NameCensus.

UK surname

Love

An English surname derived from the Old English lufu, referring to a passionate or amorous person.

In the 1881 census there were 7,121 people recorded with the Love surname, ranking it #596 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,284, ranked #570, up from #596 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Beith, Govan Combination and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Paisley North, Stockton-on-Tees and North East Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Love is 11,284 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.5%.

1881 census count

7,121

Ranked #596

Modern count

11,284

2016, ranked #570

Peak year

2016

11,284 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Love had 7,121 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #596 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,284 in 2016, ranked #570.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,790 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Love surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Love surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Love 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 4,667 #596
1861 historical 4,675 #607
1881 historical 7,121 #596
1891 historical 7,408 #605
1901 historical 8,790 #597
1911 historical 6,323 #809
1997 modern 10,362 #596
1998 modern 10,672 #601
1999 modern 10,739 #599
2000 modern 10,684 #597
2001 modern 10,455 #597
2002 modern 10,670 #599
2003 modern 10,396 #602
2004 modern 10,450 #601
2005 modern 10,327 #602
2006 modern 10,326 #604
2007 modern 10,453 #602
2008 modern 10,524 #601
2009 modern 10,776 #599
2010 modern 11,053 #600
2011 modern 10,897 #599
2012 modern 10,799 #593
2013 modern 11,151 #578
2014 modern 11,261 #577
2015 modern 11,194 #574
2016 modern 11,284 #570

Geography

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Where Loves are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Beith, Govan Combination, London parishes, Glasgow and Paisley Abbey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Paisley North, Stockton-on-Tees, North East Lincolnshire, Swale and Thrashbush. 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 Beith Ayr
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 London parishes London 3
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Paisley North Renfrewshire
2 Stockton-on-Tees 002 Stockton-on-Tees
3 North East Lincolnshire 013 North East Lincolnshire
4 Swale 006 Swale
5 Thrashbush North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Love

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Love

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Love surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Love household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Love 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

Love is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Love falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Love

The surname Love is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "lufu," which means "love" or "affection." This surname likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was perceived as being affectionate or loving.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Love can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this record, there are entries for individuals with the surname Love, indicating that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Love was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in eastern England. Some early examples of people with this surname include John Love, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and William Love, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1199.

Over the centuries, the surname Love has also been associated with various place names, such as Lovelane in Oxfordshire and Loveday in Buckinghamshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Love throughout history include:

1. Nicholas Love (c. 1360 - c. 1423), an English Carthusian monk and religious writer best known for his translation of the pseudo-Bonaventuran work "The Mirrour of the Blessed Lyf of Jesu Christ."

2. Robert Love (c. 1608 - 1664), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and covenanter who was executed for his opposition to the religious policies of the Stuart monarchy.

3. John Love (1695 - 1750), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the 14th Governor of Newfoundland from 1743 to 1748.

4. James Love (1770 - 1853), a Scottish architect and civil engineer who designed numerous bridges, harbors, and public buildings in Scotland during the early 19th century.

5. Albert Love (1842 - 1927), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the JCPenney department store chain and was actively involved in promoting education and social welfare initiatives.

While the surname Love has a long and interesting history, it is important to note that this report focuses solely on the surname itself and does not cover its use as a first or given name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Love families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Love 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. Lanarkshire leads with 1,064 Loves recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.75x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 1,064 4.75x
Middlesex 595 0.86x
Renfrewshire 474 8.83x
Ayrshire 471 9.09x
Kent 379 1.60x
Surrey 320 0.95x
Hampshire 241 1.70x
Staffordshire 217 0.93x
Lancashire 208 0.25x
Somerset 194 1.74x
Essex 174 1.27x
Norfolk 162 1.52x
Wiltshire 157 2.56x
Northamptonshire 149 2.29x
Yorkshire 144 0.21x
Devon 130 0.90x
Gloucestershire 121 0.89x
Durham 120 0.58x
Berkshire 109 2.10x
Nottinghamshire 101 1.08x
Lincolnshire 92 0.83x
Midlothian 90 0.97x
Stirlingshire 90 3.52x
Wigtownshire 85 9.24x
Sussex 82 0.70x
Clackmannanshire 71 12.41x
Fife 64 1.56x
Worcestershire 57 0.63x
Northumberland 56 0.54x
Cornwall 55 0.70x
Monmouthshire 55 1.10x
Dorset 53 1.17x
Warwickshire 53 0.30x
Suffolk 47 0.56x
Derbyshire 46 0.42x
Leicestershire 45 0.59x
Cambridgeshire 44 1.00x
Dumfriesshire 43 2.81x
Cumberland 40 0.67x
Dunbartonshire 38 2.04x
Glamorgan 36 0.30x
Hertfordshire 35 0.73x
Perthshire 32 1.03x
Shropshire 31 0.52x
Huntingdonshire 29 2.11x
Cheshire 28 0.18x
West Lothian 28 2.68x
Rutland 22 4.33x
Angus 20 0.31x
Kirkcudbrightshire 19 1.90x
Buckinghamshire 11 0.26x
Buteshire 10 2.38x
Argyllshire 8 0.42x
Herefordshire 8 0.28x
Aberdeenshire 7 0.11x
Channel Islands 5 0.24x
Bedfordshire 4 0.11x
Denbighshire 4 0.15x
Royal Navy 4 0.48x
Selkirkshire 4 0.64x
East Lothian 3 0.33x
Isle of Man 2 0.16x
Oxfordshire 2 0.05x
Sutherland 2 0.38x
Westmorland 2 0.13x
Banffshire 1 0.07x
Flintshire 1 0.05x
Inverness-shire 1 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.05x
Ross-shire 1 0.05x
Roxburghshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 297 Loves recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.36x.

Place Total Index
Govan 297 5.36x
Barony 255 4.50x
Glasgow 146 3.67x
Beith 115 74.36x
Abbey 104 12.70x
Old Monkland 94 10.58x
Islington London 88 1.31x
Lochwinnoch 61 76.27x
Lambeth 60 0.99x
Hackney London 58 1.49x
East Greenock 53 10.46x
Clackmannan 52 48.11x
Paisley High Church 52 12.17x
West Ham 51 1.69x
Brading 49 25.98x
Cadder 48 29.02x
New Monkland 48 7.25x
Nottingham St Mary 42 1.74x
St Pancras London 42 0.75x
Paisley Middle Church 38 12.16x
West Greenock 38 3.94x
Wolverhampton 37 2.06x
Battersea 36 1.41x
Walcot 36 6.06x
Kilbarchan 35 21.47x
Northampton St Sepulchre 35 10.56x
Bothwell 34 5.60x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 32 0.86x
Hamilton 32 5.12x
Northwood 30 14.84x
Peterborough 30 6.36x
Axminster 29 42.91x
Bermondsey 29 1.41x
Cannock 29 7.11x
Sedgley 29 3.34x
Maidstone 28 3.98x
Portsea 27 0.97x
Swindon 27 5.68x
Loudoun 26 20.86x
Phillack 26 25.69x
Slamannan 26 18.59x
West Derby 26 1.08x
Liddiard Tregooze 25 159.74x
Tonbridge 25 2.93x
Margate St John Baptist 24 5.55x
Ryde 24 7.87x
Chelsea London 23 1.10x
Dreghorn 23 24.52x
Dunfermline 23 3.65x
Girvan 23 17.68x
Great Yarmouth 23 2.61x
Paddington London 23 0.90x
Runton 23 190.56x
Ardrossan 22 12.26x
Bothkennar 22 28.86x
Southwark St George Martyr 22 1.58x
Chard 21 15.55x
Mochrum 21 38.25x
Alburgh 20 136.05x
Aston 20 0.42x
Pinchbeck 20 28.18x
Westbury On Trym 20 4.35x
Camberwell 19 0.43x
Dundee 19 0.79x
Oldbury 19 4.27x
Rutherglen 19 5.78x
St Marylebone London 19 0.51x
Twickenham 19 6.40x
Ayr 18 7.36x
Dudley 18 1.64x
Englishcombe 18 145.16x
Poplar London 18 1.38x
Bethnal Green London 17 0.57x
Dumbarton 17 6.56x
Kilmarnock 17 2.76x
Kingsthorpe 17 23.48x
Leicester St Margaret 17 0.91x
Lyncombe Widcombe 17 5.82x
Newington 17 0.66x
Eastwood 16 4.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 279
Elizabeth 162
Sarah 157
Ann 96
Eliza 79
Ellen 72
Jane 72
Emma 70
Emily 63
Annie 60
Alice 58
Hannah 40
Charlotte 38
Harriet 38
Martha 33
Margaret 32
Caroline 30
Fanny 29
Louisa 29
Edith 28
Maria 24
Ada 23
Amelia 23
Isabella 22
Kate 22
Lucy 22
Agnes 21
Catherine 21
Florence 21
Rose 20
Susan 18
Anne 17
Jessie 16
Julia 16
Clara 14
Frances 14
Lydia 14
Amy 13
Esther 13
Sophia 13
Minnie 12
Rebecca 12
Harriett 11
Matilda 11
Anna 10
Bessie 10
Grace 10
Maud 10
Rachel 10
Bertha 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 294
John 230
George 178
James 144
Thomas 136
Charles 98
Henry 87
Joseph 67
Robert 67
Alfred 62
Samuel 47
Frederick 45
Edward 43
Richard 38
Arthur 37
Walter 31
Albert 26
Frank 23
David 22
Harry 21
Herbert 16
Edwin 14
Ernest 14
Benjamin 12
Daniel 12
Francis 9
Chas. 8
Isaac 8
Stephen 8
Andrew 7
Wm. 7
Elijah 6
Fredrick 6
Paul 6
Tom 6
Abraham 5
Alexander 5
Cornelius 5
Edgar 5
Frederic 5
Fredk. 5
Horace 5
Jacob 5
Richd. 5
Thos. 5
Christopher 4
Fred 4
Hugh 4
Reuben 4
Robt. 4

FAQ

Love surname: questions and answers

How common was the Love surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,121 people were recorded with the Love surname. That placed it at #596 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Love surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,284 in 2016. That gives Love a modern rank of #570.

What does the Love surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English lufu, referring to a passionate or amorous person.

What does the Love map show?

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