NameCensus.

UK surname

Mehew

In the 1881 census there were 150 people recorded with the Mehew surname, ranking it #15,489 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 171, ranked #21,726, down from #15,489 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Pidley with Fenton, London parishes and Eynesbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Northamptonshire, Breckland and Gedling.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mehew is 221 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.0%.

1881 census count

150

Ranked #15,489

Modern count

171

2016, ranked #21,726

Peak year

1911

221 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mehew had 150 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,489 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 171 in 2016, ranked #21,726.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 221 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mehew surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mehew surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mehew 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 154 #12,668
1861 historical 109 #19,693
1881 historical 150 #15,489
1891 historical 182 #15,983
1901 historical 197 #15,272
1911 historical 221 #14,044
1997 modern 193 #18,035
1998 modern 204 #17,896
1999 modern 210 #17,712
2000 modern 204 #17,987
2001 modern 200 #17,948
2002 modern 196 #18,535
2003 modern 191 #18,628
2004 modern 194 #18,566
2005 modern 182 #19,259
2006 modern 183 #19,326
2007 modern 178 #19,887
2008 modern 166 #20,966
2009 modern 171 #21,024
2010 modern 187 #20,309
2011 modern 181 #20,579
2012 modern 171 #21,303
2013 modern 166 #22,075
2014 modern 167 #22,180
2015 modern 172 #21,649
2016 modern 171 #21,726

Geography

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Where Mehews are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Pidley with Fenton, London parishes, Eynesbury, Tilbrook and Kimbolton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Northamptonshire, Breckland, Gedling, Huntingdonshire and Harlow. 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 Pidley with Fenton Huntingdonshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Eynesbury Huntingdonshire
4 Tilbrook Huntingdonshire
5 Kimbolton Huntingdonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Northamptonshire 005 East Northamptonshire
2 Breckland 013 Breckland
3 Gedling 013 Gedling
4 Huntingdonshire 015 Huntingdonshire
5 Harlow 010 Harlow

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mehew

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mehew

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mehew is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mehew 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

Mehew 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 Mehew is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mehew, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Mehew families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mehew 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. Bedfordshire leads with 39 Mehews recorded in 1881 and an index of 51.48x.

County Total Index
Bedfordshire 39 51.48x
Huntingdonshire 31 106.71x
Middlesex 18 1.23x
Cambridgeshire 12 12.95x
Leicestershire 11 6.78x
Lincolnshire 11 4.70x
Kent 8 1.60x
Northamptonshire 4 2.91x
Nottinghamshire 4 2.03x
Staffordshire 4 0.81x
Hertfordshire 2 1.98x
Midlothian 2 1.02x
Cheshire 1 0.31x
Cornwall 1 0.60x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Sussex 1 0.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stotfold in Bedfordshire leads with 16 Mehews recorded in 1881 and an index of 1103.45x.

Place Total Index
Stotfold 16 1103.45x
Wisbech St Peter 11 236.56x
Syston 10 657.89x
Tilbrook 10 5000.00x
Plumstead 8 48.08x
Chelsea London 6 13.61x
Dean 6 2400.00x
St Pancras London 6 5.10x
Biggleswade 5 201.61x
Godmanchester 5 454.55x
Huntingdon St Mary 5 684.93x
Eynesbury 4 597.01x
Hucknall Torkard 4 80.00x
Kimbolton 4 655.74x
Spaldwick 4 2222.22x
St Giles Cripplegate 4 206.19x
Huntingdon St John 3 357.14x
Little Weldon 3 1304.35x
Morton In Bourn 3 625.00x
Pidley Cum Fenton 3 1363.64x
St Nicholas Lincoln 3 133.93x
Walsall Foreign 3 11.76x
Aspley Guise 2 273.97x
Bluntisham 2 370.37x
Heckington 2 224.72x
South Leith 2 9.07x
Spittlegate 2 61.73x
Chatteris 1 42.37x
Codicote 1 166.67x
Everton 1 1.81x
Feock 1 96.15x
Grappenhall 1 256.41x
Hackney London 1 1.22x
Halstead 1 666.67x
Hitchin 1 21.98x
Islington London 1 0.71x
Kettering 1 17.95x
New Sleaford 1 66.67x
St Ives 1 66.23x
Standon 1 555.56x
Subdeanery 1 53.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Eliza 9
Sarah 6
Annie 4
Elizabeth 4
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Bella 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Lucy 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Betsy 1
Clara 1
Dora 1
Florence 1
France 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Jenny 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Naomi 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
George 8
Thomas 8
William 7
James 6
Charles 4
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
Joseph 3
Reuben 3
Alfred 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Bertie 1
David 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Hardingham 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Jacob 1
Obed 1
Patrick 1
Pickard 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Wilfred 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Mehew surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mehew surname in 1881?

In 1881, 150 people were recorded with the Mehew surname. That placed it at #15,489 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mehew surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 171 in 2016. That gives Mehew a modern rank of #21,726.

What does the Mehew map show?

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