NameCensus.

UK surname

Provins

A surname originating from the town of Provins in northern France.

In the 1881 census there were 23 people recorded with the Provins surname, ranking it #30,339 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 110, ranked #29,225, up from #30,339 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tewkesbury, Ipswich and Malvern Hills.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Provins is 148 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 378.3%.

1881 census count

23

Ranked #30,339

Modern count

110

2016, ranked #29,225

Peak year

1997

148 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Provins had 23 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,339 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016, ranked #29,225.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 95 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Provins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Provins surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Provins 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 18 #30,094
1861 historical 38 #29,216
1881 historical 23 #30,339
1891 historical 80 #26,785
1901 historical 77 #25,627
1911 historical 95 #23,294
1997 modern 148 #21,295
1998 modern 140 #22,615
1999 modern 139 #22,884
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 122 #24,366
2002 modern 117 #25,494
2003 modern 112 #25,948
2004 modern 109 #26,607
2005 modern 102 #27,689
2006 modern 109 #26,872
2007 modern 106 #27,722
2008 modern 101 #28,825
2009 modern 103 #29,127
2010 modern 106 #29,305
2011 modern 108 #28,811
2012 modern 104 #29,543
2013 modern 112 #28,675
2014 modern 114 #28,608
2015 modern 110 #29,157
2016 modern 110 #29,225

Geography

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Where Provins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tewkesbury, Ipswich, Malvern Hills and Hillingdon. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tewkesbury 002 Tewkesbury
2 Ipswich 003 Ipswich
3 Ipswich 006 Ipswich
4 Malvern Hills 011 Malvern Hills
5 Hillingdon 001 Hillingdon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Provins

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Provins

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Provins, 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 Provins surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Provins 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, Provins 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

Provins 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

Provins falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Provins

The surname Provins is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the town of Provins, located in the historic province of Champagne, now part of the modern-day Île-de-France region. Provins was an important trading center during the Middle Ages, renowned for its annual fair and the production of high-quality wool and textiles.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Provins can be found in various medieval documents, including the Cartulaire de Provins, a collection of charters and deeds from the 12th and 13th centuries. The name is believed to have originated as a locative surname, indicating a person's place of origin or residence.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Provins was Jean de Provins, a 13th-century French trouvère and poet. His satirical works, such as "La Bible au Seignor de Bervile," provided valuable insights into the social and cultural life of the time. Jean de Provins lived from approximately 1235 to 1318.

Another prominent individual with the surname Provins was Guillaume Provins, a 14th-century French physician and author. He wrote several medical treatises, including "De regimine sanitatis," which addressed topics related to health and hygiene. Guillaume Provins was active in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

In England, the surname Provins can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, as some Norman families likely adopted the name upon settling in the region. One notable English bearer of the surname was Sir John Provins, a 14th-century merchant and alderman of the City of London. He served as the Mayor of London in 1356.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Provins. However, it does mention the town of Provins in Normandy, indicating the name's origins in the region.

Other historical figures with the surname Provins include Robert Provins, a 15th-century English cleric and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and Jean-Baptiste Provins, a 17th-century French painter known for his religious works and portraits.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Provins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Provins 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. Berkshire leads with 7 Provins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.57x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 7 41.57x
Surrey 5 4.57x
Somerset 4 11.07x
Kent 3 3.92x
Dorset 1 6.79x
Lancashire 1 0.38x
Sussex 1 2.64x
Worcestershire 1 3.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 5 Provins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.56x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 5 25.56x
Misterton 4 8000.00x
Reading St Mary 4 296.30x
Gillingham 3 189.87x
Binfield 2 1538.46x
Broadwinsor 1 1000.00x
Chailey 1 833.33x
Cradley 1 384.62x
Easthampstead 1 1111.11x
Pendleton In Salford 1 31.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Caroline 1
Elizabeth 1
Esther 1
Jane 1
Mary 1
Mercy 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Albert 2
Isaac 2
John 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
William 2
George 1
Herbert 1
James 1
Soloman 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 Provins households.

FAQ

Provins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Provins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 23 people were recorded with the Provins surname. That placed it at #30,339 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Provins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016. That gives Provins a modern rank of #29,225.

What does the Provins surname mean?

A surname originating from the town of Provins in northern France.

What does the Provins map show?

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