberland 218 0.11x
Suffolk 209 0.13x
Lincolnshire 173 0.08x
Cumberland 172 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 158 0.20x
Norfolk 157 0.08x
Dorset 121 0.14x
Renfrewshire 107 0.11x
Royal Navy 92 0.60x
Huntingdonshire 59 0.23x
Midlothian 55 0.03x
Angus 53 0.04x
Ayrshire 46 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 41 0.12x
Westmorland 35 0.12x
Isle of Man 30 0.13x
Channel Islands 25 0.07x
Fife 23 0.03x
Clackmannanshire 18 0.17x
Stirlingshire 18 0.04x
Wigtownshire 16 0.09x
Rutland 12 0.13x
Dumfriesshire 11 0.04x
Kirkcudbrightshire 11 0.06x
Perthshire 10 0.02x
Morayshire 9 0.05x
Aberdeenshire 7 0.01x
East Lothian 7 0.04x
Selkirkshire 7 0.06x
Banffshire 5 0.02x
Argyllshire 3 0.01x
Buteshire 3 0.04x
Inverness-shire 3 0.01x
Peeblesshire 3 0.05x
Ross-shire 3 0.01x
Roxburghshire 2 0.01x
Shetland 2 0.02x
Orkney 1 0.01x
Sutherland 1 0.01x
West Lothian 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ystradyfodwg in Glamorgan leads with 2,628 Evans' recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.48x.

Place Total Index
Ystradyfodwg 2,628 13.48x
Merthyr Tydfil 2,544 11.91x
Aberdare 2,046 13.41x
Bedwellty 1,536 9.43x
Birmingham 1,330 1.24x
Llanelly 1,326 10.94x
Aston 1,126 1.27x
Swansea Town 941 5.16x
Liverpool 908 0.99x
Toxteth Park 894 1.74x
Clase 842 10.19x
Llanwonno 803 10.05x
Islington London 799 0.65x
Carmarthen St Peter 787 17.11x
Everton 781 1.62x
Wolverhampton 781 2.36x
Llanguick 697 17.50x
West Derby 695 1.57x
Ruabon 648 9.77x
Lambeth 592 0.53x
St Pancras London 590 0.57x
Llantrisant 577 10.30x
Stoke Upon Trent 511 1.12x
Aberystruth 507 6.23x
Llandyssil 496 38.10x
Gelligaer 492 9.69x
Llanbeblig 489 9.33x
West Bromwich 484 1.96x
Festiniog 481 9.76x
St Marylebone London 432 0.63x
Llandilo Fawr 420 17.51x
Cardiff St Mary 413 3.37x
Aberystwith 405 15.11x
Hackney London 403 0.56x
Kensington London 376 0.53x
St Woollos 373 3.62x
Cardiff St John 369 5.08x
Llanllwchaiarn 368 44.79x
Bangor 367 7.37x
Camberwell 367 0.45x
Bethnal Green London 360 0.65x
Sedgley 353 2.21x
Birkenhead 349 1.55x
Kirkdale 346 1.36x
Manchester 338 0.50x
Newington 338 0.72x
Trevethin 334 3.83x
Llanarth 333 38.01x
Battersea 332 0.71x
Roath 328 3.25x
Salford 328 0.74x
Walsall Foreign 328 1.47x
Llanllechid 325 8.96x
Oswestry Town 323 9.15x
Portsea 319 0.62x
Dolgelley 315 18.13x
Eglwysilan 315 8.17x
Llanidloes 312 14.39x
Shoreditch London 312 0.56x
Ynyscynhaiarn 305 12.69x
Pembrey 304 12.29x
Pembroke St Mary 292 5.59x
Holywell 291 6.75x
Dudley 284 1.40x
Neath 284 6.28x
Pool 284 12.87x
West Ham 281 0.51x
Llansant Ffraid 280 51.18x
Llanbyther 278 50.25x
Llandaff 275 3.72x
Paddington London 272 0.58x
Cwmdu 263 9.71x
St John Near Swansea 258 9.39x
Briton Ferry 252 9.50x
Holyhead 252 5.97x
Cardigan St Mary 246 20.62x
Towyn 245 16.67x
Cannock 242 3.22x
Llanfihangel Ar Arth 240 28.02x
Llanllyfni 237 9.73x
Chelsea London 235 0.61x
Llanbrynmair 233 33.70x
Swansea Higher 232 10.02x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10,870
Elizabeth 6,245
Sarah 4,601
Margaret 3,757
Jane 3,654
Ann 3,155
Anne 1,871
Hannah 1,676
Ellen 1,585
Catherine 1,546
Eliza 1,483
Martha 1,219
Annie 1,186
Alice 1,111
Emma 1,073
Emily 861
Rachel 700
Harriet 659
Maria 567
Louisa 485
Edith 475
Charlotte 437
Fanny 435
Esther 431
Eleanor 408
Caroline 399
Ada 387
Florence 355
Frances 342
Clara 325
Kate 325
Margret 292
Susan 279
Agnes 277
Elizth. 263
Lucy 244
Cathrine 243
Amelia 231
Sophia 217
Harriett 206
Rebecca 204
Margt. 196
Ruth 196
Anna 194
Laura 182
Matilda 180
Rose 177
Susannah 164
Gwen 158
Grace 149

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9,685
William 7,687
Thomas 6,058
David 4,773
Evan 2,843
James 2,502
George 2,377
Edward 1,969
Richard 1,796
Robert 1,613
Henry 1,572
Charles 1,313
Joseph 1,218
Samuel 961
Daniel 879
Alfred 732
Arthur 699
Benjamin 652
Frederick 537
Walter 521
Albert 466
Hugh 432
Owen 393
Lewis 383
Edwin 356
Wm. 351
Griffith 342
Harry 310
Thos. 306
Herbert 291
Isaac 291
Rees 291
Frank 276
Francis 264
Ernest 247
Morgan 232
Peter 158
Stephen 156
Enoch 138
Ellis 124
Jenkin 124
Morris 114
Edmund 94
Jno. 93
Abraham 91
Moses 87
Richd. 87
Elias 80
Joshua 78
Tom 78

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 Evans households.

FAQ

Evans surname: questions and answers

How common was the Evans surname in 1881?

In 1881, 130,734 people were recorded with the Evans surname. That placed it at #8 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Evans surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 173,080 in 2016. That gives Evans a modern rank of #8.

What does the Evans surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Evan, meaning "the son of Evan" in Welsh.

What does the Evans map show?

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