NameCensus.

UK surname

Licence

In the 1881 census there were 178 people recorded with the Licence surname, ranking it #13,840 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 280, ranked #15,491, down from #13,840 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Leiston with Sizewell and Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Powys, Colchester and Basingstoke and Deane.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Licence is 342 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 57.3%.

1881 census count

178

Ranked #13,840

Modern count

280

2016, ranked #15,491

Peak year

1998

342 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Licence had 178 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,840 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 280 in 2016, ranked #15,491.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 310 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Licence surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Licence surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Licence 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 89 #18,446
1861 historical 55 #27,007
1881 historical 178 #13,840
1891 historical 209 #14,459
1901 historical 238 #13,528
1911 historical 310 #11,180
1997 modern 305 #13,377
1998 modern 342 #12,739
1999 modern 333 #13,049
2000 modern 330 #13,066
2001 modern 332 #12,841
2002 modern 331 #13,115
2003 modern 313 #13,443
2004 modern 317 #13,400
2005 modern 316 #13,351
2006 modern 308 #13,669
2007 modern 308 #13,791
2008 modern 307 #13,907
2009 modern 307 #14,192
2010 modern 315 #14,223
2011 modern 308 #14,356
2012 modern 294 #14,705
2013 modern 303 #14,651
2014 modern 297 #14,943
2015 modern 288 #15,190
2016 modern 280 #15,491

Geography

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Where Licences are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Leiston with Sizewell, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a and Wickham Market. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Powys, Colchester, Basingstoke and Deane, Derby and Babergh. 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 Leiston with Sizewell Suffolk
3 London parishes London 3
4 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
5 Wickham Market Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Powys 011 Powys
2 Colchester 015 Colchester
3 Basingstoke and Deane 022 Basingstoke and Deane
4 Derby 004 Derby
5 Babergh 005 Babergh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Licence

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Licence

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

Licence 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

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

1881 census detail

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Licence families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Licence 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. Suffolk leads with 53 Licences recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.06x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 53 25.06x
Middlesex 30 1.73x
Surrey 25 2.96x
Kent 23 3.88x
Yorkshire 19 1.10x
Derbyshire 9 3.31x
Lancashire 8 0.39x
Essex 5 1.46x
Norfolk 2 0.75x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.91x
Dorset 1 0.88x
Hampshire 1 0.28x
Sussex 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leiston in Suffolk leads with 28 Licences recorded in 1881 and an index of 1931.03x.

Place Total Index
Leiston 28 1931.03x
Derby St Werburgh 9 57.36x
Deal 8 158.42x
Lowestoft 8 80.08x
Drighlington 7 278.88x
Hougham 7 198.86x
St Luke London 7 25.13x
Westminster St Margaret 7 83.63x
Wortham 6 1052.63x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 5 125.94x
Clerkenwell London 5 12.20x
Dover St James 5 192.31x
Islington London 5 2.97x
Kingston On Thames 5 24.61x
Prescot 5 134.05x
Richmond 5 42.19x
Rotherhithe 5 23.31x
Betchworth 4 384.62x
Bethnal Green London 4 5.30x
Croydon 4 8.52x
Hunslet 4 14.91x
Walton Le Soken 4 493.83x
Wortley In Bramley 4 29.35x
Heap 3 27.45x
Bowling 2 11.74x
Downe 2 606.06x
Ipswich St Margaret 2 27.86x
Ipswich St Peter 2 70.18x
Leeds 2 2.06x
Wickham Market 2 229.89x
All Saints Cambridge 1 129.87x
Battersea 1 1.57x
Christchurch 1 12.95x
Diss 1 43.67x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 17.45x
Kensington London 1 1.04x
Newington 1 1.56x
St Marylebone London 1 1.08x
Starston 1 333.33x
Waldron 1 125.00x
Waltham Holy Cross 1 31.25x
Weymouth 1 46.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Sarah 10
Eliza 7
Charlotte 6
Elizabeth 6
Jane 4
Martha 4
Annie 2
Edith 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Harriett 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Maude 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Allie 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Caroline 1
Edna 1
Ellen 1
Gertrude 1
Isabella 1
Katie 1
Laura 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Meg 1
Minnie 1
Pheba 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Sophia 1
Suanah 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1
Susannah 1
Thamzon 1
Thirza 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
William 10
James 7
Robert 7
Charles 5
Henry 5
Arthur 4
Alfred 3
Thomas 3
Frank 2
Frederick 2
George 2
Isaac 2
Nathan 2
Paul 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Bornham 1
Ebenezer 1
Edward 1
Ephraim 1
Fredk. 1
Herbert 1
Jeffery 1
Jeremiah 1
Joseph 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Licence surname: questions and answers

How common was the Licence surname in 1881?

In 1881, 178 people were recorded with the Licence surname. That placed it at #13,840 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Licence surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 280 in 2016. That gives Licence a modern rank of #15,491.

What does the Licence map show?

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