NameCensus.

UK surname

Pawsey

In the 1881 census there were 521 people recorded with the Pawsey surname, ranking it #6,556 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 735, ranked #7,416, down from #6,556 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St James, London parishes and Norton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, South Norfolk and Southwark.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pawsey is 909 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.1%.

1881 census count

521

Ranked #6,556

Modern count

735

2016, ranked #7,416

Peak year

1998

909 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pawsey had 521 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,556 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 735 in 2016, ranked #7,416.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 903 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pawsey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pawsey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pawsey 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 438 #5,615
1861 historical 322 #7,911
1881 historical 521 #6,556
1891 historical 645 #6,016
1901 historical 785 #5,729
1911 historical 903 #4,940
1997 modern 883 #6,051
1998 modern 909 #6,111
1999 modern 892 #6,243
2000 modern 887 #6,237
2001 modern 859 #6,289
2002 modern 842 #6,510
2003 modern 814 #6,558
2004 modern 808 #6,617
2005 modern 771 #6,810
2006 modern 772 #6,826
2007 modern 777 #6,858
2008 modern 772 #6,946
2009 modern 778 #7,041
2010 modern 757 #7,330
2011 modern 747 #7,334
2012 modern 740 #7,303
2013 modern 742 #7,409
2014 modern 724 #7,580
2015 modern 732 #7,463
2016 modern 735 #7,416

Geography

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Where Pawseys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St James, London parishes, Norton, Lambeth and Brockley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, South Norfolk, Southwark 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 St James Suffolk
2 London parishes London 3
3 Norton Suffolk
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Brockley Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 010 St Edmundsbury
2 South Norfolk 013 South Norfolk
3 St Edmundsbury 006 St Edmundsbury
4 Southwark 012 Southwark
5 Leeds 061 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pawsey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pawsey

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Pawsey is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pawsey is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pawsey falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Pawsey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pawsey 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 214 Pawseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.50x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 214 34.50x
Middlesex 90 1.77x
Surrey 71 2.86x
Essex 50 4.97x
Lancashire 29 0.48x
Yorkshire 20 0.40x
Kent 17 0.98x
Somerset 10 1.22x
Buckinghamshire 4 1.30x
Hampshire 4 0.38x
Gloucestershire 3 0.30x
Cheshire 2 0.18x
Hertfordshire 2 0.57x
Berkshire 1 0.26x
Devon 1 0.09x
Durham 1 0.07x
Midlothian 1 0.15x
Norfolk 1 0.13x
Worcestershire 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. Brockley in Suffolk leads with 34 Pawseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6181.82x.

Place Total Index
Brockley 34 6181.82x
Lambeth 32 7.21x
Bury St Edmunds St James 25 150.88x
Great Barton 24 1666.67x
Newchurch 12 24.28x
Bethnal Green London 11 4.97x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 11 94.50x
Newington 11 5.85x
Salford 11 6.19x
Bradfield St Clare 10 2272.73x
Cockfield 10 613.50x
Islington London 10 2.03x
Camberwell 9 2.77x
Greenwich 9 11.10x
Shoreditch London 9 4.08x
Stowmarket 9 125.52x
Hundon 8 516.13x
Prittlewell 8 57.43x
St George Hanover 8 12.04x
Fulham London 7 9.48x
Hartest 7 654.21x
Little Sampford 7 1166.67x
Mile End Old Town 7 8.71x
Whepstead 7 654.21x
Bath St Peter St Paul 6 165.75x
Chapel 6 967.74x
Colchester St Giles 6 60.42x
Long Melford 6 104.17x
Paddington London 6 3.20x
St Pancras London 6 1.46x
West Ham 6 2.70x
Witham 6 115.83x
Bermondsey 5 3.30x
Chelsea London 5 3.26x
Chevington 5 515.46x
Glemsford 5 114.68x
Ipswich St Lawrence 5 595.24x
Newton 5 10.74x
Seacroft 5 209.21x
Streatham 5 13.23x
Armley 4 17.98x
Barking 4 13.60x
Bow London 4 6.17x
Croydon 4 2.90x
Haughley 4 258.06x
Ipswich St Mathew 4 23.02x
St George In East 4 11.55x
Wetherden 4 459.77x
Wortley In Bramley 4 10.01x
Ampney Crucis 3 319.15x
Fornham All Sts 3 405.41x
Fornham St Martin 3 555.56x
Lakenheath 3 91.46x
Norton 3 230.77x
Pocklington 3 63.03x
Shimpling 3 348.84x
Acton 2 6.70x
Chatham 2 4.19x
Clapham 2 3.14x
Crowfield 2 322.58x
Ealing 2 4.39x
Frimley 2 28.29x
Gillingham 2 5.58x
Great Maplestead 2 289.86x
Great Missenden 2 52.77x
Hackney London 2 0.70x
Hampstead London 2 2.52x
Havering 2 259.74x
Ipswich St Clement 2 12.68x
Ipswich St Margaret 2 9.51x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 2 34.72x
Ipswich St Stephen 2 188.68x
Kelsale 2 116.28x
Marlesford 2 317.46x
Northwich 2 111.73x
Rede 2 512.82x
Thirsk 2 34.36x
Twerton 2 23.67x
Watford 2 7.35x
Wickhambrook 2 85.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 34
George 21
John 20
James 16
Henry 15
Alfred 11
Charles 11
Robert 10
Arthur 9
Walter 9
Thomas 8
Frederick 7
Harry 7
Joseph 7
Edward 6
Frank 4
Abraham 3
Albert 3
Bertie 3
Daniel 3
David 3
Frederic 3
Herbert 3
Samuel 3
Chas. 2
Isaac 2
Isaiah 2
Jas. 2
Philip 2
Richd. 2
Bernard 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Foster 1
Fredk.Chas. 1
Geo. 1
Godfrey 1
Harold 1
Hugh 1
Jacob 1
Napier 1
Noah 1
Osborn 1
Owen 1
Percy 1
Perry 1
Peter 1
Ralph 1
Richard 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Pawsey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pawsey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 521 people were recorded with the Pawsey surname. That placed it at #6,556 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pawsey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 735 in 2016. That gives Pawsey a modern rank of #7,416.

What does the Pawsey map show?

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