NameCensus.

UK surname

Pipe

Derived from the Old French word "pipe," referring to a maker or seller of pipes.

In the 1881 census there were 1,329 people recorded with the Pipe surname, ranking it #3,088 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,665, ranked #3,749, down from #3,088 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Southminster, Mayland, Steeple, London parishes and Ilketshall St Lawrence, Bungay St Mary, Bungay Holy Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Waveney, Mid Suffolk and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pipe is 1,895 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.3%.

1881 census count

1,329

Ranked #3,088

Modern count

1,665

2016, ranked #3,749

Peak year

1911

1,895 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pipe had 1,329 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,088 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,665 in 2016, ranked #3,749.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,895 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pipe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pipe surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pipe 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 977 #2,856
1861 historical 1,155 #2,441
1881 historical 1,329 #3,088
1891 historical 1,674 #2,686
1901 historical 1,709 #3,019
1911 historical 1,895 #2,610
1997 modern 1,699 #3,511
1998 modern 1,772 #3,493
1999 modern 1,756 #3,559
2000 modern 1,749 #3,554
2001 modern 1,729 #3,519
2002 modern 1,755 #3,551
2003 modern 1,689 #3,599
2004 modern 1,695 #3,590
2005 modern 1,660 #3,615
2006 modern 1,639 #3,664
2007 modern 1,651 #3,668
2008 modern 1,655 #3,683
2009 modern 1,687 #3,703
2010 modern 1,711 #3,734
2011 modern 1,687 #3,732
2012 modern 1,664 #3,717
2013 modern 1,710 #3,687
2014 modern 1,701 #3,720
2015 modern 1,662 #3,765
2016 modern 1,665 #3,749

Geography

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Where Pipes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Southminster, Mayland, Steeple, London parishes, Ilketshall St Lawrence, Bungay St Mary, Bungay Holy Trinity and Martock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Waveney, Mid Suffolk, South Norfolk, Taunton Deane and Babergh. 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 Southminster, Mayland, Steeple Essex
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Ilketshall St Lawrence, Bungay St Mary, Bungay Holy Trinity Suffolk
5 Martock Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Waveney 015 Waveney
2 Mid Suffolk 003 Mid Suffolk
3 South Norfolk 008 South Norfolk
4 Taunton Deane 005 Taunton Deane
5 Babergh 004 Babergh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pipe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pipe

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

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Pipe is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Pipe is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Pipe

The surname PIPE originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'pipe', which referred to a long cylindrical wind instrument or a tube used for conveying water or other liquids.

This name was likely an occupational surname, given to someone who made or played pipes. It could also have referred to someone who lived near a piped water source or worked with pipes in some capacity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the PIPE surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert Pipe. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also list a Thomas Pipe.

The PIPE surname is found in various medieval records, such as the Chancery Rolls of 1386, which mention a Richard Pipe of Gloucestershire. The Feet of Fines for Essex in 1428 record a John Pipe, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524 include a William Pipe from Hertfordshire.

In the 16th century, the PIPE surname appeared in various places across England, including Wiltshire, where a William Pipe was born in 1543. The name was also present in London, with a John Pipe recorded in the parish registers of St. Dunstan's in the West in 1594.

Notable individuals with the PIPE surname include Sir Richard Pipe (c. 1570-1638), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1637. Another prominent figure was Thomas Pipe (1666-1725), an English astronomer and mathematician who published works on celestial mechanics.

In the 18th century, the PIPE name can be found in various parts of England and Wales. For example, John Pipe (1715-1792) was a prominent Welsh Anglican clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Llandaff.

As the surname spread across the British Isles, variations in spelling emerged, such as Pype, Pippe, and Pyper. Some of these variants may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

In the 19th century, the PIPE surname continued to be found throughout the United Kingdom. One notable individual was Sir Sydney Pipe (1826-1892), a British civil engineer who oversaw the construction of several railways in India.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pipe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pipe 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 422 Pipes recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.72x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 422 26.72x
Middlesex 198 1.53x
Somerset 115 5.51x
Essex 114 4.45x
Surrey 102 1.61x
Durham 56 1.45x
Norfolk 48 2.41x
Yorkshire 46 0.36x
Kent 32 0.72x
Staffordshire 26 0.59x
Gloucestershire 18 0.71x
Lancashire 16 0.10x
Glamorgan 15 0.66x
Warwickshire 12 0.37x
Dorset 11 1.29x
Hertfordshire 10 1.12x
Monmouthshire 10 1.07x
Shropshire 9 0.80x
Cambridgeshire 8 0.97x
Hampshire 8 0.30x
Northamptonshire 8 0.66x
Northumberland 8 0.41x
Sussex 8 0.37x
Ayrshire 7 0.72x
Oxfordshire 5 0.62x
Worcestershire 5 0.30x
Cheshire 4 0.14x
Cumberland 3 0.27x
Leicestershire 2 0.14x
Derbyshire 1 0.05x
Herefordshire 1 0.19x
Royal Navy 1 0.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Southminster in Essex leads with 42 Pipes recorded in 1881 and an index of 748.66x.

Place Total Index
Southminster 42 748.66x
West Ham 40 7.08x
Martock 38 280.03x
Brundish 35 2134.15x
Hackney London 26 3.58x
Camberwell 25 3.02x
Hampstead London 23 11.39x
Bungay Holy Trinity 22 271.60x
Kingsbury Episcopi 21 310.65x
Dennington 20 571.43x
Barsham 19 1407.41x
Kensington London 18 2.50x
Kirkley 17 128.69x
Stradbroke 16 300.19x
Lowestoft 15 20.11x
South Cove 15 2142.86x
Middlestone 14 181.11x
Rotherhithe 14 8.74x
Lambeth 13 1.15x
Bungay St Mary 12 153.45x
St Pancras London 12 1.15x
Tannington 12 1318.68x
Bedfield 11 658.68x
Laxfield 11 279.90x
Middlesbrough 11 6.58x
Otley 11 390.07x
St George In East 11 12.47x
Banwell 10 131.23x
Bramfield 10 358.42x
Curry Rivell 10 143.27x
Ditchingham 10 209.64x
Ipswich St Margaret 10 18.66x
Mendham 10 298.51x
St Marylebone London 10 1.44x
Sunderland 10 14.68x
Winston 10 757.58x
Beccles 9 35.42x
Bermondsey 9 2.33x
Bishopwearmouth 9 2.72x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 9 15.04x
Pakefield 9 229.59x
Shoreditch London 9 1.60x
St Clement Danes 9 42.88x
Trevethin 9 10.17x
Barwick 8 380.95x
Bradford 8 2.57x
Churchill 8 240.24x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 3.06x
Edwardstone 8 412.37x
Huntingfield 8 506.33x
Thorney 8 87.72x
Birmingham 7 0.64x
Cheltenham 7 3.57x
Ealing 7 6.04x
Grundisburgh 7 191.78x
Irvine 7 25.97x
Knodishall 7 351.76x
Lewisham 7 2.97x
Ludlow St Lawrence 7 31.42x
Maidstone 7 5.31x
Northampton All Sts 7 16.92x
Penge 7 8.45x
Rendlesham 7 445.86x
Rhyndwyclydach 7 44.70x
West Stafford 7 795.45x
Beddington 6 24.56x
Chilton 6 49.83x
Clerkenwell London 6 1.96x
Forest Gate 6 169.01x
Ilketshall St Margaret 6 472.44x
Lee 6 9.34x
Oulton 6 112.57x
Paddington London 6 1.26x
Prittlewell 6 16.92x
Romford 6 14.83x
Sheffield 6 1.47x
St Andrew Holborn 6 13.65x
Stoke St Gregory 6 94.64x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 1.29x
Toft Monks 6 340.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 86
Elizabeth 41
Sarah 38
Eliza 31
Alice 29
Emily 27
Emma 24
Ellen 22
Harriet 17
Louisa 15
Annie 14
Jane 14
Hannah 13
Ann 12
Fanny 12
Maria 11
Charlotte 10
Florence 10
Caroline 9
Kate 9
Edith 8
Margaret 8
Frances 7
Lucy 7
Martha 7
Rosa 7
Anna 6
Jessie 6
Rose 6
Agnes 5
Anne 5
Harriett 5
Sophia 5
Bessie 4
Catherine 4
Clara 4
Gertrude 4
Julia 4
Laura 4
Ruth 4
Ada 3
Amy 3
Elizth. 3
Esther 3
Matilda 3
Minnie 3
Selina 3
Susan 3
Susannah 3
Constance 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 77
John 67
George 50
James 35
Henry 30
Thomas 29
Charles 28
Edward 23
Samuel 20
Arthur 18
Frederick 17
Robert 17
Harry 14
Walter 13
Benjamin 12
Ernest 10
Albert 9
Richard 9
Edgar 8
Herbert 8
Sidney 7
Alfred 6
Jeremiah 5
Job 5
Wm. 5
Chas. 4
Frederic 4
Fredrick 4
Joseph 4
Willie 4
Elijah 3
Francis 3
Frank 3
Jonathan 3
Thos. 3
Allen 2
Clarence 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
Henery 2
Jerimiah 2
Keeble 2
Lewis 2
Percy 2
Saml. 2
Stephen 2
Archer 1
Berke 1
Edmund 1
Edw.W. 1

FAQ

Pipe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pipe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,329 people were recorded with the Pipe surname. That placed it at #3,088 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pipe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,665 in 2016. That gives Pipe a modern rank of #3,749.

What does the Pipe surname mean?

Derived from the Old French word "pipe," referring to a maker or seller of pipes.

What does the Pipe map show?

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