NameCensus.

UK surname

Negus

An Ethiopian royal title meaning "king" or "emperor".

In the 1881 census there were 853 people recorded with the Negus surname, ranking it #4,435 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,037, ranked #5,621, down from #4,435 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Walthamstow, Low Leyton, London parishes and Camborne. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Croydon and Hackney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Negus is 1,256 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.6%.

1881 census count

853

Ranked #4,435

Modern count

1,037

2016, ranked #5,621

Peak year

1911

1,256 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Negus had 853 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,435 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,037 in 2016, ranked #5,621.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,256 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Negus surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Negus surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Negus 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 643 #4,042
1861 historical 458 #5,668
1881 historical 853 #4,435
1891 historical 926 #4,461
1901 historical 1,131 #4,290
1911 historical 1,256 #3,784
1997 modern 1,135 #4,940
1998 modern 1,171 #4,980
1999 modern 1,173 #5,026
2000 modern 1,152 #5,072
2001 modern 1,100 #5,174
2002 modern 1,105 #5,253
2003 modern 1,089 #5,222
2004 modern 1,083 #5,266
2005 modern 1,037 #5,383
2006 modern 1,023 #5,462
2007 modern 1,034 #5,463
2008 modern 1,061 #5,369
2009 modern 1,058 #5,515
2010 modern 1,074 #5,547
2011 modern 1,061 #5,540
2012 modern 1,036 #5,572
2013 modern 1,056 #5,567
2014 modern 1,078 #5,507
2015 modern 1,049 #5,580
2016 modern 1,037 #5,621

Geography

Back to top

Where Negus' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Walthamstow, Low Leyton, London parishes, Camborne and Melbourn, Meldreth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Croydon, Hackney and Cambridge. 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 Walthamstow, Low Leyton Essex
2 London parishes London 3
3 Camborne Cornwall
4 Melbourn, Meldreth Hertfordshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 053 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 061 Cornwall
3 Croydon 043 Croydon
4 Hackney 004 Hackney
5 Cambridge 011 Cambridge

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Negus

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Negus

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Negus 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

Negus 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

Negus falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Negus

The surname Negus is of Ethiopian origin, derived from the Amharic word "niguse" which means "king" or "emperor". It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the medieval period, particularly associated with the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Negus can be found in the Kebra Nagast, an ancient text that chronicles the history and lineage of the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia. This manuscript, dating back to the 14th century, mentions several rulers with the title "Negus Negesti" or "King of Kings".

During the 16th century, the Portuguese explorer and writer João Bermudes documented his travels to Ethiopia in a work entitled "Breve Memoria da Vida, e Accidentes do Summo Pontífice João Bermudez". In this account, he frequently refers to the Ethiopian ruler as the "Negus" or "Preste João" (Prester John).

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Negus was Negus Tafari Makonnen, better known as Emperor Haile Selassie I. Born in 1892, he was the last Emperor of Ethiopia, ruling from 1930 until his overthrow in 1974. Haile Selassie was a prominent figure in the Pan-African movement and is revered as a messiah by the Rastafarian faith.

Another prominent figure bearing the surname Negus was Lij Iyasu Negus, who was the designated heir to the Ethiopian throne in the early 20th century. However, due to his controversial religious beliefs and political alliances, he was eventually deposed by his father, Emperor Menelik II, in 1916.

The surname Negus has also been associated with other historical figures, such as Zara Yaqob Negus, who ruled Ethiopia in the 15th century, and Yohannes IV Negus, who led the Ethiopian forces against the Italian invasion in the late 19th century.

While the surname Negus is predominantly found in Ethiopia and among the Ethiopian diaspora, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly those with connections to the Rastafarian faith or those who have embraced African cultural traditions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Negus families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Negus 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. Middlesex leads with 156 Negus' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.87x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 156 1.87x
Essex 148 9.00x
Cambridgeshire 127 24.07x
Northamptonshire 85 10.85x
Surrey 60 1.48x
Bedfordshire 52 12.05x
Huntingdonshire 41 24.79x
Hertfordshire 30 5.22x
Cornwall 27 2.86x
Yorkshire 16 0.19x
Derbyshire 15 1.15x
Warwickshire 13 0.62x
Hampshire 12 0.70x
Kent 11 0.39x
Staffordshire 9 0.32x
Gloucestershire 8 0.49x
Lancashire 8 0.08x
Lincolnshire 8 0.60x
Buckinghamshire 7 1.39x
Monmouthshire 5 0.83x
Norfolk 4 0.31x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.27x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.57x
Cardiganshire 1 0.49x
Cheshire 1 0.05x
Dorset 1 0.18x
Isle of Man 1 0.65x
Royal Navy 1 1.01x
Sussex 1 0.07x
Worcestershire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Melbourn in Cambridgeshire leads with 49 Negus' recorded in 1881 and an index of 953.31x.

Place Total Index
Melbourn 49 953.31x
Chatteris 29 215.45x
Camborne 27 69.48x
Walthamstow 18 30.41x
West Ham 18 4.96x
Cheshunt 17 84.70x
Elmdon 17 971.43x
Northampton St Giles 16 53.60x
Quendon 16 2909.09x
Wellingborough 16 40.61x
Bromley London 15 8.18x
Bermondsey 14 5.64x
Camberwell 14 2.63x
Godmanchester 14 223.64x
Heydon 14 1917.81x
Long Eaton 14 81.30x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 13 56.50x
St Marylebone London 13 2.92x
Islington London 12 1.49x
Kensington London 12 2.59x
Oundle 12 136.99x
Polebrook 12 930.23x
Shoreditch London 12 3.32x
Bedford St Mary 11 99.01x
Mile End Old Town 11 8.37x
Rickling 11 852.71x
Arkesden 10 833.33x
Ramsey 10 75.53x
Ugley 10 869.57x
Bethnal Green London 9 2.49x
Enfield 9 16.47x
Northampton Priory St 9 19.14x
Ratcliffe London 9 19.57x
Lambeth 8 1.10x
Shenstone 8 111.89x
St Andrewthe Less 8 13.27x
St Pancras London 8 1.19x
Bedford St Peter 7 62.50x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 7 4.55x
Chesterton 7 43.02x
Clerkenwell London 7 3.56x
Fleet 7 184.21x
March 7 39.62x
Newport 7 244.76x
Orton Waterville 7 795.45x
Warmington 7 357.14x
Bilton 6 123.97x
Gillingham 6 10.24x
Hackney London 6 1.28x
Hoyland Nether 6 29.63x
Kingston On Thames 6 6.15x
Little Chishall 6 1621.62x
Southampton St Mary 6 5.59x
Birmingham 5 0.71x
Cople 5 381.68x
Eversholt 5 228.31x
Northampton All Sts 5 18.80x
Peterborough 5 8.81x
Romford 5 19.23x
Woburn 5 133.69x
Alconbury 4 204.08x
Ampthill 4 62.11x
Beddington 4 25.48x
Cottenham 4 57.06x
Fulham London 4 3.31x
Hammersmith London 4 1.95x
Hunsdon 4 266.67x
Huntingdon St Mary 4 96.62x
Lewisham 4 2.64x
Limehouse London 4 4.37x
Loughton 4 434.78x
Poplar London 4 2.54x
Royston 4 81.80x
Bedford St Paul 3 10.14x
Benwick 3 129.31x
Houghton Conquest 3 169.49x
Newington 3 0.97x
Rawdon 3 30.86x
Wolverton 3 28.79x
Worksop 3 9.01x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 57
John 56
James 32
Henry 27
George 26
Thomas 23
Charles 20
Arthur 19
Joseph 17
Frederick 12
Walter 11
Samuel 10
Alfred 7
Edward 7
Ernest 6
Francis 5
Frank 5
Harry 5
Albert 4
Richard 4
Fredrick 3
Arther 2
Augustus 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Frederic 2
Herbert 2
Joshua 2
Mark 2
Nathan 2
Sidney 2
Wm. 2
Ambrose 1
Anne 1
Auther 1
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
Dan 1
Elias 1
Ellis 1
Fredric 1
G. 1
G.W. 1
Jacob 1
Jason 1
Josh 1
Luke 1
Mathew 1
Mynot 1

FAQ

Negus surname: questions and answers

How common was the Negus surname in 1881?

In 1881, 853 people were recorded with the Negus surname. That placed it at #4,435 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Negus surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,037 in 2016. That gives Negus a modern rank of #5,621.

What does the Negus surname mean?

An Ethiopian royal title meaning "king" or "emperor".

What does the Negus map show?

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