NameCensus.

UK surname

Flew

In the 1881 census there were 218 people recorded with the Flew surname, ranking it #12,158 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 231, ranked #17,764, down from #12,158 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Witheridge, Thelbridge. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Weymouth and Portland, Cornwall and South Gloucestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Flew is 276 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.0%.

1881 census count

218

Ranked #12,158

Modern count

231

2016, ranked #17,764

Peak year

1911

276 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Flew had 218 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,158 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 231 in 2016, ranked #17,764.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 276 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Flew surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Flew surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Flew 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 143 #13,343
1861 historical 147 #15,539
1881 historical 218 #12,158
1891 historical 220 #13,937
1901 historical 253 #13,045
1911 historical 276 #12,099
1997 modern 231 #16,049
1998 modern 236 #16,304
1999 modern 236 #16,404
2000 modern 237 #16,331
2001 modern 227 #16,573
2002 modern 232 #16,637
2003 modern 239 #16,093
2004 modern 237 #16,283
2005 modern 235 #16,335
2006 modern 228 #16,789
2007 modern 224 #17,193
2008 modern 223 #17,395
2009 modern 225 #17,631
2010 modern 226 #17,942
2011 modern 218 #18,206
2012 modern 214 #18,358
2013 modern 220 #18,324
2014 modern 221 #18,412
2015 modern 225 #18,050
2016 modern 231 #17,764

Geography

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Where Flews are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Witheridge, Thelbridge, Portland and St George. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Weymouth and Portland, Cornwall, South Gloucestershire, Caerphilly and Neath Port Talbot. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Witheridge, Thelbridge Devon
4 Portland Dorset
5 St George Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Weymouth and Portland 009 Weymouth and Portland
2 Cornwall 003 Cornwall
3 South Gloucestershire 023 South Gloucestershire
4 Caerphilly 002 Caerphilly
5 Neath Port Talbot 002 Neath Port Talbot

Forenames

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First names often paired with Flew

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Flew

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Flew surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Flew household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Challenged Inner London Communities

Within London, Flew is most associated with areas classed as Challenged Inner London Communities, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

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Group profile

Resident in some of Inner London’s most over-crowded communities, many families have children and marriage/civil partnership rates are above the Supergroup average. Other adults such as students live in communal establishments. Few residents have Level 4 educational qualifications, levels of unemployment are above the Supergroup average, and employment is concentrated in service occupations such as distribution, hotels and restaurants. Relative to the Supergroup average, fewer residents identify as being of mixed/multiple ethnicities, Black or Other Asian.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Flew is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Flew falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Flew is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Flew families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Flew 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. Dorset leads with 85 Flews recorded in 1881 and an index of 60.63x.

County Total Index
Dorset 85 60.63x
Devon 51 11.47x
Gloucestershire 39 9.31x
Somerset 15 4.36x
Surrey 9 0.86x
Yorkshire 8 0.38x
Hampshire 7 1.60x
Glamorgan 1 0.27x
Leicestershire 1 0.42x
Middlesex 1 0.05x
Royal Navy 1 3.93x
Wiltshire 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portland in Dorset leads with 84 Flews recorded in 1881 and an index of 1114.06x.

Place Total Index
Portland 84 1114.06x
Bristol St George 21 108.36x
Tiverton 9 117.49x
Horton In Bradford 8 24.20x
Witheridge 7 933.33x
Bedminster 6 18.57x
Bitton Oldland 6 140.19x
Lidford 6 300.00x
Rackenford 5 1851.85x
Barnstaple 4 57.31x
Bristol St Paul In 4 35.84x
Chulmleigh 4 396.04x
Croydon 4 6.92x
Battersea 3 3.82x
Holne 3 1363.64x
Portsea 3 3.50x
Timberscombe 3 1071.43x
Weeke 3 225.56x
West Anstey 3 1764.71x
Bitton 2 54.79x
Bristol St James St Paul 2 14.32x
Calverleigh 2 3333.33x
Clifton 2 9.44x
East Anstey 2 1176.47x
Sampford Peverell 2 425.53x
South Molton 2 81.97x
Wrington 2 173.91x
Abbas Combe 1 400.00x
Bathwick 1 26.25x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 2.54x
Crowcombe 1 312.50x
Fulham London 1 3.23x
Leicester St Mary 1 5.23x
Melcombe Regis 1 17.21x
Penge 1 7.33x
Portsmouth 1 9.92x
Royal Navy 1 4.60x
Streatham 1 6.31x
Swansea Town 1 3.28x
Swindon 1 6.83x
Taunton St Mary 1 15.85x
Tavistock 1 19.72x
Uplowman 1 344.83x
Westbury On Trym 1 7.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Elizabeth 9
Eliza 8
Emma 6
Annie 5
Jane 4
Rebecca 4
Sarah 4
Susan 4
Bessie 3
Clara 3
Ellen 3
Harriett 3
Maria 3
Alice 2
Allen 2
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Martha 2
Miriam 2
Priscilla 2
Selina 2
Adelaide 1
Angelina 1
Edith 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Georgina 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Kezia 1
Laura 1
Lavenia 1
Leila 1
Lily 1
Lousie 1
Lucy 1
Matilda 1
Melinda 1
Nellie 1
Sarahann 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Flew surname: questions and answers

How common was the Flew surname in 1881?

In 1881, 218 people were recorded with the Flew surname. That placed it at #12,158 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Flew surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 231 in 2016. That gives Flew a modern rank of #17,764.

What does the Flew map show?

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