NameCensus.

UK surname

Mence

In the 1881 census there were 145 people recorded with the Mence surname, ranking it #15,838 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 186, ranked #20,575, down from #15,838 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, Isle of Wight and Basildon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mence is 252 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.3%.

1881 census count

145

Ranked #15,838

Modern count

186

2016, ranked #20,575

Peak year

1911

252 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mence had 145 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,838 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 186 in 2016, ranked #20,575.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 252 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mence surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mence surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mence 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 112 #15,913
1861 historical 100 #21,103
1881 historical 145 #15,838
1891 historical 176 #16,404
1901 historical 207 #14,803
1911 historical 252 #12,834
1997 modern 189 #18,267
1998 modern 190 #18,687
1999 modern 186 #19,073
2000 modern 183 #19,239
2001 modern 182 #19,039
2002 modern 190 #18,889
2003 modern 173 #19,834
2004 modern 176 #19,731
2005 modern 175 #19,727
2006 modern 189 #18,961
2007 modern 183 #19,553
2008 modern 181 #19,875
2009 modern 192 #19,527
2010 modern 200 #19,457
2011 modern 200 #19,280
2012 modern 185 #20,223
2013 modern 188 #20,352
2014 modern 189 #20,441
2015 modern 183 #20,786
2016 modern 186 #20,575

Geography

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Where Mences are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick, London parishes, St Pancras, St James Clerkenwell and Wellesbourne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland, Isle of Wight, Basildon and Ceredigion. 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 Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick Worcestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
5 Wellesbourne Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 030 Sunderland
2 Isle of Wight 012 Isle of Wight
3 Sunderland 032 Sunderland
4 Basildon 009 Basildon
5 Ceredigion 005 Ceredigion

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mence

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mence

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

Mence is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Mence families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mence 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. Worcestershire leads with 59 Mences recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.95x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 59 31.95x
Middlesex 36 2.55x
Surrey 19 2.76x
Huntingdonshire 7 24.93x
Kent 6 1.24x
Yorkshire 6 0.43x
Warwickshire 4 1.12x
Lancashire 2 0.12x
Leicestershire 2 1.28x
Gloucestershire 1 0.36x
Herefordshire 1 1.72x
Oxfordshire 1 1.15x
Shropshire 1 0.82x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birlingham in Worcestershire leads with 14 Mences recorded in 1881 and an index of 8235.29x.

Place Total Index
Birlingham 14 8235.29x
Claines 9 177.51x
Eckington 9 2727.27x
St Pancras London 9 7.91x
St George In East 8 83.16x
Salwarpe 7 3333.33x
Acton 6 72.38x
Deptford St Paul 6 16.12x
Pershore St Andrew 6 588.24x
Redditch 6 160.43x
Battersea 5 9.61x
Fen Stanton 5 961.54x
Norton In Malton 5 294.12x
St Marylebone London 5 6.62x
Clerkenwell London 4 11.98x
Kingston On Thames 4 24.17x
Streatham 4 38.13x
Wellesbourne Mountford 4 1176.47x
St George Bloomsbury 3 36.99x
Wimbledon 3 38.76x
Bockleton 2 1818.18x
Bromsgrove 2 32.15x
Camberwell 2 2.21x
Leicester St Mary 2 15.79x
St Ives 2 136.99x
Walton On Hill 2 22.00x
Cheltenham 1 4.67x
Cowley 1 36.63x
Epsom 1 29.76x
Great Malvern 1 25.97x
Hammersmith London 1 2.87x
Kempsey 1 142.86x
Kirkheaton 1 44.05x
Ledbury 1 50.25x
St Martin 1 72.99x
Upton On Severn 1 82.64x
Worcester All Sts 1 93.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 9
Mary 9
Sarah 6
Annie 4
Alice 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Amelia 2
Ann 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amey 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Augusta 1
Blanche 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Christiana 1
Clara 1
Doris 1
Ella 1
Elsie 1
Evelyn 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Gladys 1
Grace 1
H. 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Kate 1
L.P. 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
Lucy 1
M.A. 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Susan 1
Wendy 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
Charles 8
George 5
Henry 4
John 4
Edward 3
Richard 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Frederick 2
Sidney 2
Thomas 2
Benjamin 1
David 1
Edwd. 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
James 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Martin 1
Oscar 1
Philip 1
Robert 1
W.C. 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Mence surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mence surname in 1881?

In 1881, 145 people were recorded with the Mence surname. That placed it at #15,838 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mence surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 186 in 2016. That gives Mence a modern rank of #20,575.

What does the Mence map show?

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