NameCensus.

UK surname

Percy

Derived from the French place name "Percy," likely referring to someone who lived near a pear tree.

In the 1881 census there were 2,794 people recorded with the Percy surname, ranking it #1,595 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,641, ranked #2,528, down from #1,595 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Shettleston North and North Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Percy is 3,469 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 5.5%.

1881 census count

2,794

Ranked #1,595

Modern count

2,641

2016, ranked #2,528

Peak year

1911

3,469 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Percy had 2,794 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,595 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,641 in 2016, ranked #2,528.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,469 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Percy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Percy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Percy 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 1,358 #2,115
1861 historical 1,736 #1,662
1881 historical 2,794 #1,595
1891 historical 3,381 #1,412
1901 historical 3,373 #1,652
1911 historical 3,469 #1,507
1997 modern 2,691 #2,374
1998 modern 2,755 #2,410
1999 modern 2,725 #2,450
2000 modern 2,701 #2,458
2001 modern 2,626 #2,468
2002 modern 2,658 #2,481
2003 modern 2,612 #2,475
2004 modern 2,638 #2,454
2005 modern 2,621 #2,446
2006 modern 2,593 #2,468
2007 modern 2,612 #2,470
2008 modern 2,638 #2,462
2009 modern 2,672 #2,490
2010 modern 2,698 #2,524
2011 modern 2,643 #2,545
2012 modern 2,622 #2,517
2013 modern 2,674 #2,515
2014 modern 2,688 #2,520
2015 modern 2,672 #2,514
2016 modern 2,641 #2,528

Geography

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Where Percys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Shettleston North, North Lincolnshire and East Dorset. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 021 Northumberland
2 Shettleston North Glasgow City
3 North Lincolnshire 002 North Lincolnshire
4 Northumberland 020 Northumberland
5 East Dorset 005 East Dorset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Percy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Percy

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Percy is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Percy 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

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

Meaning and origin of Percy

The surname Percy has its origins in England, tracing back to the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "percy," which means a place where pear trees grow. This surname was likely adopted by someone who lived near or owned land with a pear orchard.

The Percy family was among the most powerful noble families in medieval England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Percy." The family held extensive lands and titles, including the earldom of Northumberland.

William de Percy, born around 1030, was one of the companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion of England in 1066. He was rewarded with vast estates in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for his service.

Henry Percy, also known as Harry Hotspur (1364-1403), was a renowned English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He played a significant role in the Percy family's rebellion against King Henry IV, which ultimately led to his death at the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Another notable figure with this surname was Thomas Percy (1729-1811), an English bishop and antiquarian. He was best known for his work, "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry," which helped revive interest in traditional English ballads and folk songs.

Sir Ralph Percy (1425-1464), an English nobleman and military commander, fought alongside the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. He was killed at the Battle of Hedgeley Moor in 1464.

William Percy (1575-1648), known as the "Gunpowder Plotter," was one of the conspirators in the famous Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an attempt to assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Percy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Percy 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 417 Percys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.53x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 417 1.53x
Northumberland 282 6.96x
Lancashire 251 0.78x
Surrey 210 1.58x
Yorkshire 201 0.74x
Devon 143 2.52x
Suffolk 99 2.98x
Kent 90 0.97x
Durham 86 1.06x
Lanarkshire 85 0.96x
Dorset 76 4.25x
Hampshire 64 1.15x
Staffordshire 62 0.67x
Berkshire 52 2.54x
Wiltshire 48 1.99x
Sussex 45 0.98x
Worcestershire 40 1.12x
Cornwall 39 1.26x
Warwickshire 35 0.51x
Gloucestershire 33 0.62x
Cheshire 32 0.53x
Norfolk 32 0.76x
Essex 27 0.50x
Somerset 26 0.59x
Morayshire 25 5.91x
Leicestershire 24 0.79x
Nottinghamshire 22 0.60x
Renfrewshire 21 0.99x
Hertfordshire 20 1.07x
Ayrshire 19 0.93x
Monmouthshire 17 0.86x
Dumfriesshire 16 2.66x
Lincolnshire 15 0.34x
Midlothian 13 0.36x
Shropshire 11 0.47x
Cumberland 10 0.43x
Glamorgan 10 0.21x
Angus 8 0.32x
Derbyshire 7 0.16x
Fife 7 0.43x
Perthshire 6 0.49x
Roxburghshire 6 1.22x
Royal Navy 6 1.85x
Berwickshire 5 1.52x
Dunbartonshire 5 0.68x
Oxfordshire 5 0.30x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.58x
Selkirkshire 5 2.03x
Argyllshire 4 0.53x
Brecknockshire 4 0.73x
Herefordshire 4 0.36x
Sutherland 4 1.91x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.18x
Bedfordshire 2 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.12x
Channel Islands 2 0.25x
Flintshire 2 0.27x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.09x
Peeblesshire 1 0.78x
Rutland 1 0.50x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 51 Percys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.15x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 51 2.15x
St Pancras London 37 1.69x
Islington London 35 1.33x
Dudley 34 7.86x
Glasgow 34 2.17x
Tweedmouth 31 61.34x
Scarborough 28 11.41x
Kensington London 27 1.78x
Horton 26 129.81x
Stoke Climsland 26 131.98x
Barony 25 1.12x
Newington 25 2.48x
St George Hanover 24 6.75x
Chelsea London 23 2.80x
Hammersmith London 23 3.43x
Hornsey 23 6.68x
Berwick Upon Tweed 22 25.61x
Cowpen 22 23.57x
Shoreditch London 20 1.69x
Winterbourne Gunner 20 1257.86x
Bermondsey 19 2.34x
Widnes 19 8.15x
Woking 19 23.75x
Southwick 18 74.10x
Hackney London 17 1.11x
Stoke Damerel 17 4.28x
Portsea 16 1.46x
Camberwell 15 0.86x
Clerkenwell London 15 2.33x
Westgate 15 5.98x
Westminster St 15 14.93x
Westoe 15 3.26x
Paddington London 14 1.40x
Bristol St James In 13 16.54x
Byker 13 6.49x
Deptford St Paul 13 1.81x
Gateshead 13 2.14x
Hadleigh 13 40.39x
Inwardleigh 13 271.40x
Moss Side 13 7.64x
Sculcoates 13 3.04x
Bishopwearmouth 12 1.72x
Chorlton On Medlock 12 2.34x
Dumfries 12 20.21x
Elswick 12 3.71x
Rotherhithe 12 3.56x
Brighton 11 1.19x
Bromley 11 7.76x
Cramlington 11 20.53x
Exeter Heavitree 11 26.02x
Fakenham 11 53.32x
Govan 11 0.50x
Newbury 11 16.79x
Reading St Giles 11 5.48x
Salford 11 1.16x
Stretford 11 6.18x
Abergavenny 10 13.56x
Barsby 10 421.94x
Boxley 10 70.03x
Broughton In Salford 10 3.38x
Bury St Edmunds St James 10 11.28x
Chatton 10 80.39x
Cullompton 10 40.39x
Dyke 10 86.28x
Fulham London 10 2.53x
Giggleswick 10 109.77x
Greenwich 10 2.31x
Hodnet 10 54.38x
Longbenton 10 5.82x
Naughton 10 675.68x
Paisley Low Church 10 14.96x
Plymouth St Andrew 10 2.29x
Reading St Mary 10 6.10x
Sherburn 10 40.54x
Shilling Okeford 10 189.04x
Snainton 10 138.12x
St Marylebone London 10 0.69x
Willesden 10 3.89x
Bradford 9 1.38x
Leek Lowe 9 7.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 163
Elizabeth 110
Sarah 74
Jane 55
Alice 45
Ann 44
Ellen 43
Eliza 37
Emma 36
Margaret 36
Emily 33
Annie 32
Louisa 24
Edith 21
Hannah 21
Isabella 21
Caroline 20
Martha 17
Florence 16
Maria 15
Fanny 14
Catherine 12
Ada 11
Anne 10
Charlotte 10
Frances 10
Kate 10
Esther 9
Clara 8
Ethel 8
Harriet 8
Lucy 8
Sophia 8
Agnes 7
Lizzie 7
Matilda 7
Maud 7
Amy 6
Eleanor 6
Grace 6
Julia 6
Rose 6
Amelia 5
Dorothy 5
Jessie 5
Laura 5
Rosa 5
Selina 5
Minnie 4
Rachel 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 179
John 126
George 96
Thomas 85
James 82
Henry 57
Charles 42
Robert 37
Joseph 31
Richard 28
Alfred 27
Edward 24
Harry 24
Arthur 23
Frederick 23
Samuel 19
Albert 18
Frank 14
Walter 13
Edwin 12
Francis 11
Herbert 9
Gilbert 8
Wm. 8
Ernest 7
Algernon 6
Andrew 6
David 5
Hugh 5
Ralph 5
Roger 5
Sidney 5
Stephen 5
Thos. 5
Ambrose 4
Christopher 4
Edgar 4
Edmund 4
Fred 4
Geo. 4
Harold 4
Michael 4
Philip 4
Adam 3
Alexander 3
Chas. 3
Edwd. 3
Isaac 3
Peter 3
Tom 3

FAQ

Percy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Percy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,794 people were recorded with the Percy surname. That placed it at #1,595 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Percy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,641 in 2016. That gives Percy a modern rank of #2,528.

What does the Percy surname mean?

Derived from the French place name "Percy," likely referring to someone who lived near a pear tree.

What does the Percy map show?

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