NameCensus.

UK surname

Proverbs

In the 1881 census there were 56 people recorded with the Proverbs surname, ranking it #25,733 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 184, ranked #20,731, up from #25,733 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Eastnor, London parishes and Wednesbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wakefield, Lichfield and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Proverbs is 200 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 228.6%.

1881 census count

56

Ranked #25,733

Modern count

184

2016, ranked #20,731

Peak year

2011

200 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Proverbs had 56 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,733 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016, ranked #20,731.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 112 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Proverbs surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Proverbs surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Proverbs 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 65 #21,747
1861 historical 70 #24,911
1881 historical 56 #25,733
1891 historical 87 #25,802
1901 historical 106 #22,076
1911 historical 112 #21,274
1997 modern 168 #19,642
1998 modern 178 #19,452
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 180 #19,425
2001 modern 179 #19,215
2002 modern 184 #19,275
2003 modern 172 #19,893
2004 modern 177 #19,662
2005 modern 168 #20,227
2006 modern 176 #19,787
2007 modern 175 #20,090
2008 modern 177 #20,169
2009 modern 181 #20,277
2010 modern 197 #19,640
2011 modern 200 #19,280
2012 modern 188 #20,018
2013 modern 190 #20,201
2014 modern 192 #20,230
2015 modern 186 #20,576
2016 modern 184 #20,731

Geography

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Where Proverbs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Eastnor, London parishes, Wednesbury, Cannock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wakefield, Lichfield, Sheffield, Walsall and South Lewis. 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 Eastnor Herefordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Wednesbury Staffordshire
4 Cannock Staffordshire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wakefield 044 Wakefield
2 Lichfield 010 Lichfield
3 Sheffield 039 Sheffield
4 Walsall 024 Walsall
5 South Lewis Na h-Eileanan Siar

Forenames

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First names often paired with Proverbs

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Proverbs

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Proverbs surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Proverbs household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Proverbs 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

Proverbs 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

Proverbs falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Proverbs 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 Proverbs, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Proverbs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Proverbs 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. Staffordshire leads with 17 Proverbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.22x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 17 9.22x
Warwickshire 16 11.62x
Worcestershire 9 12.62x
Yorkshire 6 1.11x
Derbyshire 2 2.34x
Gloucestershire 2 1.87x
Bedfordshire 1 3.54x
Herefordshire 1 4.47x
Lanarkshire 1 0.57x
Radnorshire 1 22.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 15 Proverbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.69x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 15 32.69x
Wednesbury 12 260.30x
Claines 6 306.12x
Wath On Dearne 5 462.96x
Cannock 4 124.22x
Bromsberrow 2 4000.00x
Dudley 2 23.07x
Sudbury 2 2000.00x
Colwall 1 357.14x
Dunstable 1 114.94x
Edgbaston 1 23.42x
Govan 1 2.29x
Lower Mitton 1 158.73x
Nantmel 1 434.78x
Sheffield 1 5.80x
West Bromwich 1 9.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Sarah 4
Alice 2
Elizabeth 2
Harriet 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Clara 1
Emily 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Lous 1
Margret 1
Milborow 1
Nancy 1
Rebecca 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 7
Adelbert 1
Albert 1
Allen 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Elijah 1
Francis 1
James 1
Thomas 1
Wm. 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 Proverbs households.

FAQ

Proverbs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Proverbs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 56 people were recorded with the Proverbs surname. That placed it at #25,733 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Proverbs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016. That gives Proverbs a modern rank of #20,731.

What does the Proverbs map show?

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