NameCensus.

UK surname

Prince

A surname referring to a ruler or someone who acted in a princely manner or had a regal bearing.

In the 1881 census there were 6,765 people recorded with the Prince surname, ranking it #625 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,976, ranked #644, down from #625 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Manchester and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, Derbyshire Dales and East Staffordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Prince is 10,241 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 47.5%.

1881 census count

6,765

Ranked #625

Modern count

9,976

2016, ranked #644

Peak year

2010

10,241 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Prince had 6,765 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #625 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,976 in 2016, ranked #644.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,304 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Prince surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Prince surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Prince 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 4,328 #654
1861 historical 4,442 #636
1881 historical 6,765 #625
1891 historical 7,428 #603
1901 historical 8,632 #611
1911 historical 9,304 #525
1997 modern 9,533 #659
1998 modern 10,009 #643
1999 modern 10,051 #644
2000 modern 10,099 #641
2001 modern 9,850 #642
2002 modern 10,084 #642
2003 modern 9,825 #646
2004 modern 9,827 #647
2005 modern 9,680 #646
2006 modern 9,667 #648
2007 modern 9,775 #645
2008 modern 9,786 #650
2009 modern 10,044 #647
2010 modern 10,241 #645
2011 modern 10,165 #643
2012 modern 9,991 #642
2013 modern 10,122 #645
2014 modern 10,165 #646
2015 modern 10,034 #643
2016 modern 9,976 #644

Geography

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Where Princes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Manchester and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, Derbyshire Dales and East Staffordshire. 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 Manchester Lancashire
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 011 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Staffordshire Moorlands 007 Staffordshire Moorlands
3 Derbyshire Dales 008 Derbyshire Dales
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 010 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 East Staffordshire 001 East Staffordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Prince

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Prince

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Prince is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

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

Prince 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

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

Meaning and origin of Prince

The surname PRINCE is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "prince," which means "ruler" or "sovereign." It first appeared in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

The name PRINCE was likely bestowed upon someone who held a position of authority or leadership, perhaps a nobleman or a high-ranking military officer. It could also have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited regal or princely qualities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PRINCE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and their holdings in England after the Norman Conquest. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus Princeps, which translates to Ralph the Prince.

In the 12th century, a noble family known as the Princes of Gwynedd ruled over parts of Wales. They traced their lineage back to Owain Gwynedd, a powerful Welsh prince who lived from 1100 to 1170 and fought against the Norman invaders.

Another notable bearer of the name PRINCE was John Prince, a 17th-century English writer and scholar who was born in 1588 and died in 1646. He is best known for his work "Worthies of Devon," which chronicled the lives of notable individuals from the county of Devon.

During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Royalist military leader named Thomas Prince fought for King Charles I. He was born in 1600 and died in 1673, and his actions earned him the nickname "the Worthy Prince."

In the 18th century, a prominent American family with the surname PRINCE included Thomas Prince (1687-1758), a minister and historian in Boston, and his son Nathan Prince (1698-1748), who served as a minister in Hull, Massachusetts.

Throughout history, the surname PRINCE has been associated with individuals who held positions of leadership, authority, and nobility, reflecting its regal connotations and origins in Old French.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Prince families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Prince 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 841 Princes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.28x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 841 1.28x
Lancashire 829 1.06x
Middlesex 763 1.15x
Staffordshire 663 2.97x
Cheshire 560 3.84x
Hampshire 390 2.88x
Derbyshire 385 3.72x
Surrey 300 0.93x
Wiltshire 168 2.88x
Devon 166 1.21x
Somerset 160 1.50x
Sussex 111 1.00x
Warwickshire 108 0.65x
Berkshire 102 2.06x
Essex 101 0.77x
Kent 100 0.44x
Durham 96 0.49x
Worcestershire 95 1.10x
Shropshire 93 1.63x
Denbighshire 91 3.65x
Dorset 86 1.98x
Gloucestershire 62 0.48x
Nottinghamshire 57 0.64x
Lincolnshire 43 0.41x
Northumberland 40 0.41x
Glamorgan 37 0.32x
Flintshire 32 1.80x
Oxfordshire 32 0.78x
Herefordshire 31 1.14x
Cambridgeshire 25 0.60x
Monmouthshire 25 0.52x
Hertfordshire 20 0.44x
Suffolk 19 0.24x
Leicestershire 15 0.20x
Buckinghamshire 14 0.35x
Cumberland 14 0.25x
Royal Navy 14 1.78x
Norfolk 12 0.12x
Fife 10 0.26x
Channel Islands 8 0.41x
Radnorshire 7 1.31x
Midlothian 6 0.07x
Northamptonshire 6 0.10x
Lanarkshire 5 0.02x
Rutland 5 1.03x
Cornwall 4 0.05x
Renfrewshire 4 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.05x
Angus 3 0.05x
Bedfordshire 3 0.09x
Ayrshire 2 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.07x
Anglesey 1 0.09x
Argyllshire 1 0.05x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.04x
Perthshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manchester in Lancashire leads with 105 Princes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.98x.

Place Total Index
Manchester 105 2.98x
Portsea 104 3.92x
Leeds 86 2.33x
Nantwich 76 44.85x
Birmingham 68 1.22x
Hackney London 68 1.84x
Stoke Upon Trent 62 2.62x
West Ham 61 2.12x
Bethnal Green London 59 2.06x
Bradford 55 3.47x
Battersea 51 2.10x
Islington London 50 0.78x
Camberwell 49 1.16x
Salford 49 2.13x
Dudley 48 4.58x
Warminster 48 37.50x
Crewkerne 47 41.62x
Birkenhead 44 3.79x
St Pancras London 44 0.83x
Leek Lowe 42 14.16x
Stanton 42 243.76x
Lambeth 41 0.71x
Heanor 40 25.86x
Over 39 26.32x
Southampton St Mary 39 4.58x
Hammersmith London 38 2.34x
Hulme 38 2.32x
Oldham 38 1.50x
West Bromwich 38 2.98x
Bonsall 37 120.76x
Broughton In Salford 36 5.02x
Derby St Werburgh 35 5.86x
Kippax 35 60.80x
Ruabon 35 10.20x
Toxteth Park 35 1.32x
West Derby 35 1.53x
Bromley London 34 2.34x
Cannock 34 8.74x
Hunslet 34 3.33x
Liverpool 34 0.71x
Downton 32 41.86x
Ealing 32 5.42x
St George Hanover 32 3.71x
Allerton Bywater 30 84.67x
Paddington London 30 1.24x
Ardwick 29 4.10x
Kensington London 29 0.79x
Kingswinford 29 3.58x
Tarporley 28 91.71x
Burslem 27 4.23x
Shoreditch London 27 0.94x
Alton 23 95.79x
Aston 23 0.50x
Chelsea London 23 1.16x
Luttons Ambo 23 168.99x
St Marylebone London 23 0.65x
Carisbrooke 22 11.70x
Sheen 22 232.80x
Audlem 21 61.10x
Barnsley 21 3.11x
Churwell 21 47.04x
Cotton 21 141.99x
Newington 21 0.86x
Preston 21 1.00x
Wolstanton 21 3.10x
Fawfieldhead 20 139.76x
Plymouth St Andrew 20 1.89x
Rudston 20 146.41x
Cheadle 19 17.74x
Cheetham 19 3.25x
Chester St John Baptist 19 7.25x
Crich 19 28.15x
Everton 19 0.76x
Kirkdale 19 1.44x
Northwood 19 9.85x
Wakefield 19 3.78x
Ashton Under Lyne 18 1.05x
Halifax 18 1.87x
Runcorn 18 5.35x
St Botolph Lincoln 18 23.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 446
Elizabeth 290
Sarah 262
Ann 144
Eliza 115
Jane 112
Annie 106
Ellen 97
Alice 96
Hannah 90
Emma 88
Emily 83
Martha 73
Louisa 57
Margaret 52
Fanny 49
Ada 47
Harriet 44
Edith 43
Florence 38
Caroline 37
Anne 29
Maria 28
Charlotte 27
Clara 26
Catherine 25
Frances 24
Rose 23
Agnes 22
Kate 21
Susan 20
Lucy 19
Rebecca 19
Harriett 18
Jessie 17
Amelia 16
Elizth. 16
Gertrude 16
Julia 16
Matilda 16
Bertha 15
Isabella 15
Rachel 14
Eleanor 13
Amy 12
Esther 12
Ruth 12
Maud 11
Selina 11
Lizzie 10

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 434
John 403
George 251
Thomas 223
James 190
Henry 175
Charles 158
Joseph 116
Albert 111
Edward 99
Samuel 80
Arthur 75
Alfred 66
Richard 57
Frederick 52
Walter 52
Herbert 42
Robert 41
Harry 40
Edwin 28
Ernest 26
Frank 24
Benjamin 23
Isaac 23
David 22
Francis 15
Geo. 14
Sidney 14
Wm. 13
Fred 12
Thos. 11
Paul 10
Peter 10
Stephen 10
Daniel 9
Fredk. 8
Chas. 7
Tom 7
Fredrick 6
Percy 6
Abraham 5
Benj. 5
Hugh 5
Jno. 5
Mary 5
Philip 5
Uriah 5
Charlie 4
Frederic 4
Leonard 4

FAQ

Prince surname: questions and answers

How common was the Prince surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,765 people were recorded with the Prince surname. That placed it at #625 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Prince surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,976 in 2016. That gives Prince a modern rank of #644.

What does the Prince surname mean?

A surname referring to a ruler or someone who acted in a princely manner or had a regal bearing.

What does the Prince map show?

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