NameCensus.

UK surname

Flowers

An occupational surname for someone who grew or sold flowers, or lived near a field of flowers.

In the 1881 census there were 2,430 people recorded with the Flowers surname, ranking it #1,825 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,215, ranked #2,114, down from #1,825 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Preston, Torfaen and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Flowers is 3,263 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.3%.

1881 census count

2,430

Ranked #1,825

Modern count

3,215

2016, ranked #2,114

Peak year

2014

3,263 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Flowers had 2,430 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,825 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,215 in 2016, ranked #2,114.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,894 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Flowers surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Flowers surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Flowers 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 1,264 #2,256
1861 historical 1,266 #2,253
1881 historical 2,430 #1,825
1891 historical 2,427 #1,937
1901 historical 2,894 #1,937
1911 historical 2,817 #1,846
1997 modern 3,029 #2,123
1998 modern 3,142 #2,134
1999 modern 3,145 #2,154
2000 modern 3,119 #2,160
2001 modern 3,059 #2,152
2002 modern 3,135 #2,146
2003 modern 3,066 #2,141
2004 modern 3,108 #2,113
2005 modern 3,035 #2,133
2006 modern 3,047 #2,132
2007 modern 3,030 #2,161
2008 modern 3,059 #2,151
2009 modern 3,161 #2,136
2010 modern 3,235 #2,134
2011 modern 3,183 #2,142
2012 modern 3,150 #2,132
2013 modern 3,220 #2,129
2014 modern 3,263 #2,114
2015 modern 3,227 #2,121
2016 modern 3,215 #2,114

Geography

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Where Flowers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Portsmouth, Portsea and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Preston, Torfaen, Wakefield and Ashfield. 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 London parishes London 3
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Preston 009 Preston
2 Torfaen 001 Torfaen
3 Torfaen 003 Torfaen
4 Wakefield 001 Wakefield
5 Ashfield 007 Ashfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Flowers

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Flowers

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Flowers surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Flowers household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Flowers 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

Flowers is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Flowers 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 Flowers is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Flowers

The surname FLOWERS is an English name that originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near or associated with flowers. It is derived from the Old English word "blostm," which meant "blossom" or "flower." The name likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century, during the period when hereditary surnames were becoming common in England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FLOWERS can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named William Flowres is mentioned. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, with an entry for a Thomas Flowres.

The FLOWERS surname may have originated from various locations across England, as it is a descriptive name that could have arisen independently in different areas. Some examples of place names that may have influenced the surname include Flore in Northamptonshire and Flower's Green in Essex.

In the 14th century, the name FLOWERS appeared in the form "Flowris" in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1349. The variant spelling "Flowres" was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1381.

Notable historical figures with the surname FLOWERS include:

1. William Flowers (c. 1498-1588), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Winchester. 2. Benjamin Flowers (1758-1841), an English engraver and portrait painter known for his miniature portraits. 3. George French Flowers (1811-1892), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 35th Governor of New York from 1892 to 1893. 4. Roswell P. Flower (1835-1899), an American businessman and politician who served as the 30th Governor of New York from 1892 to 1895. 5. Robert Flowers (1940-2004), an American jazz saxophonist and composer known for his work with the Woodstock Masters of Music and Art ensemble.

While the FLOWERS surname has a long and rich history, it is important to note that the information provided here is based on historical records and may not reflect the most recent census data or modern trends.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Flowers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Flowers 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 388 Flowers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.64x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 388 1.64x
Warwickshire 229 3.84x
Yorkshire 197 0.84x
Lincolnshire 128 3.38x
Northamptonshire 127 5.70x
Surrey 120 1.04x
Durham 96 1.36x
Kent 89 1.10x
Nottinghamshire 89 2.79x
Lancashire 84 0.30x
Suffolk 83 2.88x
Gloucestershire 82 1.77x
Staffordshire 80 1.00x
Leicestershire 61 2.32x
Essex 52 1.11x
Norfolk 49 1.35x
Derbyshire 47 1.27x
Hampshire 46 0.95x
Sussex 42 1.05x
Somerset 37 0.97x
Buckinghamshire 34 2.38x
Berkshire 30 1.69x
Huntingdonshire 27 5.74x
Cambridgeshire 25 1.67x
Cheshire 24 0.46x
Oxfordshire 20 1.37x
Monmouthshire 19 1.11x
Worcestershire 18 0.58x
Bedfordshire 14 1.14x
Glamorgan 13 0.32x
Devon 10 0.20x
Selkirkshire 10 4.67x
Northumberland 9 0.26x
Hertfordshire 8 0.49x
Cornwall 6 0.22x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.80x
Angus 5 0.23x
Midlothian 5 0.16x
Shropshire 5 0.24x
Stirlingshire 4 0.46x
Royal Navy 2 0.71x
Rutland 2 1.15x
Wiltshire 2 0.10x
Anglesey 1 0.24x
Dorset 1 0.06x
Herefordshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 53 Flowers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.15x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 53 5.15x
Islington London 43 1.87x
Birmingham 34 1.71x
Portsea 30 3.15x
Nuneaton 28 40.48x
Aston 27 1.64x
Coventry St Michael 26 13.56x
Hammersmith London 26 4.46x
Leicester St Margaret 26 4.06x
St Pancras London 26 1.36x
Fulham London 24 6.99x
Coventry Holy Trinity 23 12.90x
Deptford St Paul 22 3.53x
Ramsey 22 58.45x
Camberwell 21 1.39x
Kensington London 21 1.60x
Earls Barton 20 105.26x
Mile End Old Town London 20 3.97x
Nether Hallam 20 6.30x
Abthorpe 19 509.38x
Croydon 19 2.97x
Lambeth 19 0.92x
Ipswich St Margaret 18 18.40x
Bromley London 17 3.26x
Cheltenham 17 4.75x
Nottingham St Mary 16 1.94x
Ratcliffe London 16 12.24x
Bishopwearmouth 15 2.48x
Lewisham 15 3.48x
Newington 15 1.72x
Peterborough 15 9.30x
Rotherhithe 15 5.13x
Shoreditch London 15 1.46x
Bedminster 14 3.91x
Bexley 14 19.61x
Crook Billy Row 14 15.52x
Daventry 14 44.44x
East Dereham 14 30.44x
Newark Upon Trent 14 12.21x
Wolverhampton 14 2.28x
Hucknall Under 13 78.98x
Hove 12 6.85x
Middleton Cheney 12 123.71x
Stockton On Tees 12 3.53x
Beachampton 11 625.00x
Chelsea London 11 1.54x
Little Bolton 11 3.05x
Paddington London 11 1.26x
Stretford 11 7.12x
Sutton Stoneferry 11 16.39x
Atherstone 10 32.79x
Barnsley 10 4.13x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 10 23.64x
Galashiels 10 12.63x
Marston 10 401.61x
St Luke London 10 2.63x
Stoneleigh 10 100.91x
Ampthill 9 49.18x
Bristol St Augustine 9 12.01x
Chepstow St Arvans 9 222.77x
Clifton 9 3.83x
Dukinfield 9 3.73x
Ecclesfield 9 5.23x
Exhall 9 99.45x
Glossop Dale 9 5.18x
Headingley Cum Burley 9 5.96x
Musden Grange 9 5000.00x
North Bedburn 9 45.73x
Pendlebury 9 15.17x
Poplar London 9 2.01x
Stoke 9 76.53x
Westminster St John 9 3.12x
Barton St Peter 8 46.11x
Cowbit 8 155.04x
Gloucester Holy Trinity 8 200.00x
Martin In Sleaford 8 120.66x
Newhaven 8 24.68x
Southwark St George Martyr 8 1.68x
St Giles 8 18.20x
Tipton 8 3.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 141
Elizabeth 110
Sarah 88
Ann 46
Eliza 46
Jane 43
Annie 42
Ellen 41
Emma 38
Hannah 38
Emily 35
Alice 32
Harriet 23
Martha 20
Margaret 19
Maria 17
Ada 16
Louisa 16
Fanny 15
Kate 14
Lucy 13
Florence 12
Caroline 11
Catherine 11
Edith 11
Charlotte 10
Matilda 10
Agnes 9
Amy 9
Clara 9
Frances 9
Susan 9
Amelia 8
Julia 8
Anna 7
Esther 7
Rebecca 7
Rose 7
Anne 6
Harriett 6
Jessie 6
Bessie 5
Ethel 5
Gertrude 5
Lilian 5
Selina 5
Sophia 5
Dorothy 4
Eleanor 4
May 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 150
John 130
George 111
Thomas 69
James 62
Henry 60
Joseph 45
Alfred 35
Arthur 32
Charles 31
Edward 25
Samuel 25
Harry 24
Robert 24
Frederick 21
Richard 20
Albert 15
Herbert 13
David 12
Walter 11
Ernest 10
Francis 9
Frank 9
Thos. 8
Fred 6
Daniel 5
Edmund 5
Fredrick 5
Tom 5
Anthony 4
Matthew 4
Sydney 4
Benjamin 3
Christopher 3
Edgar 3
Edwin 3
G. 3
Marcus 3
Percy 3
Philip 3
Sidney 3
Willm. 3
Wm. 3
Clement 2
Dennis 2
F. 2
Joshua 2
Orlando 2
Rouse 2
Saml. 2

FAQ

Flowers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Flowers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,430 people were recorded with the Flowers surname. That placed it at #1,825 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Flowers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,215 in 2016. That gives Flowers a modern rank of #2,114.

What does the Flowers surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who grew or sold flowers, or lived near a field of flowers.

What does the Flowers map show?

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