NameCensus.

UK surname

Nursey

In the 1881 census there were 215 people recorded with the Nursey surname, ranking it #12,249 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 170, ranked #21,801, down from #12,249 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ilketshall St Lawrence, Bungay St Mary, Bungay Holy Trinity and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fenland, Kirklees and Bedford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nursey is 215 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 20.9%.

1881 census count

215

Ranked #12,249

Modern count

170

2016, ranked #21,801

Peak year

1881

215 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nursey had 215 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,249 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016, ranked #21,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 215 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Nursey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nursey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nursey 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 131 #14,243
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 215 #12,249
1891 historical 201 #14,866
1901 historical 210 #14,677
1911 historical 205 #14,733
1997 modern 193 #18,035
1998 modern 203 #17,949
1999 modern 203 #18,081
2000 modern 207 #17,833
2001 modern 204 #17,736
2002 modern 195 #18,590
2003 modern 186 #18,928
2004 modern 180 #19,424
2005 modern 182 #19,259
2006 modern 181 #19,466
2007 modern 193 #18,923
2008 modern 190 #19,246
2009 modern 195 #19,329
2010 modern 196 #19,698
2011 modern 189 #19,997
2012 modern 184 #20,291
2013 modern 182 #20,795
2014 modern 174 #21,561
2015 modern 171 #21,729
2016 modern 170 #21,801

Geography

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Where Nurseys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ilketshall St Lawrence, Bungay St Mary, Bungay Holy Trinity, Lambeth, Kettering and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fenland, Kirklees, Bedford and Great Yarmouth. 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 Ilketshall St Lawrence, Bungay St Mary, Bungay Holy Trinity Suffolk
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Kettering Northamptonshire
5 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fenland 001 Fenland
2 Kirklees 056 Kirklees
3 Kirklees 054 Kirklees
4 Bedford 004 Bedford
5 Great Yarmouth 012 Great Yarmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nursey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nursey

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

Professional Periphery

Within London, Nursey is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Nursey is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Nursey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nursey 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. Norfolk leads with 51 Nurseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.89x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 51 15.89x
Suffolk 39 15.34x
Northamptonshire 32 16.30x
Yorkshire 27 1.31x
Middlesex 18 0.86x
Surrey 14 1.38x
Kent 12 1.68x
Essex 6 1.46x
Durham 4 0.64x
Leicestershire 3 1.30x
Monmouthshire 3 1.99x
Glamorgan 2 0.55x
Lancashire 2 0.08x
Hampshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Desborough in Northamptonshire leads with 19 Nurseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1292.52x.

Place Total Index
Desborough 19 1292.52x
Bergh Apton 14 4117.65x
Bungay Holy Trinity 14 1076.92x
Kettering 12 151.13x
Beccles 10 244.50x
Bromley 8 73.73x
Holbeck 8 58.39x
Lambeth 8 4.40x
Bungay St Mary 7 555.56x
Earsham 7 1590.91x
Gildersome 7 281.12x
Bramley In Bramley 6 75.76x
Lakenham 5 109.65x
Norton Subcourse 5 1923.08x
Norwich St Peter 5 236.97x
Bethnal Green London 4 4.41x
Bishopwearmouth 4 7.50x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 4 83.86x
Croydon 4 7.08x
Deptford St Paul 4 7.28x
Heigham 4 23.22x
St Martin In Fields 4 32.00x
St Marylebone London 4 3.59x
Walthamstow 4 26.97x
Wilton In Guisbrough 4 430.11x
Leicester St Margaret 3 5.32x
Newport 3 41.67x
Norwich St James 3 119.05x
St Gilesin Fields 3 245.90x
Briton Ferry 2 46.08x
Chigwell 2 51.41x
Great Yarmouth 2 7.52x
Kessingland 2 227.27x
Kirkleatham 2 71.68x
Norwich St Stephen 2 67.80x
Redenhall 2 160.00x
Salford 2 2.75x
St Pancras London 2 1.19x
Alverstoke 1 6.46x
Battersea 1 1.30x
Combs 1 117.65x
Lowestoft 1 8.33x
Newington 1 1.30x
Shoreditch London 1 1.11x
Thorpe Next Norwich 1 29.41x
Toft Monks 1 357.14x
Weedon Beck 1 70.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 8
Henry 6
Arthur 5
Charles 5
Edward 4
Frederick 4
Robert 4
Samuel 4
Harry 3
Richard 3
Cecil 2
George 2
Thomas 2
Adam 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Alick 1
Anthony 1
Arther 1
Benj.White 1
Benjamin 1
Benjn. 1
C.R. 1
Campbel 1
Clande 1
Claud 1
Douglas 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Godfrey 1
Herbert 1
Infant 1
James 1
Jonathan 1
Joseph 1
Noah 1
Norman 1
Oliver 1
Richd. 1
Robt. 1
Saml. 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Nursey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nursey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 215 people were recorded with the Nursey surname. That placed it at #12,249 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nursey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016. That gives Nursey a modern rank of #21,801.

What does the Nursey map show?

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