NameCensus.

UK surname

Poppy

An English surname derived from the wild flower of the same name.

In the 1881 census there were 125 people recorded with the Poppy surname, ranking it #17,335 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 241, ranked #17,233, up from #17,335 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Harwich St Nicholas, St Marylebone and Reddenhall, Mendham (Stradbroke, Suffolk), Withersdale (Stradbroke, Suffolk), Metfield (Stradbroke,. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Waveney and Swale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Poppy is 241 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 92.8%.

1881 census count

125

Ranked #17,335

Modern count

241

2016, ranked #17,233

Peak year

2016

241 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Poppy had 125 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,335 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 241 in 2016, ranked #17,233.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 201 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Poppy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Poppy surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Poppy 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 101 #17,036
1861 historical 115 #18,880
1881 historical 125 #17,335
1891 historical 155 #17,920
1901 historical 163 #17,205
1911 historical 201 #14,905
1997 modern 214 #16,893
1998 modern 217 #17,207
1999 modern 206 #17,905
2000 modern 201 #18,152
2001 modern 206 #17,624
2002 modern 200 #18,294
2003 modern 200 #18,139
2004 modern 188 #18,919
2005 modern 198 #18,279
2006 modern 202 #18,160
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 215 #17,809
2009 modern 221 #17,848
2010 modern 221 #18,205
2011 modern 224 #17,891
2012 modern 227 #17,630
2013 modern 236 #17,472
2014 modern 235 #17,619
2015 modern 239 #17,322
2016 modern 241 #17,233

Geography

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Where Poppys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Harwich St Nicholas, St Marylebone, Reddenhall, Mendham (Stradbroke, Suffolk), Withersdale (Stradbroke, Suffolk), Metfield (Stradbroke,, Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Waveney, Swale and Rural Keith and Strathisla. 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 Harwich St Nicholas Essex
2 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
3 Reddenhall, Mendham (Stradbroke, Suffolk), Withersdale (Stradbroke, Suffolk), Metfield (Stradbroke, Norfolk
4 Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy Essex
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 004 Cornwall
2 Waveney 014 Waveney
3 Swale 011 Swale
4 Waveney 012 Waveney
5 Rural Keith and Strathisla Moray

Forenames

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First names often paired with Poppy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Poppy

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Poppy 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

Poppy is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Poppy falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Poppy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Poppy, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Poppy

The surname Poppy is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "popie," meaning a small bundle or package. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a seller of poppies or a nickname for someone with a round, plump figure, resembling a poppy flower.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "le Popi" and "Popy," in records from counties like Suffolk and Essex. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a Richard Popy was mentioned.

During the 14th century, the spelling "Poppy" emerged more prominently, as evidenced in the Poll Tax Returns of 1381, which listed individuals like John Poppy of Yorkshire and Agnes Poppy of Cambridgeshire.

Notable historical figures with the surname Poppy include William Poppy, a 16th-century English composer and musician, who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the name was associated with the Poppy family of Huntingdonshire, a notable family of landowners and gentry. One prominent member was Sir Edmund Poppy (1612-1670), a Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Huntingdonshire.

The 18th century saw the rise of William Poppy (1701-1764), an English architect and surveyor responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Coventry.

In the 19th century, Henry Poppy (1818-1892) was a renowned English engraver and illustrator, known for his intricate woodcut illustrations in books and magazines.

Another significant figure was John Poppy (1854-1921), a British trade unionist and politician who served as the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and was elected as a Member of Parliament for South Salford in 1906.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Poppy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Poppy 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 42 Poppys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.45x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 42 3.45x
Suffolk 40 26.94x
Essex 15 6.23x
Norfolk 9 4.80x
Yorkshire 7 0.58x
Surrey 4 0.67x
Lancashire 3 0.21x
Leicestershire 2 1.48x
Glamorgan 1 0.47x
Herefordshire 1 2.00x
Kent 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Homersfield in Suffolk leads with 13 Poppys recorded in 1881 and an index of 21666.67x.

Place Total Index
Homersfield 13 21666.67x
Bethnal Green London 12 22.66x
Chelmsford 11 266.34x
Aldeburgh 10 1136.36x
Mile End Old Town 10 51.98x
Metfield 6 2500.00x
St Andrew Holborn 5 121.07x
Harwich St Nicholas 4 215.05x
Norwich St George Colegate 4 588.24x
Uxbridge 4 287.77x
Hackney London 3 4.39x
Shoreditch London 3 5.68x
Skelton In Guisbrough 3 91.74x
South Elmham St James 3 3000.00x
Battersea 2 4.46x
Hoxne 2 476.19x
Islington London 2 1.69x
Mendham 2 625.00x
St Marylebone London 2 3.07x
Sutton Stoneferry 2 57.80x
Toxteth Park 2 4.08x
Billington 1 169.49x
Brockdish 1 555.56x
Brooke 1 344.83x
Bungay St Mary 1 135.14x
Calverley Cum Farsley 1 29.15x
Colwall 1 161.29x
Eye 1 104.17x
Freethorpe 1 588.24x
Great Fransham 1 714.29x
Knighton 1 131.58x
Lewisham 1 4.51x
Marske In Guisbrough 1 46.51x
Oystermouth 1 60.98x
Putney 1 17.99x
Redenhall 1 136.99x
South Elmham St Cross 1 1111.11x
St George Hanover 1 6.29x
Wandsworth 1 8.52x
Weybread 1 357.14x
Woodhouse 1 185.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Charles 7
Henry 7
George 6
William 6
Frederick 5
Robert 4
Ernest 3
Harry 3
John 3
David 2
James 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Bruce 1
Edward 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Jonathan 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Poppy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Poppy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 125 people were recorded with the Poppy surname. That placed it at #17,335 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Poppy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 241 in 2016. That gives Poppy a modern rank of #17,233.

What does the Poppy surname mean?

An English surname derived from the wild flower of the same name.

What does the Poppy map show?

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