NameCensus.

UK surname

Greenup

A locational surname referring to someone from a high or elevated green.

In the 1881 census there were 186 people recorded with the Greenup surname, ranking it #13,448 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 126, ranked #26,686, down from #13,448 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Caldbeck, Manchester and Holme Cultram. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gateshead, Carlisle and The Vale of Glamorgan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Greenup is 198 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.3%.

1881 census count

186

Ranked #13,448

Modern count

126

2016, ranked #26,686

Peak year

1901

198 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Greenup had 186 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,448 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016, ranked #26,686.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 198 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Greenup surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Greenup surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Greenup 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 117 #15,456
1861 historical 98 #21,388
1881 historical 186 #13,448
1891 historical 151 #18,242
1901 historical 198 #15,213
1911 historical 176 #16,185
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 145 #22,139
1999 modern 140 #22,789
2000 modern 134 #23,358
2001 modern 133 #23,132
2002 modern 131 #23,793
2003 modern 123 #24,497
2004 modern 121 #24,939
2005 modern 119 #25,193
2006 modern 125 #24,611
2007 modern 129 #24,503
2008 modern 129 #24,790
2009 modern 127 #25,564
2010 modern 135 #25,127
2011 modern 140 #24,395
2012 modern 124 #26,432
2013 modern 127 #26,452
2014 modern 123 #27,206
2015 modern 126 #26,654
2016 modern 126 #26,686

Geography

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Where Greenups are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Caldbeck, Manchester, Holme Cultram, Dalston and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gateshead, Carlisle and The Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Caldbeck Cumberland
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Holme Cultram Cumberland
4 Dalston Cumberland
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gateshead 015 Gateshead
2 Gateshead 021 Gateshead
3 Carlisle 013 Carlisle
4 The Vale of Glamorgan 002 Vale of Glamorgan
5 Gateshead 023 Gateshead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Greenup

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Greenup

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Greenup surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Greenup household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Greenup is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Greenup is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Greenup falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Greenup

The surname Greenup is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is a locational name derived from a place called Greenup, which was likely a small hamlet or village located in one of the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire or Lancashire.

The name Greenup is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "grene," meaning green, and "hop," meaning a small valley or enclosure. This suggests that the original settlement of Greenup was situated in a green, lush valley or surrounded by verdant hills.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Greenup can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1301, where a certain Adam de Grenehop is mentioned. This document suggests that the name was already established by the early 14th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records with different spellings, such as Grenop, Grenop, and Grenehopp, reflecting the fluid nature of spelling conventions during that time period.

One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Thomas Greenup (c. 1570-1628), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the early 17th century.

Another historical figure with the name Greenup was William Greenup (1679-1737), a wealthy merchant and ship owner from Bristol, England, who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade.

In the 18th century, the name Greenup appeared in the records of the Virginia Colony in North America, suggesting that some members of the family had emigrated there. John Greenup (1753-1818) was a prominent figure in the early history of Kentucky, serving as the second Governor of the state from 1804 to 1808.

The surname Greenup also has a connection to the town of Greenup, Illinois, which was named after William C. Greenup, an early settler and landowner in the area.

Other notable individuals with the surname Greenup include James Greenup (1833-1912), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and Sir Geoffrey Greenup (1892-1976), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as Ambassador to Argentina in the mid-20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Greenup families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Greenup 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 72 Greenups recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.34x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 72 3.34x
Cumberland 56 35.85x
Yorkshire 12 0.67x
Durham 10 1.85x
Northumberland 9 3.33x
Warwickshire 8 1.75x
Kent 6 0.97x
Cambridgeshire 5 4.35x
Middlesex 5 0.28x
Cheshire 1 0.25x
Staffordshire 1 0.16x
Sussex 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hulme in Lancashire leads with 24 Greenups recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.40x.

Place Total Index
Hulme 24 53.40x
Caldbeck 17 2328.77x
Chorlton On Medlock 10 29.24x
Manchester 8 8.26x
Oldham 8 11.51x
West Derby 8 12.70x
Aston 7 5.56x
Hensingham 7 546.88x
Alnwick 6 129.31x
Bentham 6 437.96x
Plumstead 6 29.08x
Bishopwearmouth 5 10.79x
Dalston Buckabank 5 1562.50x
Droylsden 5 71.23x
Low Holme 5 568.18x
Crosscanonby 4 77.37x
Eston 4 102.04x
Gateshead 4 9.90x
St Andrewthe Less 4 30.46x
Workington 4 44.74x
Holme St Cuthbert 3 652.17x
Islington London 3 1.71x
Newton 3 18.08x
Dalston 2 165.29x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 5.47x
Oulton 2 869.57x
Broadwater 1 14.25x
Caldewgate 1 11.68x
Darlington 1 4.80x
Edgbaston 1 7.05x
Egremont 1 26.88x
Embleton 1 454.55x
Garston 1 15.75x
Great Bolton 1 3.51x
Knutsford Nether 1 41.32x
Longton 1 111.11x
Mosser 1 2000.00x
Preston 1 1.74x
Rockcliff 1 204.08x
Sharperton 1 2000.00x
Shipley 1 1666.67x
St Bartholomew Less 1 107.53x
St Cuthbert W O 1 13.14x
St Marythe Less 1 142.86x
St Sepulchre London 1 37.59x
Stretford 1 8.45x
Swarland 1 1111.11x
Toxteth Park 1 1.37x
Westward 1 153.85x
Wolverhampton 1 2.12x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
William 14
Joseph 9
Thomas 5
Alfred 3
Charles 2
Harry 2
Isaac 2
Wm. 2
Albert 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Briton 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Dixon 1
Ed. 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Elhu 1
Elihm 1
Elihu 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
Hewit 1
Hugh 1
James 1
Johnathan 1
Jonathan 1
Jonathon 1
Joshua 1
Matthew 1
Peter 1
R. 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Stamper 1
Sydney 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Greenup surname: questions and answers

How common was the Greenup surname in 1881?

In 1881, 186 people were recorded with the Greenup surname. That placed it at #13,448 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Greenup surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016. That gives Greenup a modern rank of #26,686.

What does the Greenup surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a high or elevated green.

What does the Greenup map show?

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