NameCensus.

UK surname

Purver

In the 1881 census there were 127 people recorded with the Purver surname, ranking it #17,166 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 173, ranked #21,561, down from #17,166 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Andover, Enham Knights and Stoughton, Compton, East Marden. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Redcar and Cleveland, Test Valley and New Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Purver is 249 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.2%.

1881 census count

127

Ranked #17,166

Modern count

173

2016, ranked #21,561

Peak year

1911

249 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Purver had 127 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,166 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 173 in 2016, ranked #21,561.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 249 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Purver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Purver surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Purver 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 136 #13,892
1861 historical 106 #20,147
1881 historical 127 #17,166
1891 historical 173 #16,600
1901 historical 236 #13,616
1911 historical 249 #12,951
1997 modern 206 #17,315
1998 modern 217 #17,207
1999 modern 223 #17,025
2000 modern 228 #16,743
2001 modern 221 #16,848
2002 modern 219 #17,288
2003 modern 210 #17,559
2004 modern 211 #17,590
2005 modern 198 #18,279
2006 modern 201 #18,226
2007 modern 200 #18,485
2008 modern 200 #18,640
2009 modern 200 #19,028
2010 modern 196 #19,698
2011 modern 190 #19,942
2012 modern 185 #20,223
2013 modern 189 #20,273
2014 modern 185 #20,739
2015 modern 182 #20,856
2016 modern 173 #21,561

Geography

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Where Purvers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Andover, Enham Knights, Stoughton, Compton, East Marden and Bourne St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Redcar and Cleveland, Test Valley and New Forest. 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 Andover, Enham Knights Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Stoughton, Compton, East Marden Sussex
5 Bourne St Mary Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Redcar and Cleveland 013 Redcar and Cleveland
2 Test Valley 001 Test Valley
3 Test Valley 008 Test Valley
4 New Forest 016 New Forest
5 Test Valley 002 Test Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Purver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Purver

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Purver is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Purver is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Purver falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Purver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Purver 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. Hampshire leads with 49 Purvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.30x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 49 19.30x
Middlesex 18 1.45x
Surrey 17 2.82x
Berkshire 13 13.98x
Kent 7 1.66x
Sussex 6 2.87x
Warwickshire 4 1.28x
Yorkshire 4 0.33x
Caernarfonshire 3 5.99x
Devon 3 1.16x
Essex 1 0.41x
Glamorgan 1 0.46x
Gloucestershire 1 0.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Mary Bourne in Hampshire leads with 13 Purvers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2826.09x.

Place Total Index
St Mary Bourne 13 2826.09x
Kimpton 8 6666.67x
Reading St Mary 7 93.96x
Andover 6 250.00x
Longparish 6 2068.97x
Aldingbourn 5 1562.50x
Godalming 5 131.58x
Long Ditton 5 505.05x
New Alresford 5 757.58x
Chiswick 4 59.08x
Milverton 4 434.78x
Reading St Giles 4 43.86x
Wonston 4 1379.31x
York All Sts North 4 655.74x
Bangor 3 62.11x
Charlton Next Woolwich 3 68.03x
Deptford St Paul 3 9.20x
Hornsey 3 19.16x
Plymouth St Andrew 3 15.11x
Wimbledon 3 44.25x
Croydon 2 5.97x
Hackney London 2 2.88x
Hanworth 2 465.12x
Islington London 2 1.67x
Richmond 2 23.64x
St Stephen Coleman 2 606.06x
Abbotts Ann 1 344.83x
Bromley London 1 3.67x
Church Oakley 1 769.23x
Foxcott 1 5000.00x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 1 22.47x
Hove 1 10.92x
Hurstbourne Priors 1 588.24x
Llantrisant 1 18.38x
Millbrook 1 15.65x
Minster In Sheppey 1 14.29x
Newbury 1 33.56x
Newtown Nr Newbury 1 1000.00x
Paddington London 1 2.20x
Sonning 1 97.09x
Thaxted 1 123.46x
Tottenham 1 5.07x
Whitchurch 1 123.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Annie 4
Jane 4
Elizabeth 3
Louisa 3
Amelia 2
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Amy 1
Annis 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Daisy 1
Eleanor 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Francis 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Jeannie 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1
Phoebe 1
Rosa 1
Rosina 1
Sarah 1
Thirza 1
Thusga 1
Thusge 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 12
John 8
George 7
Thomas 5
James 4
Arthur 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Henry 1
Infant 1
Joseph 1
Mark 1
Robert 1
Russell 1
Stephen 1
Walter 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Purver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Purver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 127 people were recorded with the Purver surname. That placed it at #17,166 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Purver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 173 in 2016. That gives Purver a modern rank of #21,561.

What does the Purver map show?

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