NameCensus.

UK surname

Green

A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near a village green or had a green complexion.

In the 1881 census there were 84,164 people recorded with the Green surname, ranking it #20 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 116,279, also still ranked #20.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, Fenland and Herefordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Green is 120,992 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.2%.

1881 census count

84,164

Ranked #20

Modern count

116,279

2016, ranked #20

Peak year

1999

120,992 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Green had 84,164 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 116,279 in 2016, ranked #20.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 112,012 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Green surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Green surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Green 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 55,285 #23
1861 historical 59,156 #21
1881 historical 84,164 #20
1891 historical 92,600 #21
1901 historical 104,208 #19
1911 historical 112,012 #19
1997 modern 116,081 #20
1998 modern 120,354 #20
1999 modern 120,992 #20
2000 modern 120,080 #20
2001 modern 117,014 #20
2002 modern 119,362 #20
2003 modern 116,389 #20
2004 modern 116,392 #19
2005 modern 113,953 #20
2006 modern 113,601 #20
2007 modern 114,290 #19
2008 modern 114,608 #20
2009 modern 117,313 #21
2010 modern 119,899 #20
2011 modern 117,619 #21
2012 modern 115,149 #21
2013 modern 117,809 #20
2014 modern 118,467 #20
2015 modern 116,846 #20
2016 modern 116,279 #20

Geography

Back to top

Where Greens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, Sheffield and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, Fenland, Herefordshire, West Lindsey and Wigan. 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 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 110 Leeds
2 Fenland 002 Fenland
3 Herefordshire 023 Herefordshire, County of
4 West Lindsey 004 West Lindsey
5 Wigan 008 Wigan

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Green

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Green

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

Green is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Green

The surname Green is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "grene," meaning green, referring to a person who lived near a village green or in a verdant area. It emerged as a descriptive surname during the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Green can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202, where a Robert Green is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also lists a John le Grene from Oxfordshire.

The surname Green is closely associated with various place names, such as Greenfield, Greenford, and Greenhill, reflecting the geographic connection to green or grassy areas. Some early spellings of the name include Grene, Grene, and Grenne.

Prominent historical figures bearing the surname Green include Sir Henry Green (1583-1636), a renowned English lawyer and judge during the reign of King Charles I. Another notable individual was John Green (1688-1757), an English bishop and author of "The Principles of the Reverend Dr. Snape in a Letter to the Bishop of Bangor."

In literature, the name appears in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," where a character named Green is mentioned in the Prologue to the Cook's Tale, written around 1390.

During the 16th century, a Robert Green (1558-1592) gained recognition as a renowned English poet, playwright, and pamphleteer. His works include "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay" and "The Scottish History of James IV."

Another notable figure was Bartholomew Green (1667-1732), an English printer and publisher who established the Cambridge University Press in 1698 and played a significant role in the development of printing in England.

The surname Green has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the English countryside and its bearers leaving their mark across various fields, including law, literature, and publishing.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Green families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Green 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. Lancashire leads with 10,442 Greens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.07x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 10,442 1.07x
Middlesex 9,642 1.17x
Yorkshire 9,022 1.11x
Surrey 4,519 1.13x
Staffordshire 3,708 1.34x
Warwickshire 3,597 1.73x
Essex 2,660 1.64x
Norfolk 2,457 1.94x
Kent 2,297 0.82x
Lincolnshire 2,270 1.73x
Worcestershire 1,884 1.75x
Durham 1,866 0.76x
Hampshire 1,815 1.08x
Cheshire 1,794 0.99x
Gloucestershire 1,740 1.08x
Derbyshire 1,652 1.28x
Suffolk 1,514 1.51x
Leicestershire 1,496 1.64x
Nottinghamshire 1,486 1.34x
Northamptonshire 1,401 1.81x
Oxfordshire 1,380 2.72x
Sussex 1,343 0.97x
Somerset 1,060 0.80x
Northumberland 933 0.76x
Berkshire 879 1.42x
Hertfordshire 778 1.37x
Lanarkshire 772 0.29x
Buckinghamshire 762 1.53x
Wiltshire 750 1.03x
Cambridgeshire 713 1.37x
Dorset 684 1.27x
Shropshire 669 0.94x
Bedfordshire 580 1.36x
Devon 560 0.33x
Glamorgan 552 0.39x
Herefordshire 438 1.30x
Cornwall 415 0.45x
Monmouthshire 348 0.59x
Cumberland 347 0.49x
Huntingdonshire 270 1.65x
Midlothian 220 0.20x
Renfrewshire 215 0.34x
Banffshire 205 1.20x
Ayrshire 193 0.31x
Denbighshire 161 0.52x
Aberdeenshire 160 0.21x
Rutland 118 1.95x
Channel Islands 114 0.47x
Angus 108 0.14x
Caithness 105 0.93x
Flintshire 105 0.47x
Fife 93 0.19x
Royal Navy 87 0.89x
Westmorland 76 0.42x
Caernarfonshire 60 0.18x
Dumfriesshire 58 0.32x
Montgomeryshire 57 0.30x
Carmarthenshire 49 0.14x
Isle of Man 49 0.32x
Morayshire 47 0.37x
Stirlingshire 47 0.15x
Kirkcudbrightshire 44 0.37x
Pembrokeshire 42 0.16x
Cardiganshire 41 0.20x
Shetland 41 0.49x
Perthshire 32 0.09x
Brecknockshire 30 0.18x
Merionethshire 29 0.19x
Anglesey 28 0.19x
Radnorshire 24 0.36x
Wigtownshire 23 0.21x
Dunbartonshire 22 0.10x
Roxburghshire 22 0.15x
Peeblesshire 17 0.44x
East Lothian 16 0.15x
Selkirkshire 16 0.22x
West Lothian 14 0.11x
Kincardineshire 13 0.13x
Orkney 13 0.14x
Sutherland 11 0.17x
Argyllshire 9 0.04x
Buteshire 9 0.18x
Nairnshire 6 0.24x
Inverness-shire 4 0.02x
Clackmannanshire 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. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 1,168 Greens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.69x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 1,168 1.69x
Aston 1,063 1.86x
Lambeth 917 1.28x
Islington London 843 1.06x
St Pancras London 671 1.01x
Camberwell 604 1.15x
Shoreditch London 536 1.50x
Kensington London 535 1.17x
Leeds 528 1.15x
Hackney London 516 1.12x
St Marylebone London 512 1.17x
Liverpool 465 0.78x
Portsea 454 1.37x
West Ham 435 1.21x
Bethnal Green London 431 1.21x
Preston 429 1.64x
Nottingham St Mary 413 1.44x
Leicester St Margaret 409 1.84x
Mile End Old Town London 404 2.31x
Sheffield 390 1.50x
Manchester 385 0.88x
Newington 385 1.27x
Wigan 356 2.61x
Everton 343 1.10x
Paddington London 343 1.13x
West Bromwich 341 2.15x
Ecclesall Bierlow 338 2.04x
Wolverhampton 334 1.56x
Battersea 325 1.07x
Brightside Bierlow 317 1.98x
Brighton 309 1.10x
St George Hanover Square 309 2.13x
West Derby 309 1.08x
Toxteth Park 308 0.93x
Bermondsey 299 1.22x
Barony 283 0.42x
Blackburn 283 1.09x
Oldham 282 0.90x
Hammersmith London 269 1.33x
Chelsea London 261 1.05x
Kingswinford 260 2.58x
Stoke Upon Trent 250 0.85x
Cheltenham 232 1.86x
Salford 230 0.80x
Holy Trinity 215 1.10x
Nether Hallam 215 1.95x
Croydon 213 0.96x
Ince In Makerfield 208 4.58x
Clerkenwell London 207 1.07x
Deptford St Paul 207 0.96x
Barnsley 205 2.44x
Walsall Foreign 203 1.42x
Hindley 200 4.81x
Bromley London 190 1.05x
Poplar London 184 1.19x
Hulme 179 0.88x
Southwark St George Martyr 174 1.05x
Birkenhead 171 1.18x
Bradford 171 0.87x
Coventry St Michael 169 2.54x
Great Yarmouth 169 1.61x
Hunslet 168 1.32x
Westhoughton 168 6.45x
Wednesfield 167 4.09x
Keighley 165 1.90x
Lewisham 161 1.08x
Sedgley 159 1.54x
Glasgow 156 0.33x
Bishopwearmouth 153 0.73x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 152 1.00x
Govan 152 0.23x
Pemberton 148 3.80x
St George In East London 148 1.91x
Sculcoates 147 1.14x
Rowley Regis 146 1.89x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 145 1.91x
Ashton Under Lyne 141 0.66x
Clapham 141 1.37x
Fulham London 139 1.17x
Great Bolton 139 1.08x
Kirkdale 139 0.85x
Farnworth 137 2.34x
Chorlton On Medlock 134 0.86x
Halifax 134 1.12x
Pendleton In Salford 132 1.14x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5,361
Elizabeth 3,275
Sarah 3,067
Ann 1,656
Jane 1,511
Alice 1,327
Emma 1,321
Ellen 1,311
Eliza 1,255
Annie 1,156
Emily 998
Hannah 874
Margaret 766
Martha 709
Louisa 558
Harriet 552
Charlotte 532
Maria 527
Fanny 520
Ada 501
Florence 500
Caroline 445
Edith 432
Catherine 404
Clara 373
Kate 356
Lucy 346
Frances 309
Susan 304
Anne 294
Agnes 292
Harriett 292
Rose 255
Amelia 225
Esther 215
Isabella 206
Matilda 204
Sophia 203
Rebecca 202
Julia 174
Elizth. 168
Minnie 156
Susannah 149
Gertrude 148
Amy 146
Jessie 146
Eleanor 136
Lydia 136
Ethel 134
Laura 130

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 5,008
John 4,633
George 3,118
Thomas 2,753
James 2,612
Henry 1,724
Charles 1,712
Joseph 1,576
Robert 961
Edward 905
Alfred 904
Arthur 880
Frederick 770
Samuel 721
Richard 669
Walter 667
Albert 580
Harry 545
Herbert 370
Frank 355
Ernest 282
David 254
Francis 253
Benjamin 249
Edwin 249
Wm. 219
Fred 185
Daniel 162
Thos. 151
Tom 131
Stephen 119
Isaac 118
Peter 114
Geo. 105
Mark 89
Fredrick 84
Chas. 82
Fredk. 81
Christopher 80
Percy 77
Edmund 75
Michael 75
Sidney 73
Abraham 70
Matthew 67
Ralph 67
Patrick 64
Philip 64
Leonard 60
Joshua 57

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 Green households.

FAQ

Green surname: questions and answers

How common was the Green surname in 1881?

In 1881, 84,164 people were recorded with the Green surname. That placed it at #20 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Green surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 116,279 in 2016. That gives Green a modern rank of #20.

What does the Green surname mean?

A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near a village green or had a green complexion.

What does the Green map show?

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