NameCensus.

UK surname

Livens

In the 1881 census there were 74 people recorded with the Livens surname, ranking it #23,062 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 119, ranked #27,704, down from #23,062 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Anne Soho, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Livens is 134 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 60.8%.

1881 census count

74

Ranked #23,062

Modern count

119

2016, ranked #27,704

Peak year

2000

134 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Livens had 74 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,062 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016, ranked #27,704.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 122 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Livens surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Livens surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Livens 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 59 #22,756
1861 historical 69 #25,057
1881 historical 74 #23,062
1891 historical 87 #25,802
1901 historical 75 #25,852
1911 historical 122 #20,245
1997 modern 123 #23,792
1998 modern 124 #24,316
1999 modern 128 #24,017
2000 modern 134 #23,358
2001 modern 129 #23,557
2002 modern 132 #23,680
2003 modern 133 #23,359
2004 modern 121 #24,939
2005 modern 125 #24,398
2006 modern 126 #24,493
2007 modern 128 #24,632
2008 modern 128 #24,901
2009 modern 129 #25,314
2010 modern 130 #25,775
2011 modern 124 #26,367
2012 modern 120 #26,961
2013 modern 124 #26,842
2014 modern 122 #27,358
2015 modern 117 #27,982
2016 modern 119 #27,704

Geography

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Where Livens' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Anne Soho, London parishes, St Pancras, Old Monkland and Great Amwell, Broxbourne (Hoddesdon). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire West and Chester. 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 St Anne Soho London (Central Districts)
2 London parishes London 1
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Old Monkland Lanark
5 Great Amwell, Broxbourne (Hoddesdon) Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire West and Chester 008 Cheshire West and Chester
2 Cheshire West and Chester 007 Cheshire West and Chester
3 Cheshire West and Chester 010 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Cheshire West and Chester 024 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Cheshire West and Chester 014 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Livens

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Livens

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Livens surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Livens household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Livens is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Livens is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Livens falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Livens families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Livens 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 35 Livens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.85x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 35 4.85x
Essex 10 7.02x
Hertfordshire 7 14.07x
Northumberland 7 6.52x
Surrey 5 1.42x
Leicestershire 4 5.00x
Ayrshire 2 3.70x
Lanarkshire 2 0.86x
Kent 1 0.41x
Lincolnshire 1 0.87x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 17 Livens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.27x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 17 29.27x
North Weald Bassett 9 3600.00x
Coxlodge 7 853.66x
Broxbourne 5 505.05x
Croydon 5 25.61x
St George Martyr London 5 342.47x
Hackney London 4 9.89x
Knighton 4 888.89x
St Anne Soho London 4 97.09x
Paddington London 3 11.31x
Kilmarnock 2 31.10x
Old Monkland 2 21.60x
Edmonton 1 17.21x
Gainsborough 1 36.76x
Great Hormead 1 769.23x
Hertford St Andrew 1 163.93x
Mountnessing 1 454.55x
Ramsgate 1 24.88x
St Marylebone London 1 2.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Emma 3
Maria 3
Alice 2
Sophia 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Anne 1
Dora 1
Elizabeth 1
Emelia 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Harriett 1
Jane 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Nellie 1
Rebecca 1
Selina 1
Sybla 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 5
Arthur 4
William 4
Charles 3
Frederick 3
Thomas 3
Alfred 2
Walter 2
Alexander 1
Carey 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
James 1
John 1

FAQ

Livens surname: questions and answers

How common was the Livens surname in 1881?

In 1881, 74 people were recorded with the Livens surname. That placed it at #23,062 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Livens surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016. That gives Livens a modern rank of #27,704.

What does the Livens map show?

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