NameCensus.

UK surname

Overman

A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived on the upper part of a village or settlement.

In the 1881 census there were 102 people recorded with the Overman surname, ranking it #19,518 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 100, ranked #31,123, down from #19,518 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Leverington, Newton and Bintree. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Tyneside, Breckland and Slough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Overman is 113 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.0%.

1881 census count

102

Ranked #19,518

Modern count

100

2016, ranked #31,123

Peak year

1901

113 bearers

Map years

5

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Overman had 102 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,518 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 100 in 2016, ranked #31,123.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 113 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Overman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Overman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Overman 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 43 #25,518
1861 historical 84 #23,058
1881 historical 102 #19,518
1891 historical 104 #23,388
1901 historical 113 #21,296
1911 historical 100 #22,717
1997 modern 94 #27,781
1998 modern 99 #27,785
1999 modern 96 #28,326
2000 modern 92 #28,832
2001 modern 88 #29,056
2002 modern 80 #30,387
2003 modern 85 #29,877
2004 modern 88 #29,758
2005 modern 82 #30,617
2006 modern 86 #30,425
2007 modern 90 #30,228
2008 modern 91 #30,431
2009 modern 92 #30,820
2010 modern 90 #31,621
2011 modern 90 #31,564
2012 modern 91 #31,659
2013 modern 96 #31,381
2014 modern 105 #30,204
2015 modern 100 #31,005
2016 modern 100 #31,123

Geography

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Where Overmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Leverington, Newton, Bintree, Sculthorpe and Weasenham St Peter. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Tyneside, Breckland, Slough, Bracknell Forest and North Hertfordshire. 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 Leverington Cambridgeshire
2 Newton Cambridgeshire
3 Bintree Norfolk
4 Sculthorpe Norfolk
5 Weasenham St Peter Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Tyneside 010 South Tyneside
2 Breckland 007 Breckland
3 Slough 004 Slough
4 Bracknell Forest 001 Bracknell Forest
5 North Hertfordshire 015 North Hertfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Overman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Overman

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Overman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Overman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Overman is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Overman 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

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

Meaning and origin of Overman

The surname Overman originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ofer" meaning "over" and "mann" meaning "man". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in or came from a higher or more elevated place.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Overman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Richard Overman is mentioned. The surname is also found in various tax records and legal documents from the 13th and 14th centuries across different counties in England.

In the late 13th century, a John Overman is recorded as being a landowner in the village of Overton, Cheshire. Overton is a place name derived from the Old English words "ofer" and "tun", meaning "over town", which may have influenced the spelling and usage of the surname Overman in this area.

During the 16th century, the surname Overman was also found in the Netherlands and parts of Germany, possibly due to migration or variations in spelling. One notable figure with this name was Jacobus Overman, a Dutch artist born in 1634 who specialized in still-life paintings.

In the 17th century, William Overman (1642-1719) was an English clergyman and author who published several theological works. Another notable bearer of the name was John Overman (1763-1838), an American frontiersman and early settler in Tennessee.

In the 19th century, Charles Overman (1835-1898) was a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to agricultural machinery. Meanwhile, in the United States, Andrew Overman (1819-1885) was a prominent businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Salisbury, North Carolina.

Throughout its history, the surname Overman has been associated with various professions and occupations, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, carrying with it a rich tapestry of stories and legacies.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Overman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Overman 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 52 Overmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.66x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 52 33.66x
Cambridgeshire 11 17.29x
Lancashire 8 0.67x
Dorset 5 7.58x
Leicestershire 5 4.49x
Yorkshire 5 0.50x
Middlesex 4 0.40x
Devon 3 1.43x
Durham 2 0.67x
Lincolnshire 2 1.25x
Berkshire 1 1.33x
Essex 1 0.50x
Hampshire 1 0.49x
Hertfordshire 1 1.44x
Huntingdonshire 1 5.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wisbech St Mary in Cambridgeshire leads with 11 Overmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1506.85x.

Place Total Index
Wisbech St Mary 11 1506.85x
Weasenham St Peter 10 11111.11x
Bintree 9 5625.00x
Withington 8 208.33x
Dunton Cum Doughton 7 11666.67x
Shereford 6 20000.00x
Walsoken 6 645.16x
Wighton 6 3333.33x
Holy Trinity 5 20.88x
Shaftesbury St Peter 5 1612.90x
Tilton 5 5555.56x
Burnham Sutton Cum Burnham 3 2727.27x
Colyton 3 375.00x
Hackney London 2 3.55x
Hindringham 2 1000.00x
St Marylebone London 2 3.73x
Stranton 2 19.88x
Washingborough 2 800.00x
Christchurch 1 22.37x
Cookham 1 42.55x
Felstead 1 147.06x
Hemel Hempstead 1 32.05x
Norwich St Stephen 1 70.42x
Pensthorpe 1 10000.00x
Southoe 1 1111.11x
Swaffham 1 79.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Emma 4
Elizabeth 3
Susan 3
Annie 2
Charlotte 2
Emily 2
Henrietta 2
Isabella 2
Jane 2
Maria 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Clara 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Ester 1
Ethel 1
Eveline 1
Evelyn 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Katie 1
Linn 1
Lucy 1
Martha 1
Martineau 1
Ruth 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 5
William 5
James 4
John 4
George 3
Henry 3
Robert 3
Abraham 2
Arthur 2
Francis 2
Thomas 2
D.J. 1
Ernest 1
Florentine 1
Fredrick 1
Hugh 1
Johu 1
Joseph 1
Matthew 1
Michael 1
Oliver 1

FAQ

Overman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Overman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 102 people were recorded with the Overman surname. That placed it at #19,518 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Overman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 100 in 2016. That gives Overman a modern rank of #31,123.

What does the Overman surname mean?

A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived on the upper part of a village or settlement.

What does the Overman map show?

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