NameCensus.

UK surname

Ives

Derived from the given name Ivo, meaning "yew wood" or "archer's bow."

In the 1881 census there were 3,510 people recorded with the Ives surname, ranking it #1,299 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,802, ranked #1,415, down from #1,299 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St John Hackney and St Marylebone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Hertfordshire, Cheltenham and Broadland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ives is 5,189 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.8%.

1881 census count

3,510

Ranked #1,299

Modern count

4,802

2016, ranked #1,415

Peak year

1999

5,189 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ives had 3,510 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,299 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,802 in 2016, ranked #1,415.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,144 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ives surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ives surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ives 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 1,987 #1,458
1861 historical 1,828 #1,582
1881 historical 3,510 #1,299
1891 historical 3,856 #1,241
1901 historical 4,531 #1,262
1911 historical 5,144 #1,017
1997 modern 4,965 #1,323
1998 modern 5,170 #1,312
1999 modern 5,189 #1,317
2000 modern 5,142 #1,317
2001 modern 5,012 #1,323
2002 modern 5,135 #1,319
2003 modern 4,960 #1,330
2004 modern 4,921 #1,341
2005 modern 4,843 #1,344
2006 modern 4,809 #1,358
2007 modern 4,806 #1,375
2008 modern 4,849 #1,370
2009 modern 4,954 #1,370
2010 modern 5,043 #1,380
2011 modern 4,956 #1,384
2012 modern 4,878 #1,374
2013 modern 4,914 #1,392
2014 modern 4,921 #1,397
2015 modern 4,862 #1,399
2016 modern 4,802 #1,415

Geography

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Where Ives' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St John Hackney, St Marylebone 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 East Hertfordshire, Cheltenham, Broadland and Kettering. 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 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
4 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Hertfordshire 012 East Hertfordshire
2 Cheltenham 005 Cheltenham
3 East Hertfordshire 013 East Hertfordshire
4 Broadland 011 Broadland
5 Kettering 011 Kettering

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ives

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ives

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Ives is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ives is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Ives

The surname Ives is of English origin, derived from the personal name Ive, which was a medieval diminutive form of the name Ivan. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."

The earliest known bearer of the surname was Ive de Aldrid, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1176. This suggests that the name was well-established in England by the late 12th century.

The Ives surname is believed to have originated in the county of Essex, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. The name is also found in early records from Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Ivo is mentioned as holding lands in Lincolnshire.

During the 13th century, the name was often spelled as Ive, Yve, or Yves, reflecting its French influences. Over time, the spelling evolved into the more modern form of Ives.

Notable individuals with the surname Ives throughout history include:

1. John Ives (c. 1568-1644), an English Puritan minister and author. 2. Jeremiah Ives (1768-1846), an American Episcopal bishop and founder of the Ives Prize at Yale University. 3. Charles Edward Ives (1874-1954), an American modernist composer and one of the first internationally recognized American composers. 4. Burl Ives (1909-1995), an American actor, writer, and folk singer, known for his roles in popular films like "The Big Country" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." 5. Charles Ives (1919-2008), an American artist and sculptor known for his abstract and minimalist works.

The Ives surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Ives Green in Essex, Ives Farm in Hampshire, and Ives Marsh in Gloucestershire, further underscoring its longstanding presence in the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ives families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ives 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 862 Ives' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.52x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 862 2.52x
Yorkshire 395 1.16x
Norfolk 375 7.13x
Surrey 301 1.80x
Essex 255 3.77x
Kent 191 1.64x
Buckinghamshire 142 6.86x
Suffolk 122 2.93x
Hertfordshire 101 4.28x
Northamptonshire 84 2.61x
Oxfordshire 69 3.26x
Cambridgeshire 61 2.81x
Lancashire 59 0.15x
Bedfordshire 58 3.27x
Berkshire 50 1.95x
Hampshire 49 0.70x
Sussex 49 0.85x
Cheshire 45 0.60x
Warwickshire 43 0.50x
Nottinghamshire 35 0.76x
Staffordshire 25 0.22x
Northumberland 20 0.39x
Worcestershire 15 0.34x
Lincolnshire 14 0.26x
Durham 13 0.13x
Huntingdonshire 13 1.91x
Gloucestershire 9 0.13x
Leicestershire 9 0.24x
Cumberland 8 0.27x
Cornwall 6 0.15x
Devon 6 0.08x
Lanarkshire 5 0.05x
Shropshire 5 0.17x
Midlothian 3 0.07x
Somerset 3 0.05x
Royal Navy 2 0.49x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.03x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.07x
Derbyshire 1 0.02x
Herefordshire 1 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.09x
Rutland 1 0.40x
Wiltshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 66 Ives' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.99x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 66 1.99x
Great Yarmouth 65 14.91x
Hackney London 57 2.97x
Kensington London 54 2.84x
West Ham 54 3.62x
Lambeth 53 1.78x
Castle Camps 50 479.85x
St Pancras London 42 1.52x
St Marylebone London 40 2.19x
Wycombe 40 25.93x
Hammersmith London 36 4.27x
Deptford St Paul 35 3.89x
Newington 35 2.77x
St George Hanover Square 35 5.80x
Camberwell 33 1.51x
Milton In Gravesend 30 17.13x
Shipley 30 17.04x
Clerkenwell London 29 3.59x
Bromley London 25 3.32x
Shoreditch London 25 1.68x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 24 19.48x
Barugh 24 83.77x
Lancing 24 151.42x
Poplar London 24 3.71x
Great Missenden 23 90.20x
Heston 23 20.23x
Leeds 23 1.20x
Norwood 22 28.11x
Ravensden 22 396.40x
Tottenham 22 4.04x
Bermondsey 21 2.06x
Frimley 21 44.20x
Paddington London 21 1.67x
Thornage 21 548.30x
Bethnal Green London 20 1.35x
Esholt 20 439.56x
Mile End New Town London 20 29.57x
Mile End Old Town London 20 2.75x
Dartford 19 15.91x
Greenwich 19 3.49x
Northampton St Sepulchre 19 11.60x
Ashton Under Lyne 18 2.03x
Bedford St Paul 18 14.81x
Rotherhithe 18 4.26x
Scarborough 18 5.84x
St Anne Soho London 18 9.21x
Foxearth 17 363.25x
Standon 17 70.02x
Baildon 16 25.05x
Brightlingsea 16 41.44x
Enfield 16 7.12x
Huddersfield 16 3.24x
Hyde 16 7.18x
Kirby Cane 16 325.20x
Edmonton 15 5.44x
Heigham 15 5.31x
Yeadon 15 19.58x
Chelsea London 14 1.36x
Dewsbury 14 4.02x
Liverpool 14 0.57x
Oxford St Giles 14 13.88x
St Luke London 14 2.55x
Birmingham 13 0.45x
Croydon 13 1.40x
Fulham London 13 2.62x
Hampstead London 13 2.44x
Northampton Priory St 13 6.73x
Willesden 13 4.03x
Aylesbury 12 13.09x
Aylsham 12 38.30x
Briston 12 120.24x
Chislehurst 12 19.16x
Clapham 12 2.80x
Coventry Holy Trinity 12 4.66x
Ealing 12 3.92x
Elswick 12 2.95x
South Weald 12 20.74x
Thame 12 31.22x
Tring 12 19.05x
Wroxham 12 270.27x

FAQ

Ives surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ives surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,510 people were recorded with the Ives surname. That placed it at #1,299 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ives surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,802 in 2016. That gives Ives a modern rank of #1,415.

What does the Ives surname mean?

Derived from the given name Ivo, meaning "yew wood" or "archer's bow."

What does the Ives map show?

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