NameCensus.

UK surname

Royce

An English topographic surname for someone living near a stream or on a headland.

In the 1881 census there were 519 people recorded with the Royce surname, ranking it #6,572 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 801, ranked #6,910, down from #6,572 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Peterborough St John the Baptist and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Colchester, Boston and South Holland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Royce is 882 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.3%.

1881 census count

519

Ranked #6,572

Modern count

801

2016, ranked #6,910

Peak year

1999

882 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Royce had 519 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,572 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 801 in 2016, ranked #6,910.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 723 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Royce surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Royce surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Royce 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 357 #6,620
1861 historical 371 #6,875
1881 historical 519 #6,572
1891 historical 624 #6,199
1901 historical 659 #6,572
1911 historical 723 #5,920
1997 modern 832 #6,342
1998 modern 862 #6,364
1999 modern 882 #6,306
2000 modern 851 #6,446
2001 modern 832 #6,453
2002 modern 845 #6,490
2003 modern 836 #6,422
2004 modern 828 #6,485
2005 modern 792 #6,660
2006 modern 789 #6,706
2007 modern 785 #6,799
2008 modern 775 #6,928
2009 modern 815 #6,785
2010 modern 835 #6,787
2011 modern 863 #6,538
2012 modern 841 #6,580
2013 modern 838 #6,706
2014 modern 834 #6,757
2015 modern 809 #6,860
2016 modern 801 #6,910

Geography

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Where Royces are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Peterborough St John the Baptist, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars, Oakham, Leigh Field Forest and Buckminster. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Colchester, Boston, South Holland and Sedgemoor. 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 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire
3 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
4 Oakham, Leigh Field Forest Rutland
5 Buckminster Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Colchester 021 Colchester
2 Boston 007 Boston
3 South Holland 006 South Holland
4 South Holland 007 South Holland
5 Sedgemoor 009 Sedgemoor

Forenames

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First names often paired with Royce

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Royce

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Royce surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Royce household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Royce 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

Royce 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

Royce falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Royce

The surname Royce is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "rous" meaning red-haired or ruddy-complexioned. It likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with these physical characteristics. The name can be traced back to the early medieval period in England and Normandy, France.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Royce dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, there is a reference to a landowner named Rudicus, which is believed to be an early variation of the name Royce.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name began to appear more frequently in various historical records and manuscripts, often spelled as Rous, Rouse, or Rowse. Some notable individuals with this surname include Sir John Rous (c. 1420-1492), an English antiquary and historian who wrote the influential work "Historia Regum Angliae" (History of the Kings of England).

Another significant figure was John Royce (c. 1500-1558), a prominent English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Rochester and later as the Bishop of Norwich. He played a key role in the English Reformation and was a supporter of the religious reforms initiated by King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to evolve further, with variants like Royce, Roys, and Royse becoming more common. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Sir William Royce (c. 1550-1616), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed as a Judge of the Court of King's Bench.

Moving forward to the 17th century, a prominent figure was Sir Benjamin Royce (1616-1687), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire. He was a prominent supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.

In the 19th century, the Royce surname gained further recognition with the birth of Frederick Henry Royce (1863-1933), the co-founder of the renowned Rolls-Royce automotive company. His engineering expertise and innovative designs contributed significantly to the development of luxury automobiles and aircraft engines.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Royce families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Royce 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. Lincolnshire leads with 68 Royces recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.40x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 68 8.40x
Middlesex 62 1.22x
Rutland 62 166.80x
Yorkshire 57 1.14x
Leicestershire 46 8.19x
Essex 44 4.40x
Northamptonshire 32 6.72x
Surrey 25 1.01x
Kent 23 1.33x
Buckinghamshire 21 6.86x
Lancashire 21 0.35x
Suffolk 10 1.62x
Nottinghamshire 8 1.17x
Devon 5 0.47x
Gloucestershire 5 0.50x
Staffordshire 4 0.23x
Hampshire 3 0.29x
Herefordshire 3 1.45x
Norfolk 3 0.39x
Wiltshire 3 0.67x
Derbyshire 2 0.25x
Midlothian 2 0.29x
Somerset 2 0.25x
Worcestershire 2 0.30x
Ayrshire 1 0.26x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.31x
Cheshire 1 0.09x
Renfrewshire 1 0.25x
Royal Navy 1 1.66x
Warwickshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Farnley In Bramley in Yorkshire leads with 28 Royces recorded in 1881 and an index of 447.28x.

Place Total Index
Farnley In Bramley 28 447.28x
Peterborough 25 72.51x
Spalding 23 143.21x
Exton 21 1858.41x
Leicester St Margaret 20 14.61x
Islington London 17 3.46x
Battersea 14 7.52x
Sewstern 14 4000.00x
Winslow 13 451.39x
Oakham Lordshold 12 308.48x
Bethnal Green London 10 4.55x
Charlton 10 87.18x
Stamford St George 9 247.25x
Woodham Mortimer 9 1551.72x
Langham 8 677.97x
Quainton 8 533.33x
Cottesmore 7 985.92x
Danbury 7 414.20x
Darfield 7 153.17x
St George Hanover 7 10.59x
St Marylebone London 7 2.59x
Stowmarket 7 98.18x
Altofts 6 108.30x
Clapham 6 9.48x
Colsterworth 6 350.88x
Great Ponton 6 722.89x
Layer De La Hay 6 504.20x
Lewisham 6 6.51x
Kings Cliffe 5 225.23x
Mile End Old Town 5 6.26x
Seaton 5 909.09x
Shoreditch London 5 2.28x
Boston 4 16.29x
Castle Bytham 4 353.98x
Cleethorpes 4 84.03x
Eccleshall 4 61.73x
Hazeleigh 4 1904.76x
Horn 4 6666.67x
Leicester St Mary 4 8.82x
Lenton 4 24.89x
Nottingham St Mary 4 2.27x
West Ham 4 1.81x
West Teignmouth 4 49.63x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 9.06x
Canterbury St Mary N 3 256.41x
Clee With Weelsby 3 16.93x
Coston 3 1304.35x
Great Bircham 3 375.00x
Great Bolton 3 3.77x
Huddersfield 3 4.10x
Leicester All Sts 3 27.22x
Manchester 3 1.11x
Marlborough St Mary Virgin 3 94.94x
Ross 3 36.32x
Sheffield 3 1.88x
Terling 3 201.34x
Tuddenham St Mary 3 447.76x
Withington 3 15.50x
Woodford 3 26.53x
Woodham Walter 3 329.67x
Bathwick 2 22.17x
Birch 2 121.95x
Bootle Cum Linacre 2 4.19x
Canterbury Archbishops 2 645.16x
Codnor Loscoe 2 31.85x
Ealing 2 4.42x
Everton 2 1.04x
Gunby In Grantham 2 1052.63x
Hackney London 2 0.70x
Holy Trinity 2 1.66x
Lambeth 2 0.45x
Leeds 2 0.71x
Liverpool 2 0.55x
Lower Swell 2 281.69x
North Meols 2 3.40x
Portsea 2 0.98x
Skipton 2 12.67x
St Nicholas Lincoln 2 25.84x
St Pancras London 2 0.49x
Wortley In Bramley 2 5.03x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 39
John 34
Thomas 30
George 19
Henry 12
Richard 8
Charles 7
Edward 7
Robert 6
David 5
James 5
Joseph 5
Edwin 4
Frederick 4
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Walter 3
Francis 2
Harry 2
Jeremy 2
Josiah 2
Matthew 2
Matthias 2
Willm. 2
Abraham 1
Arthur 1
Cornelius 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Elijha 1
Enma 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Harrold 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Jasper 1
Jim 1
Jonathan 1
Leonard 1
Lewis 1
Maria 1
Mark 1
Phillip 1
Samuel 1
Septimus 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1
Zachariah 1

FAQ

Royce surname: questions and answers

How common was the Royce surname in 1881?

In 1881, 519 people were recorded with the Royce surname. That placed it at #6,572 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Royce surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 801 in 2016. That gives Royce a modern rank of #6,910.

What does the Royce surname mean?

An English topographic surname for someone living near a stream or on a headland.

What does the Royce map show?

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