NameCensus.

UK surname

Nutbrown

An English surname derived from the brown color of a nut.

In the 1881 census there were 150 people recorded with the Nutbrown surname, ranking it #15,489 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 326, ranked #13,896, up from #15,489 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wistow, Riccall, St Mary Bishopshill Junior and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Calderdale, Ashford and Kingston upon Hull.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nutbrown is 351 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 117.3%.

1881 census count

150

Ranked #15,489

Modern count

326

2016, ranked #13,896

Peak year

2002

351 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nutbrown had 150 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,489 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 326 in 2016, ranked #13,896.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 251 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Nutbrown surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nutbrown surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nutbrown 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 87 #18,695
1861 historical 89 #22,419
1881 historical 150 #15,489
1891 historical 165 #17,143
1901 historical 216 #14,426
1911 historical 251 #12,870
1997 modern 317 #13,053
1998 modern 321 #13,275
1999 modern 335 #12,993
2000 modern 338 #12,877
2001 modern 335 #12,759
2002 modern 351 #12,583
2003 modern 348 #12,452
2004 modern 343 #12,616
2005 modern 334 #12,818
2006 modern 320 #13,289
2007 modern 323 #13,351
2008 modern 328 #13,319
2009 modern 324 #13,689
2010 modern 323 #14,005
2011 modern 336 #13,498
2012 modern 336 #13,376
2013 modern 336 #13,574
2014 modern 335 #13,720
2015 modern 329 #13,800
2016 modern 326 #13,896

Geography

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Where Nutbrowns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wistow, Riccall, St Mary Bishopshill Junior, London parishes, Sheffield and St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Calderdale, Ashford, Kingston upon Hull, Hambleton and Leeds. 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 Wistow, Riccall Yorkshire, West Riding
2 St Mary Bishopshill Junior Yorkshire, East Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Calderdale 018 Calderdale
2 Ashford 014 Ashford
3 Kingston upon Hull 027 Kingston upon Hull, City of
4 Hambleton 010 Hambleton
5 Leeds 027 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nutbrown

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nutbrown

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Nutbrown surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Nutbrown household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Nutbrown is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nutbrown 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

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

Meaning and origin of Nutbrown

The surname Nutbrown is of English origin, hailing from the historic county of Yorkshire. It dates back to the 12th century and is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hnutu" meaning "nut" and "brun" meaning "brown." This suggests that the name likely referred to an occupation or location associated with brown-colored nut trees or groves.

One of the earliest known references to the Nutbrown surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a collection of financial records maintained by the Exchequer of the English Crown, dating back to 1199. These rolls list a certain William Nutbrown as a taxpayer in the village of Huddersfield.

The Nutbrown name also appears in various medieval manorial records and court rolls from the 13th and 14th centuries, predominantly in the Yorkshire region. Some notable examples include John Nutbrown, a freeman of the City of York recorded in 1327, and Robert Nutbrown, a landowner in the village of Kettlewell mentioned in a document from 1379.

The Domesday Book, the comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conquer in 1086, does not explicitly mention the Nutbrown surname. However, it does record several place names and landholdings that may have contributed to the formation of this surname, such as Nuthurst in Sussex and Nutfield in Surrey.

Throughout the centuries, the Nutbrown surname has been spelled in various ways, including Nutbrowne, Nutbrun, and Nuttebroun, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation during those times. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:

1. John Nutbrown (c. 1450 - 1520), a renowned English composer and musician during the Tudor period. 2. Elizabeth Nutbrown (1677 - 1755), a prominent Quaker minister and diarist from Wiltshire. 3. William Nutbrown (1790 - 1869), an English industrialist and inventor who patented a significant improvement to the power loom. 4. Thomas Nutbrown (1815 - 1892), a renowned architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Manchester and Liverpool. 5. Edith Nutbrown (1892 - 1978), a celebrated children's author best known for her popular "Nutbrown Hare" series of books.

While the Nutbrown surname has its roots in the historic county of Yorkshire, it has since spread across various regions of England and beyond, carried by generations of families bearing this distinctive name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nutbrown families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nutbrown 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 140 Nutbrowns recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.66x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 140 9.66x
Lancashire 7 0.40x
Hampshire 1 0.33x
Staffordshire 1 0.20x
Surrey 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. York St Mary in Yorkshire leads with 23 Nutbrowns recorded in 1881 and an index of 383.33x.

Place Total Index
York St Mary 23 383.33x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 17 125.83x
Sheffield 13 28.16x
Kimberworth 11 136.65x
Howden 9 909.09x
Kirkburn Battleburn 7 8750.00x
Nether Hallam 6 30.60x
Riccall 6 1538.46x
Brightside Bierlow 5 17.59x
Ecclesfield 5 47.04x
Hunmanby 5 735.29x
Wistow 5 1282.05x
York St Nicholas In 5 609.76x
Holy Trinity 4 11.47x
Howden Thorpe In 4 2500.00x
Liverpool 4 3.79x
York St Crux 3 731.71x
Doncaster 2 18.89x
Leeds 2 2.44x
West Derby 2 3.94x
Alton 1 188.68x
Bridlington 1 30.12x
Cheetham 1 7.72x
Clapham 1 5.47x
Drypool 1 45.05x
Goole 1 41.15x
Great Driffield 1 33.56x
Holdenhurst 1 12.71x
Kirby Grindalyth 1 769.23x
Stutton Cum Hazelwood 1 588.24x
Wakefield 1 8.98x
York St Giles In 1 72.99x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Annie 7
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 5
Hannah 5
Jane 5
Emily 3
Louisa 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Clara 2
Easter 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Ada 1
Beatrice 1
Bertha 1
Ellen 1
Fanny 1
Hagar 1
Harriett 1
Julia 1
Lilly 1
Louis 1
Marey 1
Rhoda 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1
Zillah 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Nutbrown surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nutbrown surname in 1881?

In 1881, 150 people were recorded with the Nutbrown surname. That placed it at #15,489 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nutbrown surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 326 in 2016. That gives Nutbrown a modern rank of #13,896.

What does the Nutbrown surname mean?

An English surname derived from the brown color of a nut.

What does the Nutbrown map show?

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