NameCensus.

UK surname

Prideaux

A surname originating from the Old French phrase "pride aux", meaning "pride of deer" or "pride of animals".

In the 1881 census there were 600 people recorded with the Prideaux surname, ranking it #5,832 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 692, ranked #7,773, down from #5,832 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Illogan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Devon, Cornwall and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Prideaux is 786 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.3%.

1881 census count

600

Ranked #5,832

Modern count

692

2016, ranked #7,773

Peak year

2010

786 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Prideaux had 600 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,832 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 692 in 2016, ranked #7,773.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 689 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Prideaux surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Prideaux surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Prideaux 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 466 #5,325
1861 historical 346 #7,377
1881 historical 600 #5,832
1891 historical 591 #6,465
1901 historical 689 #6,361
1911 historical 662 #6,345
1997 modern 672 #7,476
1998 modern 697 #7,498
1999 modern 694 #7,567
2000 modern 732 #7,242
2001 modern 711 #7,275
2002 modern 716 #7,377
2003 modern 721 #7,211
2004 modern 718 #7,237
2005 modern 702 #7,329
2006 modern 722 #7,187
2007 modern 718 #7,283
2008 modern 734 #7,229
2009 modern 744 #7,297
2010 modern 786 #7,129
2011 modern 762 #7,220
2012 modern 715 #7,487
2013 modern 738 #7,438
2014 modern 726 #7,563
2015 modern 707 #7,661
2016 modern 692 #7,773

Geography

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Where Prideaux' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Illogan, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton and Camborne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Devon, Cornwall, Leeds and Mole Valley. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Illogan Cornwall
4 Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton Devon
5 Camborne Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Devon 001 North Devon
2 Cornwall 011 Cornwall
3 North Devon 003 North Devon
4 Leeds 076 Leeds
5 Mole Valley 012 Mole Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Prideaux

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Prideaux

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Prideaux is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Prideaux is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Prideaux

The surname Prideaux originates from the Norman French and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French term "pree d'eau", meaning "meadow by the water". This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name lived near a meadow or stream.

The Prideaux family can trace their roots back to Cornwall, England, where they held lands and estates for many centuries. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a Wymund de Pridias as a landowner in Cornwall.

In the 12th century, a branch of the Prideaux family settled in Devon, where they established themselves at Adeston (later known as Prideaux Place) near Honiton. This became the principal seat of the Prideaux family for several generations.

Prominent figures bearing the Prideaux surname include Sir Jeffrey Prideaux (1584-1650), an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General and as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis. His son, Edmund Prideaux (1615-1695), was an English clergyman and academic who became the Rector of Wilden in Bedfordshire.

Another notable individual was Humphrey Prideaux (1648-1724), a renowned English scholar and churchman who served as the Dean of Norwich. He is best known for his work "The Old and New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations", which was widely praised for its scholarship.

In the 18th century, Sir John Wilmot Prideaux (1721-1766) gained prominence as a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War. He is particularly remembered for his role in the capture of the French West Indian island of Martinique in 1762.

The Prideaux family continued to play a significant role in the history of Cornwall and Devon, with several members holding positions of influence in local government and the Church of England throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Prideaux families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Prideaux 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. Cornwall leads with 165 Prideaux' recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.53x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 165 24.53x
Devon 143 11.56x
Middlesex 62 1.04x
Somerset 55 5.75x
Surrey 36 1.24x
Gloucestershire 34 2.92x
Yorkshire 16 0.27x
Lancashire 15 0.21x
Kent 11 0.54x
Essex 9 0.77x
Hampshire 9 0.74x
Worcestershire 8 1.03x
Glamorgan 7 0.68x
Staffordshire 7 0.35x
Sussex 6 0.60x
Dorset 5 1.28x
Cheshire 4 0.31x
Isle of Man 4 3.63x
Royal Navy 4 5.65x
Warwickshire 3 0.20x
Rutland 2 4.59x
Shropshire 2 0.39x
Durham 1 0.06x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camborne in Cornwall leads with 41 Prideaux' recorded in 1881 and an index of 147.96x.

Place Total Index
Camborne 41 147.96x
Barnstaple 20 103.04x
Illogan 20 112.30x
Lambeth 16 3.09x
Landulph 15 1456.31x
Wellington 13 100.23x
Bedminster 12 13.35x
Clifton 12 20.37x
St Endellion 12 515.02x
Stoke Damerel 11 12.71x
Ashton Under Lyne 9 5.84x
Deptford St Paul 9 5.76x
Plymouth St Andrew 9 9.45x
Cheltenham 8 8.90x
Clerkenwell London 8 5.71x
Hunslet 8 8.72x
Kensington London 8 2.42x
Old Cleeve 8 234.60x
Pilton 8 196.08x
St Ive 8 185.61x
St Marylebone London 8 2.52x
Antony 7 107.86x
Chigwell 7 63.23x
Dunster 7 305.68x
Exeter Heavitree 7 75.92x
Tamworth 7 65.30x
Werrington 7 522.39x
Westbury On Trym 7 17.74x
Whippingham 7 75.92x
Battersea 6 2.74x
Brixham 6 41.87x
Brotton 6 78.13x
Huntspill 6 153.45x
Mile End Old Town 6 6.40x
Morthoe 6 689.66x
Plymouth Charles The 6 11.01x
Scilly Islands St Mary 6 228.14x
Sherwill 6 714.29x
St Stephens By Saltash 6 206.90x
Yardley 6 30.23x
Croydon 5 3.11x
East Stonehouse 5 20.53x
Hammersmith London 5 3.42x
Lancing 5 181.82x
Lynton 5 202.43x
Modbury 5 158.23x
Motcombe 5 174.22x
Paddington London 5 2.29x
Camberwell 4 1.05x
Cardiff St Mary 4 7.02x
Chittlehampton 4 131.15x
Crowan 4 75.05x
Dartmouth Townstall 4 79.37x
Honiton 4 58.48x
Lanlivery 4 141.84x
Madron Penzance 4 16.35x
Marwood 4 243.90x
Royal Navy 4 6.61x
Rushen 4 53.62x
Scilly Islands 4 330.58x
St Cleer 4 68.61x
St George Bloomsbury 4 11.74x
Bristol St Augustine 3 15.96x
East Teignmouth 3 59.29x
Islington London 3 0.52x
Sidmouth 3 42.37x
St Columb Minor 3 53.10x
Tythegston Lower 3 1578.95x
Willesden 3 5.36x
Wistaston 3 361.45x
Altarnun 2 85.47x
Bury 2 2.48x
Devonport 2 14.07x
Exton 2 150.38x
Kings Norton 2 2.88x
Lydney 2 33.22x
Saltash 2 38.31x
St Mabyn 2 192.31x
Westonsuper Mare 2 102.56x
Weybridge 2 32.21x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 41
John 34
George 25
Thomas 16
Charles 14
Richard 14
Walter 10
James 9
Samuel 9
Alfred 8
Robert 8
Henry 7
Edmund 6
Albert 5
Arthur 5
Francis 5
Frederick 5
Edwin 4
Fredk. 4
Fredrick 4
Joseph 4
Edward 3
Arnold 2
Frank 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Jacob 2
Pasco 2
Percy 2
Ralph 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Chas. 1
Edwd. 1
Erneast 1
Ernest 1
Geo. 1
Gilbert 1
Harrold 1
Humphrey 1
Lewis 1
Louis 1
Mary 1
Matthew 1
Nathaniel 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Reginald 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Prideaux surname: questions and answers

How common was the Prideaux surname in 1881?

In 1881, 600 people were recorded with the Prideaux surname. That placed it at #5,832 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Prideaux surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 692 in 2016. That gives Prideaux a modern rank of #7,773.

What does the Prideaux surname mean?

A surname originating from the Old French phrase "pride aux", meaning "pride of deer" or "pride of animals".

What does the Prideaux map show?

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