NameCensus.

UK surname

Rusher

A surname derived from the Old French word "russier" meaning a stream or watercourse.

In the 1881 census there were 112 people recorded with the Rusher surname, ranking it #18,501 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 218, ranked #18,481, up from #18,501 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ensham, St Mary the More and Pershore Holy Cross, Pershore St Andrew. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wychavon, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rusher is 228 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 94.6%.

1881 census count

112

Ranked #18,501

Modern count

218

2016, ranked #18,481

Peak year

2011

228 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rusher had 112 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,501 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 218 in 2016, ranked #18,481.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 155 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rusher surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rusher surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rusher 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 155 #12,604
1861 historical 135 #16,651
1881 historical 112 #18,501
1891 historical 123 #20,939
1901 historical 129 #19,735
1911 historical 142 #18,487
1997 modern 175 #19,161
1998 modern 216 #17,257
1999 modern 222 #17,080
2000 modern 219 #17,195
2001 modern 222 #16,806
2002 modern 224 #17,042
2003 modern 201 #18,089
2004 modern 193 #18,622
2005 modern 192 #18,640
2006 modern 199 #18,357
2007 modern 202 #18,359
2008 modern 201 #18,584
2009 modern 219 #17,960
2010 modern 226 #17,942
2011 modern 228 #17,673
2012 modern 218 #18,139
2013 modern 225 #18,027
2014 modern 227 #18,029
2015 modern 221 #18,289
2016 modern 218 #18,481

Geography

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Where Rushers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ensham, St Mary the More, Pershore Holy Cross, Pershore St Andrew, London parishes and Banbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wychavon, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire. 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 Ensham Oxfordshire
2 St Mary the More Berkshire
3 Pershore Holy Cross, Pershore St Andrew Worcestershire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Banbury Oxfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wychavon 010 Wychavon
2 Vale of White Horse 015 Vale of White Horse
3 West Oxfordshire 010 West Oxfordshire
4 West Oxfordshire 008 West Oxfordshire
5 West Oxfordshire 009 West Oxfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rusher

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rusher

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

Rusher is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rusher 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 Rusher is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rusher, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rusher

The surname Rusher is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "rush," referring to the type of plant that grows in marshy areas. The name likely originated as an occupational surname, given to someone who lived near or worked with rushes.

In the early days, the name was often spelled "Russher" or "Russhore," reflecting the pronunciation of the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a William Russher is mentioned.

The Rusher surname has historical ties to various regions in England, particularly the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. These areas were known for their wetlands and marshes, where rushes grew abundantly, possibly contributing to the name's origins.

Interestingly, the name Rusher is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, it is not entirely clear if this particular mention refers to the same surname or a different variation.

Throughout history, there have been notable individuals who carried the Rusher surname. One of the earliest recorded was John Rusher, a farmer from Somerset who lived in the late 14th century. Another prominent figure was Thomas Rusher, a merchant from Bristol who was active in the 16th century and left a significant legacy in the city's trade records.

In the 17th century, a family named Rusher resided in the village of Bisley, Gloucestershire. The family's ancestral home, known as Rusher's Farm, still bears their name to this day, highlighting the surname's deep roots in the local area.

Other notable individuals with the Rusher surname include William Rusher (1619-1678), a landowner and justice of the peace in Worcestershire, and Robert Rusher (1742-1820), a respected clergyman who served as a vicar in Somerset for over four decades.

During the 19th century, the Rusher name continued to appear in various parts of England, with families residing in counties such as Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Berkshire. One notable figure from this period was John Rusher (1812-1887), a successful entrepreneur and industrialist who owned several mills in the West Midlands region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rusher families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rusher 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 22 Rushers recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.83x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 22 26.83x
Middlesex 17 1.56x
Surrey 12 2.25x
Suffolk 10 7.52x
Yorkshire 9 0.83x
Oxfordshire 8 11.86x
Essex 7 3.25x
Glamorgan 6 3.15x
Wiltshire 6 6.21x
Worcestershire 6 4.21x
Northamptonshire 3 2.92x
Gloucestershire 2 0.93x
Warwickshire 2 0.73x
Kent 1 0.27x
Roxburghshire 1 5.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wallingford St Mary Le in Berkshire leads with 10 Rushers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2173.91x.

Place Total Index
Wallingford St Mary Le 10 2173.91x
Eynsham 8 1860.47x
Wallingford St Leonard 7 1842.11x
Clapham 6 43.92x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 6 487.80x
Pershore Holy Cross 5 549.45x
Roath 5 57.87x
Salisbury St Edmund 5 322.58x
St George Bloomsbury 5 79.74x
St Pancras London 5 5.69x
Ipswich St Clement 4 118.34x
Keighley 4 34.66x
Colchester St Nicholas 3 1578.95x
Kildwick 3 303.03x
Lambeth 3 3.15x
Newington 3 7.43x
Reading St Mary 3 45.66x
St Marylebone London 3 5.14x
Warkworth 3 326.09x
Birch 2 571.43x
Foleshill 2 68.97x
Hunslet 2 11.85x
Reading St Giles 2 24.88x
Stanway 2 526.32x
Bromley London 1 4.16x
Cheltenham 1 6.05x
Clifton 1 9.23x
Coyty Lower 1 81.30x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 27.70x
Hammersmith London 1 3.72x
Kelso 1 50.76x
Kensington London 1 1.65x
Marlborough St Peter St 1 200.00x
Norton 1 666.67x
Paddington London 1 2.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 7
Emily 5
Mary 5
Jane 3
Ada 2
Annie 2
Charlotte 2
Eliza 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Martha 2
Agnes 1
Barbara 1
Deborah 1
Elizabeth 1
Elsie 1
Esther 1
Fannie 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Jemima 1
Josephine 1
Julia 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Minnie 1
Nellie 1
Pamila 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Rosie 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 6
John 6
William 6
George 5
Edward 4
Robert 3
Charles 2
Isaac 2
Thomas 2
Chas 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Jabez 1
Jas. 1
Richard 1
Smith 1
Titus 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Rusher surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rusher surname in 1881?

In 1881, 112 people were recorded with the Rusher surname. That placed it at #18,501 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rusher surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 218 in 2016. That gives Rusher a modern rank of #18,481.

What does the Rusher surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old French word "russier" meaning a stream or watercourse.

What does the Rusher map show?

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