NameCensus.

UK surname

Nussey

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "valley marsh".

In the 1881 census there were 196 people recorded with the Nussey surname, ranking it #13,006 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 230, ranked #17,812, down from #13,006 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Birstall, Clackmannan and Batley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolsover, Mansfield and Forest of Dean.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nussey is 261 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.3%.

1881 census count

196

Ranked #13,006

Modern count

230

2016, ranked #17,812

Peak year

1901

261 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nussey had 196 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,006 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 230 in 2016, ranked #17,812.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 261 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Nussey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nussey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nussey 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 162 #12,215
1861 historical 176 #13,335
1881 historical 196 #13,006
1891 historical 240 #13,123
1901 historical 261 #12,775
1911 historical 218 #14,177
1997 modern 233 #15,975
1998 modern 250 #15,675
1999 modern 261 #15,353
2000 modern 260 #15,360
2001 modern 245 #15,721
2002 modern 253 #15,677
2003 modern 248 #15,695
2004 modern 246 #15,854
2005 modern 231 #16,529
2006 modern 234 #16,493
2007 modern 238 #16,505
2008 modern 243 #16,397
2009 modern 240 #16,896
2010 modern 252 #16,701
2011 modern 253 #16,493
2012 modern 243 #16,839
2013 modern 251 #16,734
2014 modern 256 #16,643
2015 modern 238 #17,378
2016 modern 230 #17,812

Geography

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Where Nusseys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Birstall, Clackmannan, Batley and Leeds. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolsover, Mansfield and Forest of Dean. 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 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Clackmannan Clackmannan
3 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
2 Bolsover 006 Bolsover
3 Mansfield 001 Mansfield
4 Mansfield 008 Mansfield
5 Forest of Dean 005 Forest of Dean

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nussey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nussey

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Nussey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Nussey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

City Support Workers

Within London, Nussey is most associated with areas classed as City Support Workers, 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

Scattered throughout Inner London, these areas house relatively few workers in the most senior roles within organisations, and greater prevalence of administrative roles relative to the Supergroup mean. Residents are less likely to be of Chinese ethnicity and are more likely to have been born in Africa. Relative to the Supergroup average, residents are also more likely to live in social housing and live in overcrowded conditions.

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

Nussey is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nussey falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Nussey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Nussey, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Nussey

The surname Nussey is of English origin, derived from a place name in Yorkshire. It is believed to have originated in the 13th century, with the earliest recorded spelling being Nuseye in the Northumberland Assize Rolls of 1268.

The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "nu" meaning "now" and "sæ" meaning "sea" or "lake," suggesting it may have been a descriptive name for someone living near a body of water. Alternatively, it could be from the Old English personal name "Nunna" combined with the Old English word "ey," meaning "island."

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to various places in Yorkshire that may have given rise to the surname, such as Nuseh and Nusehi. These place names likely evolved into the modern spelling of Nussey.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Nussey was William de Nuseye, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297. In the 14th century, Johannes de Nuseye was recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379.

In the 16th century, notable individuals with the surname Nussey included John Nussey (c. 1520 - 1580), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Yorkshire, and his son, William Nussey (1560 - 1625), who served as a Member of Parliament for Aldborough in Yorkshire.

In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Reverend Nussey (1703 - 1787), a Church of England clergyman from Yorkshire who served as the vicar of Harthill in West Yorkshire for over 50 years.

Another notable figure was Ellen Nussey (1817 - 1897), a lifelong friend and correspondent of the famous English novelist Charlotte Brontë. Nussey's diaries and letters provided valuable insights into the lives of the Brontë sisters and their literary works.

In the 19th century, John Nussey (1822 - 1901) was a prominent architect from Yorkshire who designed several churches and public buildings in the region, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Leeds.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nussey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nussey 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. Yorkshire leads with 164 Nusseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.66x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 164 8.66x
Clackmannanshire 9 57.00x
Lancashire 6 0.26x
Middlesex 6 0.31x
Nottinghamshire 4 1.55x
Kent 3 0.46x
Gloucestershire 1 0.27x
Lanarkshire 1 0.16x
Lincolnshire 1 0.33x
Warwickshire 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Headingley Cum Burley in Yorkshire leads with 17 Nusseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 139.46x.

Place Total Index
Headingley Cum Burley 17 139.46x
Leeds 12 11.22x
Hunslet 11 37.24x
Clackmannan 9 302.01x
Gomersal 9 101.81x
Sheffield 8 13.26x
Wortley In Bramley 8 53.33x
Barnsley 7 35.82x
Thornton In Craven 7 460.53x
Woolley 7 1794.87x
Gildersome 6 263.16x
Holbeck 6 47.81x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 6 125.52x
Manningham 6 25.71x
Morley 6 60.91x
Notton 6 3529.41x
Wintersett 6 5454.55x
Hackney London 5 4.67x
Over Darwen 5 27.59x
Shitlington 5 255.10x
Wakefield 5 34.39x
Potter Newton 4 119.76x
Warmfield Cum Heath 4 625.00x
Worksop 4 52.36x
South Hiendley 3 1250.00x
Batley 2 11.11x
Brearton 2 2000.00x
Chislehurst 2 57.14x
Farnley In Bramley 2 84.39x
West Clayton 2 212.77x
Acomb 1 101.01x
Chatham 1 5.57x
Churwell 1 77.52x
Dewsbury 1 5.15x
Eccleshill 1 21.69x
Edgbaston 1 6.69x
Heaton 1 49.02x
Longney 1 357.14x
New Monkland 1 5.47x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 1 14.77x
Preston 1 1.65x
Scunthorpe 1 72.99x
Stansfield 1 14.35x
Westminster St 1 14.18x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 14
William 9
James 5
Joseph 5
Arthur 4
John 4
Samuel 4
Walter 4
Thomas 3
Charlie 2
Frank 2
Harry 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2
Alfred 1
Benj. 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Edward 1
Edwd. 1
Egbert 1
Eli 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Fredric 1
Geo. 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Joe 1
Joshua 1
Leonard 1
Nicholas 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Robt. 1
Sam 1
Spencer 1
Thos.Willans 1
Young 1

FAQ

Nussey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nussey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 196 people were recorded with the Nussey surname. That placed it at #13,006 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nussey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 230 in 2016. That gives Nussey a modern rank of #17,812.

What does the Nussey surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "valley marsh".

What does the Nussey map show?

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