NameCensus.

UK surname

Papps

A variant spelling of the occupational surname Pape, meaning a cleric or priest.

In the 1881 census there were 202 people recorded with the Papps surname, ranking it #12,753 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 205, ranked #19,250, down from #12,753 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Trowbridge, London parishes and Chelsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stroud and Bracknell Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Papps is 261 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.5%.

1881 census count

202

Ranked #12,753

Modern count

205

2016, ranked #19,250

Peak year

1901

261 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Papps had 202 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,753 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 205 in 2016, ranked #19,250.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 261 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Papps surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Papps surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Papps 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 197 #10,535
1861 historical 140 #16,169
1881 historical 202 #12,753
1891 historical 205 #14,649
1901 historical 261 #12,775
1911 historical 252 #12,834
1997 modern 241 #15,638
1998 modern 249 #15,720
1999 modern 243 #16,094
2000 modern 235 #16,423
2001 modern 220 #16,914
2002 modern 237 #16,413
2003 modern 232 #16,447
2004 modern 231 #16,591
2005 modern 230 #16,583
2006 modern 222 #17,092
2007 modern 214 #17,688
2008 modern 225 #17,282
2009 modern 225 #17,631
2010 modern 227 #17,895
2011 modern 224 #17,891
2012 modern 205 #18,909
2013 modern 212 #18,820
2014 modern 218 #18,583
2015 modern 203 #19,381
2016 modern 205 #19,250

Geography

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Where Papps' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Trowbridge, London parishes, Chelsea, Great Bradford , Winkfield with Rowley, Westwood, Great and Little Chalfield and Stroud, Whaddon, Longney, Brookthorpe, Harescombe, Haresfield, Standish, Moreton Valence, Saul, Fret. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stroud and Bracknell Forest. 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 Trowbridge Wiltshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Chelsea London (West Districts)
4 Great Bradford , Winkfield with Rowley, Westwood, Great and Little Chalfield Wiltshire
5 Stroud, Whaddon, Longney, Brookthorpe, Harescombe, Haresfield, Standish, Moreton Valence, Saul, Fret Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stroud 004 Stroud
2 Stroud 005 Stroud
3 Stroud 008 Stroud
4 Bracknell Forest 006 Bracknell Forest
5 Stroud 010 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Papps

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Papps

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Papps is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Papps is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Papps falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Papps

The surname Papps has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pap," which referred to a small protuberance or knob, potentially alluding to a physical characteristic or a geographical feature associated with the name's earliest bearers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Crail, a small coastal town in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland, where a William Papps was listed as a resident in 1591. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region or nearby areas.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various historical documents, including the Scottish Burgess Roll, which recorded individuals who held the status of burgesses, or freemen of a borough. One notable entry was that of James Papps, who was made a burgess of Crail in 1632.

As the centuries progressed, the Papps surname spread across Scotland and beyond. One prominent figure bearing this name was Sir George Papps (1718-1796), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1781 to 1783. His tenure coincided with the building of the South Bridge in the city, a significant engineering feat of the time.

Another notable individual was John Papps (1826-1892), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the Grosvenor Terrace and the Glasgow Trades House. His contributions to the city's architectural landscape have left a lasting impact.

In the realm of literature, the name Papps is associated with the Scottish poet and novelist Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901-1935), whose real name was James Leslie Mitchell. His acclaimed work, "A Scots Quair," includes references to the fictional character John Papps, a farmer from the Mearns region of Aberdeenshire.

Additionally, the Papps surname has been linked to various place names across Scotland, such as Papps Hill in East Lothian and Papps Rig in Aberdeenshire. These geographical connections further reinforce the name's Scottish origins and its potential association with topographical features.

While the Papps surname may not be among the most common in Scotland or elsewhere, its historical significance and the contributions of its bearers have left an indelible mark on various aspects of Scottish culture and society over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Papps families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Papps 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. Middlesex leads with 52 Papps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.64x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 52 2.64x
Surrey 35 3.65x
Wiltshire 35 20.08x
Gloucestershire 29 7.50x
Nottinghamshire 13 4.89x
Somerset 13 4.10x
Berkshire 8 5.41x
Norfolk 6 1.98x
Buckinghamshire 5 4.20x
Devon 2 0.49x
Essex 2 0.51x
Kent 1 0.15x
Staffordshire 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Westbury in Wiltshire leads with 17 Papps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 417.69x.

Place Total Index
Westbury 17 417.69x
Stroud 14 186.17x
Trowbridge 13 168.83x
Nottingham St Peter 11 371.62x
Mile End Old Town 9 28.94x
Chelsea London 8 13.47x
Lambeth 8 4.66x
Newton St Loe 8 3200.00x
Randwick 8 1052.63x
Bermondsey 7 11.93x
Thatcham 7 307.02x
Camberwell 6 4.77x
Heigham 6 36.90x
Minchinhampton 6 194.81x
Southwark Christchurch 6 65.01x
Acton 5 43.29x
Clerkenwell London 5 10.75x
St George Hanover 5 19.44x
Yeovil 5 77.64x
Bethnal Green London 4 4.67x
Bradford On Avon 4 71.68x
Newington 4 5.50x
Tottenham 4 12.75x
Aylesbury 3 56.82x
Bathley 2 1818.18x
Boxted 2 357.14x
Limehouse London 2 9.25x
Paddington London 2 2.76x
Tiverton 2 28.29x
Wycombe 2 22.52x
Bow London 1 3.99x
Bromley London 1 2.31x
Croydon 1 1.88x
Devizes St James 1 43.10x
Ealing 1 5.68x
East Hendred 1 181.82x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 1 14.14x
Handsworth 1 6.10x
Hornsey 1 4.01x
Islington London 1 0.52x
Kensington London 1 0.91x
Lewisham 1 2.79x
Mortlake 1 23.36x
Southwark St John 1 16.58x
St Gregory By St Pauls 1 204.08x
St Pancras London 1 0.63x
Wandsworth 1 5.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 14
John 10
William 8
Henry 7
James 7
Thomas 6
Joseph 5
Albert 3
Charles 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Richard 2
A. 1
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Benjamin 1
Earnest 1
Enos 1
Ernest 1
H. 1
Hector 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Isaac 1
Jesse 1
Jonathan 1
Leonard 1
Louis 1
Norman 1
Oliver 1
Percival 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Samile 1
Stephen 1
W. 1
Walter 1
Willam 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Papps surname: questions and answers

How common was the Papps surname in 1881?

In 1881, 202 people were recorded with the Papps surname. That placed it at #12,753 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Papps surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 205 in 2016. That gives Papps a modern rank of #19,250.

What does the Papps surname mean?

A variant spelling of the occupational surname Pape, meaning a cleric or priest.

What does the Papps map show?

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