NameCensus.

UK surname

Nourse

An English surname derived from the Norman French 'nourrice' meaning nurse or foster mother.

In the 1881 census there were 127 people recorded with the Nourse surname, ranking it #17,166 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 208, ranked #19,062, down from #17,166 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Whittington and Bidstone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wirral, Reigate and Banstead and Croydon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nourse is 240 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 63.8%.

1881 census count

127

Ranked #17,166

Modern count

208

2016, ranked #19,062

Peak year

2000

240 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nourse had 127 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,166 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 208 in 2016, ranked #19,062.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 201 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Nourse surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nourse surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nourse 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 42 #25,706
1861 historical 73 #24,492
1881 historical 127 #17,166
1891 historical 137 #19,501
1901 historical 196 #15,329
1911 historical 201 #14,905
1997 modern 215 #16,844
1998 modern 231 #16,555
1999 modern 233 #16,554
2000 modern 240 #16,186
2001 modern 235 #16,147
2002 modern 220 #17,249
2003 modern 218 #17,131
2004 modern 217 #17,276
2005 modern 213 #17,435
2006 modern 211 #17,662
2007 modern 201 #18,428
2008 modern 194 #19,011
2009 modern 197 #19,218
2010 modern 203 #19,264
2011 modern 204 #19,040
2012 modern 203 #19,025
2013 modern 208 #19,041
2014 modern 204 #19,439
2015 modern 208 #19,085
2016 modern 208 #19,062

Geography

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Where Nourses are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Whittington, Bidstone, Heacham and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wirral, Reigate and Banstead, Croydon, Westminster and Purbeck. 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 Whittington Staffordshire
3 Bidstone Cheshire
4 Heacham Norfolk
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wirral 031 Wirral
2 Reigate and Banstead 010 Reigate and Banstead
3 Croydon 041 Croydon
4 Westminster 022 Westminster
5 Purbeck 003 Purbeck

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nourse

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nourse

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Nourse surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Nourse household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Nourse is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nourse is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nourse falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Nourse

The surname Nourse has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "norice," meaning a nurse or a foster-mother. This surname was likely given to individuals who worked as wet nurses or caregivers for infants and young children.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nourse can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Norisse." This medieval document was a survey of landowners and their tenants, providing valuable insights into the distribution of surnames during that period.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including "Norys," "Noreys," and "Norreys," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and orthography common at the time. The name Nourse was also associated with certain place names, such as Norris Green in Liverpool, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Nourse include Richard Nourse, an English clergyman who lived in the 16th century and served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1535 to 1536. In the 17th century, James Nourse (1622-1684) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament for Richmond.

John Nourse (1705-1780) was a notable London-based publisher and bookseller, known for his collaboration with Samuel Johnson on the publication of "A Dictionary of the English Language" in 1755. His son, also named John Nourse (1736-1780), followed in his father's footsteps and became a respected bookseller and publisher as well.

Another individual of note is Joseph Nourse (1754-1841), an American politician and public servant who served as the Register of the Treasury under five U.S. presidents, from George Washington to John Quincy Adams. He played a crucial role in the early financial administration of the United States.

In the literary world, Ann Nourse (1944-2021) was a renowned English writer and playwright, best known for her plays "Nest of Rebels" and "Strange Luck." Her works explored themes of family, relationships, and social issues, earning her critical acclaim and numerous awards.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nourse families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nourse 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. Surrey leads with 31 Nourses recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.18x.

County Total Index
Surrey 31 5.18x
Herefordshire 18 35.71x
Staffordshire 14 3.37x
Kent 11 2.62x
Norfolk 11 5.82x
Middlesex 9 0.73x
Cheshire 7 2.58x
Devon 7 2.74x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.81x
Yorkshire 3 0.25x
Gloucestershire 2 0.83x
Lanarkshire 2 0.50x
Worcestershire 2 1.25x
Bedfordshire 1 1.57x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.28x
Derbyshire 1 0.52x
Hampshire 1 0.40x
Shropshire 1 0.94x
Warwickshire 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newington in Surrey leads with 15 Nourses recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.04x.

Place Total Index
Newington 15 33.04x
Croydon 8 24.07x
Heacham 8 1904.76x
Birkenhead 7 32.36x
Kensington London 7 10.24x
Walsall Foreign 7 32.66x
Allensmore 6 2500.00x
Exeter St Leonard 6 857.14x
Greenwich 6 30.66x
Whittington 6 705.88x
Deptford St Paul 5 15.46x
Leominster 5 239.23x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 16.17x
Ballingham 3 1666.67x
Newark Upon Trent 3 50.42x
Armley 2 37.24x
Clifton 2 16.41x
Govan 2 2.03x
Hereford All Sts 2 86.58x
Hunstanton 2 312.50x
Kings Norton 2 13.90x
Kingston On Thames 2 13.90x
Aldershot 1 11.85x
Barton In Clay 1 222.22x
Birmingham 1 0.97x
Bow 1 294.12x
Dersingham 1 232.56x
Islington London 1 0.84x
Lambeth 1 0.93x
Leeds 1 1.45x
Norton Canes 1 66.23x
Oswestry Town 1 29.41x
Quarndon 1 434.78x
Ross 1 50.00x
Sellack 1 714.29x
St Andrewthe Less 1 11.25x
Sutton 1 23.09x
Westminster St James 1 7.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 4
Sarah 4
Emily 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Emma 2
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Clara 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Ida 1
Jane 1
Joyce 1
L.T. 1
Lilian 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Mauden 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 10
George 8
Henry 4
Arthur 3
James 3
Robert 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Edmund 2
Frederick 2
Philip 2
Thomas 2
Wm. 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Joseph 1
Josh. 1
Stanhope 1
Stuart 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Nourse surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nourse surname in 1881?

In 1881, 127 people were recorded with the Nourse surname. That placed it at #17,166 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nourse surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 208 in 2016. That gives Nourse a modern rank of #19,062.

What does the Nourse surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Norman French 'nourrice' meaning nurse or foster mother.

What does the Nourse map show?

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