NameCensus.

UK surname

Nunn

An occupational surname referring to a nun or someone employed at a nunnery.

In the 1881 census there were 5,253 people recorded with the Nunn surname, ranking it #847 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,350, ranked #913, down from #847 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St James and St John Hackney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, Mid Suffolk and Babergh.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nunn is 8,105 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.9%.

1881 census count

5,253

Ranked #847

Modern count

7,350

2016, ranked #913

Peak year

1998

8,105 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nunn had 5,253 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #847 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,350 in 2016, ranked #913.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,876 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Nunn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nunn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nunn 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 3,421 #836
1861 historical 2,898 #998
1881 historical 5,253 #847
1891 historical 5,429 #863
1901 historical 6,854 #808
1911 historical 7,876 #652
1997 modern 7,883 #816
1998 modern 8,105 #828
1999 modern 8,084 #836
2000 modern 8,045 #833
2001 modern 7,889 #832
2002 modern 8,038 #835
2003 modern 7,728 #847
2004 modern 7,671 #855
2005 modern 7,405 #875
2006 modern 7,383 #880
2007 modern 7,426 #884
2008 modern 7,429 #889
2009 modern 7,577 #894
2010 modern 7,680 #898
2011 modern 7,615 #892
2012 modern 7,407 #895
2013 modern 7,587 #892
2014 modern 7,614 #890
2015 modern 7,453 #904
2016 modern 7,350 #913

Geography

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Where Nunns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St James, St John Hackney and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, Mid Suffolk, Babergh and Tendring. 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 1
2 St James Suffolk
3 London parishes London 3
4 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 007 St Edmundsbury
2 Mid Suffolk 006 Mid Suffolk
3 Babergh 007 Babergh
4 Tendring 003 Tendring
5 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nunn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nunn

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Nunn is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nunn is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nunn falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Nunn

The surname Nunn is derived from an old English word meaning "nun" and it was originally an occupational name given to those who worked in nunneries. The name has its roots in England and can be traced back to the 11th century.

It is believed that the earliest recorded use of the surname Nunn was in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Nonne". This suggests that the name had already been in use for some time before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

In the 12th century, the name was found in various records as "le Nunne" and "le Nonne", indicating that it was a descriptive surname at the time. By the 13th century, the spelling had evolved to the more modern form of "Nunn".

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was William Nunn, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early bearer of the name was John Nunn, a resident of Cambridgeshire, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of 1273.

In the 14th century, the name began to appear in various places across England, such as in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a Robert Nunn was recorded.

Over the centuries, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Nunn. One of the most famous was Sir William Nunn (1597-1663), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1629. Another was John Nunn (1770-1841), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.

Other notable Nunns include Thomas Nunn (1806-1872), an English architect who designed several churches in London, and Frederic Nunn (1826-1907), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club.

In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname was Max Nunn (1916-1995), an American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nunn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nunn 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. Suffolk leads with 1,364 Nunns recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.89x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 1,364 21.89x
Middlesex 876 1.71x
Essex 645 6.39x
Cambridgeshire 377 11.63x
Surrey 356 1.43x
Norfolk 296 3.76x
Yorkshire 255 0.50x
Kent 195 1.12x
Durham 100 0.66x
Devon 69 0.65x
Hampshire 68 0.65x
Lancashire 67 0.11x
Hertfordshire 64 1.81x
Derbyshire 51 0.64x
Berkshire 46 1.20x
Sussex 46 0.53x
Gloucestershire 44 0.44x
Staffordshire 35 0.20x
Nottinghamshire 25 0.36x
Northumberland 22 0.29x
Somerset 22 0.27x
Cheshire 19 0.17x
Bedfordshire 18 0.68x
Buckinghamshire 16 0.52x
Glamorgan 15 0.17x
Northamptonshire 15 0.31x
Warwickshire 14 0.11x
Dorset 12 0.36x
Lincolnshire 11 0.13x
Wiltshire 11 0.24x
Huntingdonshire 10 0.98x
Herefordshire 9 0.43x
Cornwall 8 0.14x
Fife 8 0.26x
Lanarkshire 7 0.04x
Cumberland 6 0.14x
Worcestershire 6 0.09x
Ayrshire 5 0.13x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.43x
Flintshire 4 0.29x
Leicestershire 4 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 4 0.25x
Royal Navy 4 0.66x
Channel Islands 3 0.20x
Midlothian 2 0.03x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.09x
East Lothian 1 0.15x
Isle of Man 1 0.11x
Rutland 1 0.27x
Shropshire 1 0.02x
Wigtownshire 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whittlesford in Cambridgeshire leads with 107 Nunns recorded in 1881 and an index of 719.57x.

Place Total Index
Whittlesford 107 719.57x
Hackney London 76 2.65x
Islington London 76 1.53x
Lambeth 75 1.68x
St Pancras London 68 1.65x
Bury St Edmunds St James 62 37.25x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 62 53.01x
Camberwell 56 1.71x
West Ham 56 2.51x
Clerkenwell London 53 4.39x
Paddington London 52 2.76x
St Marylebone London 51 1.87x
Pakenham 47 279.76x
Bromley London 42 3.73x
Chelsea London 42 2.72x
Haverhill 41 74.06x
Newington 37 1.96x
Bethnal Green London 36 1.62x
Bow London 36 5.53x
Walthamstow 36 9.90x
Walsham Le Willows 35 168.19x
Chevington 34 349.08x
Heigham 33 7.82x
Woolpit 32 176.70x
Tillingham 31 174.06x
Brighton 30 1.72x
Kensington London 29 1.02x
Lowestoft 29 9.85x
Chippenham 28 247.57x
Hargrave 26 353.26x
Ipswich St Margaret 26 12.30x
Shudy Camps 26 444.44x
Woodbridge 26 32.63x
Poplar London 25 2.59x
Hessett 24 320.00x
Mile End Old Town 24 2.97x
Woolwich 24 3.72x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 23 16.28x
Wood Ditton 23 84.90x
Fobbing 22 293.33x
Diss 21 31.14x
Hornsey 21 3.25x
Ipswich St Helen 21 28.43x
Shoreditch London 21 0.95x
Colchester St Giles 20 20.04x
Deptford St Paul 20 1.49x
Gazeley 20 136.61x
Reading St Giles 20 5.31x
Thrandeston 20 404.86x
Wimbledon 20 7.15x
Wrentham 20 115.67x
Halstead 19 16.13x
Hammersmith London 19 1.51x
Ipswich St Clement 19 11.99x
Lawshall 19 135.81x
Mickfield 19 425.06x
St Andrewthe Less 19 5.13x
Burgate 18 357.85x
Chesterfield 18 5.99x
Ipswich St Mathew 18 10.31x
Bermondsey 17 1.12x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 17 29.40x
Mildenhall 17 25.67x
St George Hanover 17 2.55x
East Molesey 16 27.67x
Eldon 16 66.34x
Fornham St Geneveve 16 963.86x
Lawford 16 108.77x
Romford 16 10.02x
Barking 15 46.50x
Barnsley 15 2.87x
Chesterton 15 15.01x
Great Bentley 15 93.57x
Outwell 15 98.36x
Palgrave 15 114.50x
St George In East 15 4.31x
Stowmarket 15 20.83x
Sudbury St Gregory 15 30.03x
Sutton 15 55.82x
Ipswich St Peter 14 16.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 269
Sarah 171
Elizabeth 153
Emma 125
Eliza 117
Ellen 97
Alice 86
Emily 65
Jane 62
Hannah 59
Annie 58
Harriet 58
Ann 55
Charlotte 47
Louisa 46
Edith 43
Maria 40
Susan 39
Florence 37
Martha 36
Caroline 31
Ada 28
Harriett 28
Kate 26
Julia 25
Fanny 23
Amelia 21
Sophia 20
Clara 19
Esther 18
Lucy 18
Catherine 17
Ethel 16
Gertrude 16
Frances 15
Minnie 15
Agnes 14
Beatrice 14
Anna 13
Jessie 13
Rebecca 13
Rose 13
Margaret 12
Susannah 12
Eleanor 11
Elizth. 11
Laura 10
Rosa 9
Anne 8
Mabel 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 329
John 238
George 225
James 199
Charles 163
Henry 112
Robert 105
Thomas 96
Frederick 80
Arthur 73
Alfred 66
Walter 65
Edward 60
Harry 53
Joseph 43
Samuel 40
Albert 38
David 26
Herbert 26
Ernest 25
Joshua 23
Richard 19
Wm. 17
Benjamin 14
Fredrick 14
Frank 13
Jonathan 13
Stephen 13
Francis 12
Isaac 11
Horace 9
Daniel 8
Fredk. 8
Abraham 7
Amos 7
Geo. 7
Edwin 6
Frederic 6
Harold 6
Percy 6
Sidney 6
Caleb 5
Christopher 5
Edgar 5
Jabez 5
Josiah 5
Phillip 5
Fred 4
Jesse 4
Leonard 4

FAQ

Nunn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nunn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,253 people were recorded with the Nunn surname. That placed it at #847 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nunn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,350 in 2016. That gives Nunn a modern rank of #913.

What does the Nunn surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a nun or someone employed at a nunnery.

What does the Nunn map show?

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