NameCensus.

UK surname

Jervis

An old French surname referring to a servant from Jersey.

In the 1881 census there were 2,300 people recorded with the Jervis surname, ranking it #1,943 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,700, ranked #2,487, down from #1,943 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors, London parishes and Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Powys, Portsmouth and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jervis is 2,891 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.4%.

1881 census count

2,300

Ranked #1,943

Modern count

2,700

2016, ranked #2,487

Peak year

1911

2,891 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jervis had 2,300 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,943 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,700 in 2016, ranked #2,487.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,891 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jervis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jervis surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Jervis 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 1,669 #1,724
1861 historical 1,461 #1,943
1881 historical 2,300 #1,943
1891 historical 2,125 #2,194
1901 historical 2,659 #2,078
1911 historical 2,891 #1,802
1997 modern 2,595 #2,446
1998 modern 2,889 #2,325
1999 modern 2,885 #2,343
2000 modern 2,824 #2,366
2001 modern 2,763 #2,370
2002 modern 2,820 #2,374
2003 modern 2,765 #2,367
2004 modern 2,755 #2,378
2005 modern 2,710 #2,384
2006 modern 2,669 #2,416
2007 modern 2,689 #2,417
2008 modern 2,684 #2,433
2009 modern 2,748 #2,438
2010 modern 2,800 #2,446
2011 modern 2,789 #2,431
2012 modern 2,726 #2,438
2013 modern 2,769 #2,446
2014 modern 2,771 #2,465
2015 modern 2,725 #2,472
2016 modern 2,700 #2,487

Geography

Back to top

Where Jervis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors, London parishes, Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington, Llanbrynmair and Bedwelty. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Powys, Portsmouth, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford and Shropshire. 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 Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors Shropshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington Staffordshire
4 Llanbrynmair Montgomeryshire
5 Bedwelty Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Powys 010 Powys
2 Portsmouth 001 Portsmouth
3 Newcastle-under-Lyme 005 Newcastle-under-Lyme
4 Stafford 003 Stafford
5 Shropshire 031 Shropshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Jervis

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Jervis

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

Jervis is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Jervis

The surname Jervis is of English origin, derived from the Old French personal name "Gervaise," itself derived from the Germanic elements "ger" meaning "spear" and "vais" meaning "fallow land." The name dates back to the 11th century and is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, before being brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jervis can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Gerveis" and "Gervasius" in various entries, indicating its presence in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

In the 12th century, the name Jervis began appearing in various historical records and manuscripts, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Curia Regis Rolls. These records often referred to individuals with the name Jervis holding various positions or owning land in different parts of England.

One notable figure with the surname Jervis was Sir John Jervis (1735-1823), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He was known for his victories at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797 and the Battle of the Nile in 1798, and was later elevated to the peerage as Earl of St. Vincent.

Another prominent individual with the surname Jervis was John Jervis, 1st Earl of St. Vincent (1735-1823), who was a British naval officer and politician. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1801 to 1804 and played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars.

In the literary world, Thomas Jervis (1748-1833) was an English poet and translator, known for his translations of works by Greek and Roman authors, as well as his original poetry.

William Jervis (1807-1879) was an English architect and engineer, best known for his work on the construction of the Midland Grand Hotel (now known as St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel) in London, which was completed in 1873.

Lastly, John Jervis-White-Jervis (1857-1921) was a British politician and businessman who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Harwich from 1900 to 1906.

While the Jervis surname has its roots in England and can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, through immigration and migration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Jervis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jervis 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. Staffordshire leads with 461 Jervis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.08x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 461 6.08x
Lancashire 372 1.40x
Shropshire 215 11.09x
Cheshire 146 2.95x
Middlesex 142 0.63x
Montgomeryshire 110 21.39x
Surrey 79 0.72x
Leicestershire 56 2.25x
Glamorgan 52 1.33x
Derbyshire 45 1.28x
Devon 45 0.96x
Northamptonshire 43 2.04x
Monmouthshire 42 2.59x
Essex 40 0.90x
Yorkshire 39 0.18x
Kent 31 0.40x
Warwickshire 30 0.53x
Hampshire 25 0.54x
Somerset 25 0.69x
Worcestershire 22 0.75x
Gloucestershire 19 0.43x
Lincolnshire 19 0.53x
Nottinghamshire 18 0.59x
Suffolk 18 0.66x
Midlothian 16 0.53x
Caernarfonshire 15 1.65x
Denbighshire 15 1.77x
Channel Islands 12 1.80x
Durham 12 0.18x
Berkshire 11 0.65x
Sussex 11 0.29x
Wiltshire 11 0.55x
Lanarkshire 10 0.14x
Fife 9 0.68x
Merionethshire 9 2.19x
Renfrewshire 8 0.46x
Herefordshire 7 0.76x
Angus 6 0.29x
Norfolk 5 0.14x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.19x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.28x
Oxfordshire 4 0.29x
Anglesey 3 0.75x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.22x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.32x
Flintshire 3 0.50x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.67x
Peeblesshire 3 2.84x
Royal Navy 3 1.12x
Westmorland 3 0.61x
Bedfordshire 2 0.17x
Cardiganshire 2 0.37x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.33x
Hertfordshire 2 0.13x
Perthshire 2 0.20x
Cumberland 1 0.05x
Dorset 1 0.07x
Radnorshire 1 0.55x
Selkirkshire 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 160 Jervis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.91x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 160 19.91x
Wrockwardine 36 84.43x
Stone 35 36.12x
Bedwellty 34 11.87x
Llanbrynmair 34 279.61x
Ashton Under Lyne 32 5.50x
Wigan 24 6.45x
Hackney London 23 1.83x
Wolverhampton 23 3.95x
Burslem 22 10.14x
Islip 22 501.14x
Nantwich 22 38.21x
Openshaw 20 16.03x
Wolstanton 20 8.69x
Lambeth 19 0.97x
Newington 19 2.29x
Parr 19 19.94x
Stafford St Mary 19 17.72x
Tref Eglwys 19 135.42x
Cheadle 18 19.02x
Salford 18 2.30x
Aston 17 1.09x
Liverpool 17 1.05x
Manchester 17 1.42x
Mucklestone 17 233.84x
Wellington 17 15.60x
Trentham 16 24.83x
Eccleshall 15 52.21x
Everton 15 1.77x
Llanidloes 15 39.34x
Pendleton In Salford 15 4.73x
West Derby 15 1.93x
Cemmes 14 192.31x
Chetwynd 14 223.64x
Monks Coppenhall 14 7.49x
Portsea 14 1.55x
Shrewsbury Holy Cross 14 65.36x
Castle Church 13 28.55x
Hulme 13 2.34x
Merthyr Tydfil 13 3.46x
Toxteth Park 13 1.44x
Tranmere 13 7.14x
Wombridge 13 54.30x
Barwell 12 91.19x
Camberwell 12 0.84x
Staveley 12 19.24x
Drayton In Hales 11 27.51x
Killamarsh 11 50.32x
Leicester St Margaret 11 1.81x
Llanddeiniolen 11 20.73x
Llangynwyd Higher 11 58.60x
Worfield 11 81.72x
Congleton 10 11.68x
Eckington 10 11.71x
Hampstead London 10 2.86x
Hodnet 10 66.01x
Kensington London 10 0.80x
Rugeley 10 18.39x
St George Hanover Square 10 2.53x
Uttoxeter 10 25.78x
Audley 9 12.00x
Cheswardine 9 108.70x
Martinhoe 9 608.11x
Shifnal 9 17.09x
Stoney Stanton 9 117.80x
West Ham 9 0.92x
Woodford 9 76.66x
Aston Tirrold 8 334.73x
Bedford 8 14.36x
Briton Ferry 8 17.16x
Cathcart 8 8.50x
Colchester St Giles 8 18.27x
Grouville 8 43.17x
Hammersmith London 8 1.45x
Nottingham St Mary 8 1.02x
Paddington London 8 0.97x
Prestwich 8 12.04x
Sapcote 8 150.38x
Sedgley 8 2.84x
Willaston In Nantwich 8 52.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 164
Elizabeth 90
Sarah 90
Ann 61
Jane 52
Eliza 41
Hannah 32
Emma 29
Martha 29
Alice 27
Margaret 27
Annie 26
Ellen 26
Emily 26
Harriet 21
Maria 18
Anne 16
Catherine 16
Charlotte 15
Edith 14
Ada 13
Florence 13
Caroline 11
Louisa 11
Fanny 9
Sophia 9
Clara 8
Frances 8
Lizzie 7
Agnes 6
Kate 6
Minnie 6
Rebecca 6
Harriett 5
Jessie 5
Lucy 5
Matilda 5
Amelia 4
Cathrine 4
Eliz. 4
Elizth. 4
Ethel 4
Gertrude 4
Helen 4
Margret 4
Marian 4
Ruth 4
Jemima 3
May 3
Rhoda 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 156
John 128
Thomas 116
James 64
George 52
Henry 44
Joseph 40
Samuel 37
Charles 32
Richard 32
Edward 25
Arthur 21
Frederick 18
Robert 18
David 14
Ernest 13
Albert 12
Frank 12
Harry 12
Alfred 11
Walter 9
Edwin 8
Herbert 8
Isaac 8
Daniel 7
Wm. 7
Evan 6
Peter 6
Abraham 4
Allen 4
Ellis 4
Enoch 4
Fredrick 4
Humphrey 4
Jesse 4
Josiah 4
Benjamin 3
Chas. 3
Leonard 3
Roger 3
Saml. 3
Thos. 3
Austin 2
Claude 2
Levi 2
Lionel 2
Michael 2
Philip 2
Rees 2
Reuben 2

FAQ

Jervis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jervis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,300 people were recorded with the Jervis surname. That placed it at #1,943 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jervis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,700 in 2016. That gives Jervis a modern rank of #2,487.

What does the Jervis surname mean?

An old French surname referring to a servant from Jersey.

What does the Jervis map show?

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