NameCensus.

UK surname

Pye

An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pies or other baked goods.

In the 1881 census there were 4,319 people recorded with the Pye surname, ranking it #1,034 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,425, ranked #1,237, down from #1,034 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lancaster and Preston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lancaster, Ribble Valley and St. Helens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pye is 6,190 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.6%.

1881 census count

4,319

Ranked #1,034

Modern count

5,425

2016, ranked #1,237

Peak year

1999

6,190 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pye had 4,319 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,034 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,425 in 2016, ranked #1,237.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,718 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pye surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pye surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pye 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 2,984 #970
1861 historical 1 #34,435
1881 historical 4,319 #1,034
1891 historical 150 #18,328
1901 historical 5,718 #974
1997 modern 5,876 #1,114
1998 modern 6,118 #1,112
1999 modern 6,190 #1,107
2000 modern 6,117 #1,115
2001 modern 5,965 #1,115
2002 modern 6,067 #1,122
2003 modern 5,874 #1,127
2004 modern 5,861 #1,130
2005 modern 5,690 #1,145
2006 modern 5,630 #1,151
2007 modern 5,644 #1,156
2008 modern 5,589 #1,175
2009 modern 5,691 #1,180
2010 modern 5,763 #1,199
2011 modern 5,676 #1,198
2012 modern 5,529 #1,201
2013 modern 5,590 #1,215
2014 modern 5,608 #1,219
2015 modern 5,483 #1,228
2016 modern 5,425 #1,237

Geography

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Where Pyes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lancaster, Preston, Liverpool and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lancaster, Ribble Valley and St. Helens. 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 3
2 Lancaster Lancashire
3 Preston Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lancaster 019 Lancaster
2 Ribble Valley 004 Ribble Valley
3 St. Helens 001 St. Helens
4 Lancaster 005 Lancaster
5 St. Helens 019 St. Helens

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pye

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pye

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

Pye 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

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

Meaning and origin of Pye

The surname Pye is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pigg," which referred to a small hill or mound. The name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near or on a small hill.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known record of surnames in England, there are several entries for people with the name Pye or similar spellings like Pyg or Pygge. These entries are primarily from counties in the southeast of England, such as Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, suggesting that the name originated in this region.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pye was Walter Pye, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire in 1199. These rolls were records of financial transactions with the Crown in medieval England.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Pye began to appear in various forms, including Pie, Py, and Pye, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common at the time. Some of these early bearers of the name were associated with various place names, such as Thomas de la Pye, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, and John atte Pye, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of Kent in 1334.

In the 15th century, the name Pye gained prominence with the rise of the Pye family of Faringdon, Berkshire. One notable member of this family was Sir Robert Pye (c. 1454-1522), who served as a Justice of the Peace and Member of Parliament for Berkshire.

Another famous bearer of the Pye surname was Sir Walter Pye (1571-1635), an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General and a Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I.

In the 17th century, Sir Robert Pye (1599-1662) was a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament and was a staunch supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

The name Pye also has connections to literature, with the English poet and playwright Henry Neville Pye (1742-1819) being a notable figure. He served as the Poet Laureate of Great Britain from 1790 until his death.

Throughout history, the surname Pye has been associated with various place names, such as Pye Green in Staffordshire, Pye Corner in London, and Pye Nest in Sussex, reflecting the geographic spread of the name across England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pye families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pye 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. Lancashire leads with 1,737 Pyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.35x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,737 3.35x
Middlesex 397 0.91x
Norfolk 365 5.43x
Yorkshire 296 0.68x
Staffordshire 237 1.61x
Surrey 138 0.65x
Essex 134 1.55x
Cheshire 120 1.24x
Shropshire 114 3.02x
Kent 111 0.74x
Fife 87 3.36x
Suffolk 74 1.39x
Northumberland 67 1.03x
Warwickshire 61 0.55x
Durham 47 0.36x
Lincolnshire 42 0.60x
Devon 41 0.45x
Herefordshire 40 2.23x
Nottinghamshire 37 0.63x
Renfrewshire 32 0.95x
Worcestershire 26 0.46x
Wiltshire 23 0.60x
Cornwall 21 0.42x
Dorset 18 0.63x
Gloucestershire 18 0.21x
Derbyshire 17 0.25x
Cambridgeshire 16 0.58x
Midlothian 16 0.27x
Lanarkshire 15 0.11x
Hertfordshire 14 0.47x
Leicestershire 14 0.29x
Stirlingshire 14 0.87x
Berkshire 11 0.34x
Glamorgan 11 0.14x
Monmouthshire 11 0.35x
Hampshire 10 0.11x
Sussex 10 0.14x
Somerset 7 0.10x
Bedfordshire 6 0.27x
Cumberland 6 0.16x
Northamptonshire 4 0.10x
Royal Navy 3 0.58x
Angus 2 0.05x
Denbighshire 2 0.12x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.02x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.04x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.09x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.12x
Radnorshire 1 0.28x
Westmorland 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 117 Pyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.44x.

Place Total Index
Preston 117 8.44x
Blackburn 85 6.16x
Everton 80 4.84x
Liverpool 67 2.13x
Windle 57 19.54x
Kirkdale 53 6.08x
Skelmersdale 52 60.20x
Over Wyresdale 51 664.93x
Rainford 49 87.41x
Eccleston In Prescot 46 17.68x
Dysart 45 25.84x
North Meols 44 8.67x
Islington London 43 1.02x
Lancaster 39 12.65x
Birkdale 38 28.97x
Lowestoft 37 14.72x
Heigham 36 9.99x
St Pancras London 35 1.00x
Birmingham 34 0.93x
Clitheroe 34 22.29x
Hackney London 33 1.35x
West Derby 32 2.11x
Bethnal Green London 31 1.63x
St Marylebone London 31 1.33x
Dilworth 29 91.31x
Garston 27 17.65x
Toxteth Park 27 1.54x
Pebmarsh 25 322.58x
Shoreditch London 25 1.32x
Newcastle Under Lyme 24 9.20x
Runcorn 24 10.80x
Mansfield 23 11.29x
Aston 22 0.73x
Great Bolton 22 3.20x
Great Yarmouth 22 3.95x
Lambeth 22 0.58x
Widnes 22 5.88x
Woolwich 22 4.00x
Keighley 21 4.55x
Bickerstaffe 20 58.94x
Huyton With Roby 20 32.93x
Kensington London 20 0.82x
Lathom 20 31.95x
Stoke Upon Trent 20 1.28x
Sutton 20 12.99x
Tunstead 20 317.46x
Ashley 19 157.68x
Croston 19 70.95x
Liscard 19 10.94x
Sheffield 19 1.38x
Handsworth 18 15.73x
West Bromwich 18 2.13x
Wigan 18 2.49x
Brightside Bierlow 17 2.00x
Falmouth 17 9.71x
Sutton 17 9.78x
Camberwell 16 0.57x
Croydon 16 1.35x
Mile End Old Town 16 2.32x
Stafford St Mary 16 7.67x
Walton On Hill 16 5.70x
Hodnet 15 50.86x
St Andrewthe Less 15 4.75x
Stanton Upon Hine Heath 15 150.60x
Stoke Newington London 15 4.41x
Westgate 15 3.73x
Battersea 14 0.87x
Castle Church 14 15.80x
Corton 14 166.27x
Edgmond 14 33.70x
Haydock 14 15.68x
Maghull 14 65.12x
Manchester 14 0.60x
Newington 14 11.75x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 14 34.27x
Salford 14 0.92x
West Ham 14 0.74x
Berkswich 13 144.61x
Drayton In Hales 13 16.71x
Wolstanton 13 2.90x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 308
Elizabeth 213
Sarah 122
Jane 110
Ann 106
Alice 98
Margaret 87
Ellen 80
Emma 59
Martha 59
Annie 53
Eliza 41
Hannah 41
Emily 36
Edith 30
Harriet 28
Catherine 26
Louisa 26
Caroline 23
Esther 21
Maria 21
Charlotte 19
Florence 17
Frances 17
Ada 15
Agnes 15
Kate 14
Fanny 12
Isabella 12
Matilda 12
Anne 11
Lucy 11
Minnie 11
Nancy 11
Rebecca 11
Amy 10
Clara 10
Jessie 10
Rose 10
Susannah 10
Amelia 9
Betsy 8
Helen 8
Ruth 8
Anna 7
Dorothy 7
Eleanor 7
Julia 7
Margt. 7
Lydia 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 318
William 290
James 174
Thomas 168
George 158
Henry 84
Richard 78
Edward 67
Joseph 62
Charles 58
Robert 48
Samuel 44
Arthur 34
Frederick 30
Walter 28
Alfred 26
Albert 24
Harry 24
Herbert 19
Ernest 16
Edwin 13
Daniel 10
David 10
Wm. 10
Francis 9
Jacob 9
Lawrence 9
Richd. 9
Abraham 8
Edgar 7
Isaac 7
Peter 7
Frank 6
Fred 6
Miles 6
Benjamin 5
Edmund 5
Matthew 5
Nathaniel 5
Stephen 5
Alexander 4
Bartholomew 4
Chas. 4
Ellis 4
Fredrick 4
Halsall 4
Horace 4
Jabez 4
Roger 4
Thos. 4

FAQ

Pye surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pye surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,319 people were recorded with the Pye surname. That placed it at #1,034 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pye surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,425 in 2016. That gives Pye a modern rank of #1,237.

What does the Pye surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pies or other baked goods.

What does the Pye map show?

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