NameCensus.

UK surname

Loe

A toponymic surname derived from the Old English word "hlaw," meaning a hill or mound.

In the 1881 census there were 218 people recorded with the Loe surname, ranking it #12,158 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 248, ranked #16,910, down from #12,158 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bishop's Sutton, Greenwich and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Babergh, Uttlesford and Monmouthshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Loe is 262 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.8%.

1881 census count

218

Ranked #12,158

Modern count

248

2016, ranked #16,910

Peak year

1851

262 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Loe had 218 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,158 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 248 in 2016, ranked #16,910.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 262 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Loe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Loe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Loe 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 262 #8,456
1881 historical 218 #12,158
1891 historical 3 #34,257
1901 historical 249 #13,172
1997 modern 230 #16,109
1998 modern 231 #16,555
1999 modern 247 #15,932
2000 modern 228 #16,743
2001 modern 222 #16,806
2002 modern 211 #17,696
2003 modern 206 #17,799
2004 modern 211 #17,590
2005 modern 209 #17,629
2006 modern 210 #17,718
2007 modern 222 #17,288
2008 modern 226 #17,238
2009 modern 229 #17,431
2010 modern 233 #17,606
2011 modern 235 #17,328
2012 modern 248 #16,618
2013 modern 257 #16,466
2014 modern 253 #16,774
2015 modern 243 #17,141
2016 modern 248 #16,910

Geography

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Where Loes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bishop's Sutton, Greenwich, London parishes, Portsmouth, Portsea and Woolwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Babergh, Uttlesford, Monmouthshire, Melton and Northampton. 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 Bishop's Sutton Hampshire
2 Greenwich London (South Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Woolwich London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Babergh 003 Babergh
2 Uttlesford 008 Uttlesford
3 Monmouthshire 004 Monmouthshire
4 Melton 003 Melton
5 Northampton 010 Northampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Loe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Loe

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

Loe 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

Loe falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Loe

The surname Loe originates from the Old English word "hlo" or the Anglo-Saxon word "hlaw", meaning a hill or mound. This name is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, dating back to the 5th to 11th centuries.

The name Loe was initially used as a topographic name, referring to people who lived near or on a hill or mound. It is likely that early bearers of this name lived in areas with such geographical features, and the name became a way to identify and distinguish them from others.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Loe can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Lowe" and "Loe", indicating that it was already established in different parts of England at that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Loe was Robert de la Lowe, who lived in Essex, England, in the 13th century. Another notable bearer of this name was John Lowe, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 14th century.

The surname Loe also has connections to place names in England. For instance, the village of Loe in Oxfordshire and the township of Lowe in Derbyshire likely derived their names from the same Old English root word as the surname.

Other notable individuals with the surname Loe throughout history include:

1. Nicholas Lowe (c. 1420 - c. 1492), an English composer and musician during the Renaissance period. 2. Robert Loe (c. 1550 - 1618), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of King James I. 3. Edward Lowe (1650 - 1718), an English playwright and poet known for his tragedy "The Unhappy Fair Irene" and his poem "The Phoenix". 4. Thomas Lowe (1736 - 1806), an English engraver and portrait painter who worked in London during the 18th century. 5. John Lowe (1805 - 1885), a British architect and civil engineer known for his work on railway infrastructure in the 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Loe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Loe 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. Hampshire leads with 63 Loes recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.86x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 63 14.86x
Surrey 45 4.47x
Middlesex 43 2.08x
Yorkshire 15 0.73x
Lancashire 10 0.41x
Buckinghamshire 7 5.60x
Kent 6 0.85x
Suffolk 5 1.99x
Sussex 5 1.43x
Durham 4 0.65x
Berkshire 2 1.29x
Somerset 2 0.60x
Hertfordshire 1 0.70x
Lincolnshire 1 0.30x
Northamptonshire 1 0.51x
Staffordshire 1 0.14x
Wiltshire 1 0.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Croydon in Surrey leads with 18 Loes recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.18x.

Place Total Index
Croydon 18 32.18x
Bow London 12 45.58x
Selborne 12 1395.35x
Camberwell 8 6.06x
Headley 8 695.65x
Leeds 8 6.91x
Shoreditch London 8 8.92x
Basingstoke 7 143.44x
Alton 6 188.09x
Horsforth 6 133.63x
Stoke 6 126.32x
Bishops Sutton 5 1666.67x
Clare 5 413.22x
Ince In Makerfield 5 43.78x
Simpson 5 961.54x
Thames Ditton 5 239.23x
Arreton 4 294.12x
Bramshott 4 380.95x
Kensington London 4 3.48x
Norton 4 176.99x
Poplar London 4 10.25x
Shanklin 4 317.46x
Greenwich 3 9.11x
Havant 3 139.53x
Mile End Old Town London 3 6.82x
Portsea 3 3.61x
St George In East London 3 15.42x
Worplesdon 3 247.93x
Brading 2 35.52x
Bromley 2 18.60x
Farnham 2 25.51x
Fenny Stratford 2 169.49x
Islington London 2 1.00x
Newington 2 2.62x
Portishead 2 80.97x
Preston 2 3.05x
St Botolph Aldgate London 2 46.95x
St George Hanover Square 2 5.49x
Subdeanery 2 75.47x
Alverstoke 1 6.52x
Baldock 1 74.63x
Bardsey Cum Rigton 1 434.78x
Bradford On Avon 1 17.06x
Brighton 1 1.42x
East Lockinge 1 434.78x
Godshill 1 102.04x
Grafton Regis 1 833.33x
Hammersmith London 1 1.96x
Hook Malden 1 250.00x
Liverpool 1 0.67x
Margate St John Baptist 1 7.74x
North Ambersham 1 833.33x
Portsmouth 1 10.25x
Salford 1 1.39x
St Anne Soho London 1 8.47x
St Margaret Lincoln 1 333.33x
St Maurice Winchester 1 56.82x
St Pancras London 1 0.60x
Steventon 1 500.00x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 1.35x
Tillington 1 158.73x
Warrington 1 3.44x
West Shefford 1 294.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Elizabeth 12
Eliza 7
Sarah 7
Ellen 6
Ann 4
Annie 4
Emma 3
Jane 3
Lucy 3
Amy 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Bessie 1
Charlotte 1
E.S. 1
Edith 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Harriette 1
Helen 1
John 1
Kate 1
Lottie 1
Madeline 1
Margret 1
Nelley 1
Rachel 1
Ruth 1
S.P. 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
Henry 13
James 9
John 7
Daniel 6
George 6
Alfred 4
Francis 4
Edward 3
Harry 3
Arthur 2
Frank 2
Herbert 2
Joseph 2
Michael 2
Rivers 2
Abraham 1
Archibald 1
B.B. 1
Charles 1
Edgar 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
F.G.C. 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Geo.W. 1
Johnson 1
Mark 1
Ormsby 1
Osmond 1
Rich. 1
Sidney 1
Sydney 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
Timothy 1
Walter 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Loe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Loe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 218 people were recorded with the Loe surname. That placed it at #12,158 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Loe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 248 in 2016. That gives Loe a modern rank of #16,910.

What does the Loe surname mean?

A toponymic surname derived from the Old English word "hlaw," meaning a hill or mound.

What does the Loe map show?

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