NameCensus.

UK surname

Porte

A surname derived from the French word for "door" or "gate", possibly referring to an occupation associated with doors or gates.

In the 1881 census there were 57 people recorded with the Porte surname, ranking it #25,575 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 250, ranked #16,792, up from #25,575 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Newton, London parishes and Hursley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fernhill and Cathkin, Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields and Swindon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Porte is 283 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 338.6%.

1881 census count

57

Ranked #25,575

Modern count

250

2016, ranked #16,792

Peak year

1998

283 bearers

Map years

5

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Porte had 57 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,575 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 250 in 2016, ranked #16,792.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 151 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Porte surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Porte surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Porte 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 34 #27,194
1861 historical 151 #15,209
1881 historical 57 #25,575
1891 historical 148 #18,506
1901 historical 83 #24,900
1911 historical 77 #25,106
1997 modern 275 #14,335
1998 modern 283 #14,442
1999 modern 276 #14,762
2000 modern 271 #14,910
2001 modern 255 #15,319
2002 modern 261 #15,369
2003 modern 251 #15,563
2004 modern 253 #15,583
2005 modern 246 #15,802
2006 modern 245 #15,956
2007 modern 250 #15,901
2008 modern 251 #16,026
2009 modern 258 #16,050
2010 modern 256 #16,523
2011 modern 263 #16,058
2012 modern 258 #16,165
2013 modern 261 #16,309
2014 modern 260 #16,470
2015 modern 255 #16,564
2016 modern 250 #16,792

Geography

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Where Portes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Newton, London parishes, Hursley, Isfield and Cambuslang. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fernhill and Cathkin, Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields, Swindon, East Dorset and Lochside, Braehead and Whitletts. 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 Newton Lincolnshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Hursley Hampshire
4 Isfield Sussex
5 Cambuslang Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fernhill and Cathkin South Lanarkshire
2 Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields South Ayrshire
3 Swindon 025 Swindon
4 East Dorset 001 East Dorset
5 Lochside, Braehead and Whitletts South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Porte

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Porte

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Porte surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Porte household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Challenged Inner London Communities

Within London, Porte is most associated with areas classed as Challenged Inner London Communities, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Resident in some of Inner London’s most over-crowded communities, many families have children and marriage/civil partnership rates are above the Supergroup average. Other adults such as students live in communal establishments. Few residents have Level 4 educational qualifications, levels of unemployment are above the Supergroup average, and employment is concentrated in service occupations such as distribution, hotels and restaurants. Relative to the Supergroup average, fewer residents identify as being of mixed/multiple ethnicities, Black or Other Asian.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Porte is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Porte 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 Porte is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Porte

The surname PORTE originates from France, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "porte," meaning "door" or "gate," suggesting that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near or were responsible for guarding a gate or entrance to a town or fortified area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Radulfus de la Porte" is listed, referring to a landholder in the county of Somerset.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "de la Porte," "de Porte," and "Portes," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. One notable bearer was Pierre de la Porte, a French nobleman and soldier who participated in the Seventh Crusade in the mid-13th century.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name gained prominence in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central areas. Notable individuals included Jean de la Porte (c. 1380-1452), a French merchant and diplomat who served as a royal ambassador under Charles VII, and Guillaume de la Porte (c. 1460-1531), a renowned architect who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in Paris.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent further variations in spelling and pronunciation. In England, the name was sometimes anglicized to "Porter," while in Italy it took the form "Porta." One prominent Italian bearer was Giambattista della Porta (1535-1615), a renowned scholar, playwright, and polymath from Naples.

In the 17th century, the name PORTE gained prominence in the Netherlands, with individuals such as Dirck Porte (1605-1675), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and maritime scenes. In the same period, Jean de la Porte (1614-1679) was a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and worked among the indigenous populations.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the PORTE surname continued to be found across various regions of Europe and beyond. Notable bearers included Arnaud Porte (1744-1818), a French military officer who served during the French Revolutionary Wars, and Sir John Porte (1773-1847), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Bermuda.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Porte families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Porte 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. Yorkshire leads with 29 Portes recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.26x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 29 5.26x
Lanarkshire 8 4.45x
Warwickshire 6 4.28x
Dorset 4 10.96x
Devon 2 1.73x
Northamptonshire 2 3.82x
Derbyshire 1 1.15x
Gloucestershire 1 0.92x
Middlesex 1 0.18x
Midlothian 1 1.34x
Staffordshire 1 0.53x
Worcestershire 1 1.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sculcoates in Yorkshire leads with 14 Portes recorded in 1881 and an index of 160.37x.

Place Total Index
Sculcoates 14 160.37x
New Monkland 8 150.66x
Beverley St Martin 6 652.17x
Birmingham 6 12.84x
Drypool 6 714.29x
Exeter St Sidwell 2 75.47x
Melcombe Regis 2 132.45x
Bramley In Bramley 1 47.39x
Cheltenham 1 11.89x
Derby All Sts 1 136.99x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 3.34x
Holy Trinity 1 7.55x
Northampton Priory St 1 31.85x
Ormesby 1 67.57x
Pattishall 1 588.24x
Teddington London 1 79.37x
West Bromwich 1 9.31x
West Parley 1 1666.67x
Wollaston 1 217.39x
Wyke Regis 1 192.31x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 5
Mary 3
Caroline 2
Emma 2
Adelaide 1
Agusta 1
Alice 1
Charlotte 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Venia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
William 4
Charles 2
Edward 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Henry 1
Horatio 1
Iasac 1
John 1
Jules 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Porte households.

FAQ

Porte surname: questions and answers

How common was the Porte surname in 1881?

In 1881, 57 people were recorded with the Porte surname. That placed it at #25,575 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Porte surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 250 in 2016. That gives Porte a modern rank of #16,792.

What does the Porte surname mean?

A surname derived from the French word for "door" or "gate", possibly referring to an occupation associated with doors or gates.

What does the Porte map show?

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