NameCensus.

UK surname

Rose

An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a rose garden or in an area known for wild roses.

In the 1881 census there were 22,106 people recorded with the Rose surname, ranking it #156 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 36,511, ranked #140, up from #156 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Dorset, Kettering and Sandwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rose is 36,767 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 65.2%.

1881 census count

22,106

Ranked #156

Modern count

36,511

2016, ranked #140

Peak year

2014

36,767 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rose had 22,106 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #156 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 36,511 in 2016, ranked #140.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 29,815 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rose surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rose surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rose 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 14,553 #156
1861 historical 14,231 #172
1881 historical 22,106 #156
1891 historical 23,792 #153
1901 historical 28,140 #146
1911 historical 29,815 #128
1997 modern 34,807 #139
1998 modern 36,243 #138
1999 modern 36,441 #139
2000 modern 36,183 #141
2001 modern 35,146 #141
2002 modern 35,914 #143
2003 modern 34,988 #144
2004 modern 35,183 #142
2005 modern 34,697 #143
2006 modern 34,475 #143
2007 modern 34,802 #143
2008 modern 34,939 #144
2009 modern 35,885 #142
2010 modern 36,689 #142
2011 modern 36,361 #142
2012 modern 35,735 #141
2013 modern 36,590 #141
2014 modern 36,767 #141
2015 modern 36,385 #140
2016 modern 36,511 #140

Geography

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Where Roses are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Lambeth and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Dorset, Kettering, Sandwell, Dudley and Bury. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Dorset 004 North Dorset
2 Kettering 011 Kettering
3 Sandwell 035 Sandwell
4 Dudley 039 Dudley
5 Bury 019 Bury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rose

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rose

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Rose is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rose 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

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

Meaning and origin of Rose

The surname Rose originated in England and is derived from the Old English word 'rose', which was used as a nickname for someone with a rosy complexion or a ruddy face. The name first appeared in records around the 13th century.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest written records of surnames in England, the name Rose is listed as a surname in various counties, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rose can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named William Rose is mentioned. Another early example is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire from 1221, which lists a Robert le Rose.

The surname Rose is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is recorded as "Roscelin" and "Roise", which were early spellings of the name.

Some notable historical figures with the surname Rose include:

1. William Jonathon Rose (1801-1873), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Southampton. 2. Hugh Rose (1801-1885), a British Army officer who served in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. 3. Ernesto Tornquist Rose (1842-1942), an Argentine businessman and philanthropist. 4. Courtice Pounds Rose (1857-1940), a British architect and designer. 5. John Holland Rose (1855-1942), a British historian and scholar.

The surname Rose has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Rosedale in North Yorkshire, Rosedene in Derbyshire, and Rosehill in Nottinghamshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname in certain regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rose families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rose 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. Middlesex leads with 2,637 Roses recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.22x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 2,637 1.22x
Surrey 1,603 1.52x
Lancashire 1,318 0.51x
Yorkshire 1,308 0.61x
Warwickshire 1,163 2.13x
Kent 1,130 1.53x
Suffolk 836 3.17x
Hampshire 735 1.66x
Staffordshire 670 0.92x
Lincolnshire 652 1.88x
Dorset 629 4.42x
Buckinghamshire 576 4.40x
Norfolk 563 1.69x
Nottinghamshire 519 1.78x
Derbyshire 489 1.44x
Worcestershire 473 1.67x
Essex 458 1.07x
Wiltshire 429 2.24x
Somerset 407 1.17x
Gloucestershire 366 0.86x
Leicestershire 336 1.40x
Berkshire 326 2.00x
Cheshire 302 0.63x
Northamptonshire 278 1.36x
Oxfordshire 272 2.03x
Durham 266 0.41x
Sussex 266 0.73x
Lanarkshire 256 0.37x
Midlothian 245 0.84x
Aberdeenshire 217 1.08x
Inverness-shire 212 3.28x
Devon 189 0.42x
Morayshire 186 5.53x
Angus 180 0.90x
Nairnshire 151 22.83x
Ross-shire 149 2.50x
Cambridgeshire 140 1.02x
Hertfordshire 124 0.83x
Huntingdonshire 118 2.74x
Glamorgan 107 0.28x
Northumberland 89 0.28x
Channel Islands 86 1.34x
Bedfordshire 75 0.67x
Perthshire 63 0.65x
Renfrewshire 44 0.26x
Argyllshire 41 0.68x
Banffshire 41 0.91x
Cornwall 41 0.17x
Monmouthshire 34 0.22x
Ayrshire 33 0.20x
Rutland 33 2.07x
Cumberland 32 0.17x
Royal Navy 27 1.05x
Shropshire 26 0.14x
Sutherland 26 1.56x
Caithness 24 0.81x
Fife 23 0.18x
Herefordshire 23 0.26x
Stirlingshire 23 0.29x
Berwickshire 21 0.80x
East Lothian 15 0.52x
Kincardineshire 15 0.57x
Westmorland 15 0.32x
Dunbartonshire 14 0.24x
Denbighshire 11 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 10 0.15x
Flintshire 9 0.15x
West Lothian 9 0.28x
Shetland 7 0.32x
Buteshire 4 0.30x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.03x
Radnorshire 3 0.17x
Peeblesshire 2 0.20x
Roxburghshire 2 0.05x
Selkirkshire 2 0.10x
Brecknockshire 1 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.02x

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 342 Roses recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.88x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 342 1.88x
Islington London 312 1.49x
Aston 285 1.89x
Lambeth 266 1.41x
St Pancras London 227 1.30x
Camberwell 180 1.30x
Kensington London 163 1.35x
Sturminster 163 118.24x
Nottingham St Mary 139 1.84x
St Marylebone London 137 1.18x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 135 1.16x
Portsea 133 1.53x
Battersea 128 1.61x
Bethnal Green London 125 1.33x
West Ham 124 1.31x
Bermondsey 118 1.83x
Paddington London 114 1.43x
Deptford St Paul 103 1.81x
Nairn 102 25.42x
Hackney London 101 0.83x
Harborne 101 4.31x
Sheffield 99 1.45x
Croydon 96 1.64x
Newington 96 1.20x
Lowestoft 94 7.54x
Shoreditch London 86 0.92x
Manchester 83 0.72x
Govan 82 0.47x
Haddenham 81 75.33x
Rowley Regis 81 3.97x
Ecclesfield 76 4.83x
Lewisham 76 1.93x
Handsworth 75 4.16x
Liverpool 75 0.48x
Brighton 74 1.00x
Mile End Old Town 73 2.13x
Barony 71 0.40x
St George Hanover 70 2.48x
Dorking 68 9.59x
Ealing 68 3.51x
Brightside Bierlow 67 1.59x
Inverness 67 4.12x
Aberdeen Old Machar 65 1.55x
Southampton St Mary 65 2.33x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 63 1.57x
Drinkstone 63 183.46x
Ecclesall Bierlow 62 1.42x
St George In East 61 4.14x
Ramsey 60 17.42x
Chelsea London 58 0.89x
Holdenhurst 58 4.98x
Leeds 58 0.48x
Glasgow 57 0.46x
Halesowen 56 22.55x
Wolverhampton 56 1.00x
Fulham London 55 1.75x
Reading St Giles 55 3.45x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 54 1.44x
Barnsley 54 2.44x
Alverstoke 52 3.24x
Clerkenwell London 52 1.02x
Dundee 52 0.69x
West Derby 51 0.68x
Reading St Mary 50 3.84x
Derby St Werburgh 49 2.50x
Kings Norton 49 1.93x
Ilkeston 47 4.94x
Reigate Foreign 46 4.02x
Leicester St Margaret 45 0.77x
Trowbridge 45 5.31x
Ashton Under Lyne 44 0.78x
Blackburn 44 0.64x
Hammersmith London 44 0.82x
Newport Pagnell 44 16.07x
Plumstead 44 1.79x
Poplar London 44 1.08x
Bow London 43 1.56x
Cromdale 43 15.88x
Tottenham 43 1.25x
Wandsworth 43 2.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,177
Elizabeth 759
Sarah 696
Ann 404
Emma 366
Alice 339
Jane 334
Eliza 321
Ellen 311
Annie 306
Emily 264
Hannah 183
Martha 162
Harriet 149
Louisa 146
Florence 145
Fanny 144
Charlotte 140
Ada 137
Edith 132
Kate 123
Margaret 120
Caroline 108
Maria 103
Clara 100
Susan 93
Catherine 89
Lucy 84
Harriett 79
Frances 74
Agnes 70
Anne 66
Rebecca 64
Matilda 60
Julia 59
Jessie 57
Amy 56
Isabella 50
Esther 49
Amelia 48
Sophia 48
Minnie 47
Eleanor 41
Lydia 41
Laura 39
Susannah 39
Beatrice 38
Elizth. 38
Selina 37
Anna 32

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,280
John 1,041
George 843
Thomas 652
James 583
Charles 499
Henry 495
Joseph 282
Robert 258
Alfred 247
Edward 235
Frederick 226
Arthur 210
Samuel 175
Walter 167
Albert 158
Richard 145
Harry 130
Frank 100
Edwin 98
Herbert 93
Ernest 80
Benjamin 57
David 53
Wm. 46
Stephen 45
Francis 44
Isaac 42
Daniel 39
Thos. 36
Geo. 35
Alexander 32
Fredk. 32
Fred 30
Percy 27
Tom 27
Abraham 24
Fredrick 24
Hugh 24
Sidney 22
Peter 20
Jonathan 19
Mark 19
Jacob 18
Christopher 17
Frederic 15
Willie 15
Joshua 14
Lewis 14
Michael 14

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 Rose households.

FAQ

Rose surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rose surname in 1881?

In 1881, 22,106 people were recorded with the Rose surname. That placed it at #156 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rose surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 36,511 in 2016. That gives Rose a modern rank of #140.

What does the Rose surname mean?

An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a rose garden or in an area known for wild roses.

What does the Rose map show?

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