NameCensus.

UK surname

Mummery

A surname derived from the Old French word "momer", meaning to act in ridiculous disguise or masquerade.

In the 1881 census there were 481 people recorded with the Mummery surname, ranking it #6,969 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 780, ranked #7,067, down from #6,969 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Dover St James, Dover St Mary and Margate. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Uttlesford, Canterbury and Isle of Anglesey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mummery is 849 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 62.2%.

1881 census count

481

Ranked #6,969

Modern count

780

2016, ranked #7,067

Peak year

1999

849 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mummery had 481 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,969 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 780 in 2016, ranked #7,067.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 719 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Mummery surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mummery surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mummery 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 352 #6,705
1861 historical 335 #7,610
1881 historical 481 #6,969
1891 historical 530 #7,073
1901 historical 630 #6,801
1911 historical 719 #5,942
1997 modern 804 #6,516
1998 modern 821 #6,624
1999 modern 849 #6,493
2000 modern 813 #6,693
2001 modern 803 #6,634
2002 modern 816 #6,660
2003 modern 791 #6,710
2004 modern 765 #6,923
2005 modern 753 #6,935
2006 modern 768 #6,857
2007 modern 766 #6,938
2008 modern 764 #6,999
2009 modern 777 #7,051
2010 modern 780 #7,169
2011 modern 791 #7,018
2012 modern 748 #7,246
2013 modern 778 #7,133
2014 modern 784 #7,120
2015 modern 783 #7,063
2016 modern 780 #7,067

Geography

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Where Mummerys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Dover St James, Dover St Mary, Margate, Ashford and Chart, Great. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Uttlesford, Canterbury, Isle of Anglesey, Breckland and Ashford. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
3 Margate Kent
4 Ashford Kent
5 Chart, Great Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Uttlesford 002 Uttlesford
2 Canterbury 018 Canterbury
3 Isle of Anglesey 009 Isle of Anglesey
4 Breckland 007 Breckland
5 Ashford 001 Ashford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mummery

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mummery

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Mummery surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mummery household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Mummery is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Mummery is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mummery falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mummery

The surname Mummery is of English origin, deriving from the term "mummer," which referred to a person who performed in mumming plays or festive entertainments during the Christmas season. These mummers would dress up in disguises and visit houses, enacting short plays or skits in exchange for food and drink.

The name is thought to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England, where mumming traditions were particularly popular in the medieval and early modern periods. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname is believed to be Mommere, found in the Hundred Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

References to individuals with the surname Mummery can be traced back to the 16th century. One notable example is John Mummery, a merchant from Gloucestershire, who is mentioned in the Gloucestershire Visitation of 1623. Another early record is that of William Mummery, born in 1620 in Worcestershire, who was listed in the parish registers of the village of Bromsgrove.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname began to spread beyond the West Midlands region. One notable figure was Samuel Mummery (1681-1768), a prominent Quaker from Westmorland who was a minister and author of several religious works.

The 19th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals with the Mummery surname. These include Albert Mummery (1825-1895), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist from Berkshire, and Antill Piers Mummery (1878-1942), a British mountaineer and explorer who was part of several expeditions to the Himalayas.

Another significant figure was John Howard Mummery (1856-1923), a pioneering English dentist who made significant contributions to the field of oral surgery and dental education. He was the founder of the Dental School of London Hospital and served as the president of the British Dental Association.

Other notable individuals with the surname Mummery include Richard Mummery (1853-1936), an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club, and Walter Mummery (1918-1993), a British actor and voice artist known for his work in radio and television.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mummery families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mummery 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. Kent leads with 267 Mummerys recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.64x.

County Total Index
Kent 267 16.64x
Middlesex 48 1.02x
Surrey 42 1.83x
Suffolk 37 6.46x
Sussex 18 2.27x
Hampshire 13 1.35x
Hertfordshire 11 3.39x
Yorkshire 8 0.17x
Bedfordshire 7 2.88x
Lancashire 7 0.13x
Lincolnshire 7 0.93x
Essex 3 0.32x
Northumberland 3 0.43x
Anglesey 2 2.40x
Oxfordshire 2 0.69x
Royal Navy 2 3.57x
Staffordshire 2 0.13x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.53x
Glamorgan 1 0.12x
Midlothian 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lowestoft in Suffolk leads with 27 Mummerys recorded in 1881 and an index of 99.82x.

Place Total Index
Lowestoft 27 99.82x
Margate St John Baptist 26 88.53x
Ashford 25 160.05x
Folkestone 17 54.63x
Southwark St John 16 111.27x
Great Chart 15 1250.00x
Lympne 15 1666.67x
Whitstable 12 152.48x
East Barnet 11 171.07x
Swingfield 11 1774.19x
Deal 10 73.10x
Ospringe 9 456.85x
Canterbury St Mary 8 74.28x
Charlton 8 75.12x
Hook 8 78.05x
Horsted Keynes 8 432.43x
Oulton 8 414.51x
Sibertswold 8 952.38x
Smeeth 8 800.00x
Aspley Guise 7 300.43x
Portsea 7 3.71x
Tottenham 7 9.35x
Bermondsey 6 4.29x
Bethnal Green London 6 2.94x
Bridge 6 434.78x
Camberwell 6 2.00x
Dover St James 6 85.35x
Seasalter 6 295.57x
St Pancras London 6 1.59x
Willesborough 6 139.21x
Eynsford 5 181.82x
Great Grimsby 5 10.48x
Guston 5 781.25x
Lambeth 5 1.22x
Southampton St Mary 5 8.25x
Warehorne 5 581.40x
Charing 4 184.33x
Hampstead London 4 5.46x
Hawkinge 4 2000.00x
Islington London 4 0.88x
Newington 4 2.30x
Orlestone 4 606.06x
Ramsgate 4 15.28x
St Luke London 4 5.30x
Steyning 4 148.70x
Walmer 4 57.39x
Ash Next Sandwich 3 84.51x
Deptford St Paul 3 2.42x
Dover St Mary Virgin 3 19.32x
Shoreditch London 3 1.47x
Clee With Weelsby 2 12.15x
Cudham 2 121.95x
Farnworth 2 5.98x
Finchley 2 11.09x
Hammersmith London 2 1.73x
Hastings All Sts 2 26.77x
Hawkhurst 2 40.08x
Henley On Thames 2 33.61x
Hothfield 2 384.62x
Hythe St Leonard 2 35.27x
Kingston On Thames 2 3.63x
Kirkdale 2 2.13x
Rotherhithe 2 3.44x
Royal Navy 2 4.18x
Sellinge 2 192.31x
Shire Hall Yard 2 408.16x
Spotland 2 3.22x
St George Hanover 2 3.26x
St Lawrence 2 18.13x
Stafford St Mary 2 8.90x
West Ham 2 0.98x
Westwell 2 124.22x
Canterbury St Dunstan 1 36.10x
Ewell Lydden 1 80.00x
Greenwich 1 1.34x
Paddington London 1 0.58x
Penshurst 1 37.04x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 1.06x
Staines 1 13.42x
Tynemouth 1 2.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 25
Elizabeth 18
Sarah 17
Ellen 14
Ann 10
Annie 10
Jane 10
Fanny 9
Emma 7
Louisa 6
Alice 5
Clara 5
Eliza 5
Kate 5
Anne 4
Charlotte 4
Edith 4
Eleanor 4
Harriet 4
Lucy 4
Amy 3
Anna 3
Emily 3
Francis 3
Martha 3
Rose 3
Catherine 2
Esther 2
Lydia 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Rebecca 2
Rosa 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Zillah 2
Amelia 1
Caroline 1
Cathirine 1
Cecelia 1
Celia 1
Elen 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Helen 1
Henry 1
Jessie 1
Laura 1
Lauria 1
Lottie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 26
William 26
Thomas 15
James 14
George 12
Alfred 11
Henry 11
Charles 9
Edward 8
Stephen 8
Albert 6
Samuel 6
Robert 5
Arthur 4
Ernest 4
Frank 4
Frederick 4
Joseph 4
Benjamin 3
Geo. 3
Abraham 2
Archibald 2
Edmund 2
Jno. 2
Lewis 2
Nathan 2
Peter 2
Richard 2
Charlotte 1
Chas.J. 1
E.S.W. 1
Earnest 1
Ebenezer 1
Edgar 1
Edwd. 1
Francis 1
Harold 1
Hastings 1
Herbert 1
Herman 1
Hope 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Matthias 1
Norman 1
Oliver 1
Percy 1
Sidney 1
Stanley 1
Stephn 1

FAQ

Mummery surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mummery surname in 1881?

In 1881, 481 people were recorded with the Mummery surname. That placed it at #6,969 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mummery surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 780 in 2016. That gives Mummery a modern rank of #7,067.

What does the Mummery surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old French word "momer", meaning to act in ridiculous disguise or masquerade.

What does the Mummery map show?

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