NameCensus.

UK surname

Orvis

A variant form of the surname Ervize or Ervies, locational surnames from places in Normandy.

In the 1881 census there were 62 people recorded with the Orvis surname, ranking it #24,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 124, ranked #26,975, down from #24,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ipswich St Clement and Warren House and Harwich St Nicholas. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull, South Lakeland and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Orvis is 136 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 100.0%.

1881 census count

62

Ranked #24,843

Modern count

124

2016, ranked #26,975

Peak year

2014

136 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Orvis had 62 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 124 in 2016, ranked #26,975.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 128 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Orvis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Orvis surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Orvis 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 39 #26,319
1861 historical 46 #28,170
1881 historical 62 #24,843
1891 historical 94 #24,820
1901 historical 128 #19,822
1911 historical 124 #20,023
1997 modern 120 #24,158
1998 modern 115 #25,466
1999 modern 119 #25,095
2000 modern 121 #24,824
2001 modern 118 #24,832
2002 modern 119 #25,231
2003 modern 120 #24,909
2004 modern 119 #25,200
2005 modern 123 #24,663
2006 modern 124 #24,750
2007 modern 120 #25,606
2008 modern 119 #26,067
2009 modern 121 #26,373
2010 modern 125 #26,448
2011 modern 120 #26,930
2012 modern 126 #26,148
2013 modern 124 #26,842
2014 modern 136 #25,452
2015 modern 128 #26,356
2016 modern 124 #26,975

Geography

Back to top

Where Orvis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ipswich St Clement and Warren House, Harwich St Nicholas and Ipswich St Mary Stoke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kingston upon Hull, South Lakeland, Waveney 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 London parishes London 3
3 Ipswich St Clement and Warren House Suffolk
4 Harwich St Nicholas Essex
5 Ipswich St Mary Stoke Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 003 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 South Lakeland 004 South Lakeland
3 Waveney 002 Waveney
4 Tendring 003 Tendring
5 Kingston upon Hull 013 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Orvis

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Orvis

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Orvis, 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 Orvis surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Orvis 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Orvis is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Orvis 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

Orvis falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Orvis

The surname Orvis is believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "ora" meaning "shore" or "bank." It likely originated in England during the medieval period, potentially referring to someone who lived near the bank of a river or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. An entry for a person named "Oruiz" is listed as holding lands in Oxfordshire.

The name underwent various spelling variations over the centuries, including Orvys, Orvis, Orveis, and Orvace. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the interpretation of the scribes recording the name.

Notable individuals with the surname Orvis include:

1. Thomas Orvis (c. 1600-1685), an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who arrived from England in the 1630s.

2. James Orvis (1758-1842), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Connecticut.

3. Charles F. Orvis (1824-1896), a pioneering American fly fisherman and entrepreneur who founded the Orvis Company in 1856, a renowned retailer of fishing equipment and outdoor apparel.

4. William Orvis (1863-1939), son of Charles F. Orvis and president of the Orvis Company from 1896 to 1939.

5. Mary Orvis Marbury (1838-1935), an American suffragist and pioneer in the women's rights movement.

The name Orvis was also associated with several place names in England, such as Orvis Green in Kent and Orvis Hill in Wiltshire, further indicating the name's early roots in the British Isles.

While the surname's origins can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other English-speaking countries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Orvis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Orvis 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 26 Orvis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.30x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 26 35.30x
Surrey 10 3.39x
Essex 9 7.54x
Warwickshire 7 4.59x
Lincolnshire 4 4.14x
Durham 2 1.11x
Yorkshire 2 0.33x
Middlesex 1 0.17x
Worcestershire 1 1.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ipswich St Clement in Suffolk leads with 11 Orvis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 588.24x.

Place Total Index
Ipswich St Clement 11 588.24x
Great Oakley 7 3684.21x
Ipswich St Margaret 7 280.00x
Kineton 7 3181.82x
Aldeburgh 6 1363.64x
Camberwell 5 12.94x
Clee With Weelsby 4 188.68x
Richmond 4 96.85x
Acomb 2 645.16x
Stranton 2 33.00x
Battersea 1 4.49x
Elmstead 1 526.32x
Hadleigh 1 140.85x
Harwich St Nicholas 1 108.70x
Ipswich St Helen 1 114.94x
Shipston On Stour 1 277.78x
St Marylebone London 1 3.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Charles 4
George 3
Henry 3
Alfred 2
Samuel 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Algernon 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Earnest 1
Edmun 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
John 1
Nathaniel 1
Robert 1
Robt. 1
Will 1
William 1
Willm.Edwd. 1
Wm.H. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Orvis households.

FAQ

Orvis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Orvis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 62 people were recorded with the Orvis surname. That placed it at #24,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Orvis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 124 in 2016. That gives Orvis a modern rank of #26,975.

What does the Orvis surname mean?

A variant form of the surname Ervize or Ervies, locational surnames from places in Normandy.

What does the Orvis map show?

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