NameCensus.

UK surname

Grapes

An occupational surname derived from the vine-farming or wine-making trades.

In the 1881 census there were 171 people recorded with the Grapes surname, ranking it #14,212 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 145, ranked #24,293, down from #14,212 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ludham, Ranworth, Panxworth and Newport. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Norfolk, Broadland and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grapes is 194 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 15.2%.

1881 census count

171

Ranked #14,212

Modern count

145

2016, ranked #24,293

Peak year

1911

194 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grapes had 171 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,212 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016, ranked #24,293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 194 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Grapes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grapes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grapes 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 122 #14,966
1861 historical 120 #18,255
1881 historical 171 #14,212
1891 historical 184 #15,869
1901 historical 193 #15,469
1911 historical 194 #15,250
1997 modern 163 #20,038
1998 modern 171 #19,956
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 170 #20,120
2001 modern 169 #19,912
2002 modern 170 #20,243
2003 modern 171 #19,953
2004 modern 169 #20,206
2005 modern 161 #20,799
2006 modern 162 #20,886
2007 modern 158 #21,464
2008 modern 156 #21,862
2009 modern 161 #21,879
2010 modern 159 #22,577
2011 modern 157 #22,574
2012 modern 146 #23,681
2013 modern 149 #23,765
2014 modern 148 #24,075
2015 modern 142 #24,617
2016 modern 145 #24,293

Geography

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Where Grapes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ludham, Ranworth, Panxworth, Newport, Potter Heigham and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Norfolk, Broadland, South Norfolk and St Albans. 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 Ludham Norfolk
2 Ranworth, Panxworth Norfolk
3 Newport Hampshire
4 Potter Heigham Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Norfolk 014 North Norfolk
2 North Norfolk 013 North Norfolk
3 Broadland 001 Broadland
4 South Norfolk 006 South Norfolk
5 St Albans 020 St Albans

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grapes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grapes

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Grapes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Grapes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Grapes is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Grapes is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Grapes

The surname Grapes is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "grap," which means "a cluster of grapes." This occupational surname was likely given to someone who worked with grapes, such as a vineyard worker or wine maker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Grapes can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Gilbert le Graper in County Norfolk. This early spelling variation, "le Graper," further reinforces the occupational origins of the name.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Grapes appeared in various historical records across England. In the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, there is a record of a John Grapes. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1380 mention a William Grapes.

The surname Grapes has also been associated with certain place names in England. For example, the village of Grape in Buckinghamshire may have derived its name from the surname, or vice versa. Similarly, the Grapes Inn in Wapping, London, which dates back to the 17th century, may have been named after someone with the surname Grapes.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Grapes include:

1. Sir John Grapes (c. 1560-1628), an English merchant and member of the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America.

2. Richard Grapes (1589-1670), an English Puritan preacher and author, best known for his work "A Cluster of Grapes, or Divine Observations."

3. William Grapes (1610-1675), an English mathematician and surveyor, who published works on surveying and navigation.

4. Thomas Grapes (1718-1799), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and was captured at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.

5. Robert Grapes (1784-1858), an English engraver and printer, known for his work on maps and illustrations for various publications.

These examples illustrate the historical presence of the surname Grapes across different regions of England and various professions over several centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grapes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grapes 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 116 Grapes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.23x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 116 45.23x
Hampshire 11 3.22x
Middlesex 10 0.60x
Surrey 10 1.23x
Essex 6 1.82x
Hertfordshire 5 4.35x
Northumberland 5 2.01x
Kent 4 0.70x
Suffolk 2 0.98x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.95x
Lincolnshire 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Potter Heigham in Norfolk leads with 31 Grapes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 12916.67x.

Place Total Index
Potter Heigham 31 12916.67x
Ludham 21 4666.67x
Palling 15 5769.23x
Blofield 6 923.08x
Colchester St Botolph 6 214.29x
Horsford 6 1500.00x
Islington London 6 3.71x
Panxworth 6 7500.00x
South Walsham St Lawrence 6 4615.38x
Byker 5 40.75x
Newington 5 8.12x
Thurne 5 4166.67x
Brading 4 88.11x
Bromley 4 46.14x
Aylsham 3 196.08x
Barkway 3 666.67x
Camberwell 3 2.82x
St Nicholas 3 1500.00x
Stalham 3 612.24x
Carisbrooke 2 42.11x
Fincham 2 444.44x
Ipswich St Margaret 2 29.03x
Northwood 2 41.07x
Norwich St Clement 2 67.34x
Norwich St Stephen 2 85.11x
Ware 2 60.61x
Waxham 2 2500.00x
Wood Dalling 2 714.29x
All Hallows Barking 1 238.10x
Appleby 1 322.58x
Beechamwell 1 555.56x
Catfield 1 277.78x
Hampton London 1 36.50x
Hinxton 1 500.00x
Kensington London 1 1.08x
Lambeth 1 0.69x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.98x
St Marylebone London 1 1.12x
Thorpe Next Norwich 1 36.76x
Witton In Blofield 1 1250.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 10
Emily 9
Mary 9
Harriet 7
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Emma 3
Jane 3
Kate 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Anna 2
Ellen 2
Florence 2
Henrietta 2
Lucretia 2
Lucy 2
Sophia 2
Ada 1
Aleathea 1
Annie 1
Bessie 1
Charlotte 1
Christian 1
Clare 1
Elizi.Edith 1
Eva 1
Fanney 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Harriot 1
Hererietta 1
Isabella 1
Joy 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Lucritia 1
Marrion 1
Martha 1
Maryann 1
Milly 1
Rachel 1
Tryphena 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Grapes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grapes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 171 people were recorded with the Grapes surname. That placed it at #14,212 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grapes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016. That gives Grapes a modern rank of #24,293.

What does the Grapes surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the vine-farming or wine-making trades.

What does the Grapes map show?

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