NameCensus.

UK surname

Scowen

In the 1881 census there were 189 people recorded with the Scowen surname, ranking it #13,322 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 406, ranked #11,754, up from #13,322 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hadleigh, London parishes and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include High Peak, Wirral and South Oxfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Scowen is 455 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 114.8%.

1881 census count

189

Ranked #13,322

Modern count

406

2016, ranked #11,754

Peak year

2011

455 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Scowen had 189 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,322 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 406 in 2016, ranked #11,754.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 375 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Scowen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Scowen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Scowen 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 119 #15,247
1861 historical 154 #14,963
1881 historical 189 #13,322
1891 historical 234 #13,352
1901 historical 325 #11,017
1911 historical 375 #9,747
1997 modern 413 #10,743
1998 modern 454 #10,338
1999 modern 449 #10,464
2000 modern 446 #10,516
2001 modern 436 #10,500
2002 modern 441 #10,618
2003 modern 417 #10,924
2004 modern 430 #10,697
2005 modern 416 #10,855
2006 modern 417 #10,886
2007 modern 415 #11,047
2008 modern 416 #11,121
2009 modern 434 #11,014
2010 modern 447 #10,966
2011 modern 455 #10,691
2012 modern 434 #10,977
2013 modern 432 #11,210
2014 modern 423 #11,488
2015 modern 419 #11,483
2016 modern 406 #11,754

Geography

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Where Scowens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hadleigh, London parishes, Portsmouth, Portsea, Kirby 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 High Peak, Wirral, South Oxfordshire, Fenland and Suffolk Coastal. 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 Hadleigh Suffolk
2 London parishes London 3
3 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
4 Kirby Essex
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 High Peak 013 High Peak
2 Wirral 041 Wirral
3 South Oxfordshire 005 South Oxfordshire
4 Fenland 002 Fenland
5 Suffolk Coastal 012 Suffolk Coastal

Forenames

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First names often paired with Scowen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Scowen

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Scowen is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Scowen is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Scowen falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Scowen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Scowen 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. Suffolk leads with 54 Scowens recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.92x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 54 23.92x
Middlesex 49 2.64x
Essex 27 7.38x
Surrey 21 2.33x
Kent 17 2.69x
Lancashire 7 0.32x
Hertfordshire 5 3.91x
Hampshire 3 0.79x
Northumberland 3 1.09x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.85x
Channel Islands 1 1.82x
Fife 1 0.91x
Yorkshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 37 Scowens recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.60x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 37 20.60x
Hadleigh 26 1187.21x
Camberwell 20 16.89x
Kirby Le Soken 11 2075.47x
Stoke By Nayland 11 1506.85x
Deptford St Paul 10 20.50x
Liverpool 7 5.24x
Layham 5 1470.59x
Sproughton 5 1282.05x
Bradfield 4 769.23x
St George Hanover 4 16.54x
Stevenage 4 202.02x
Weeley 4 1052.63x
Byker 3 22.01x
Downe 3 857.14x
Portsea 3 4.03x
Stratford St Mary 3 937.50x
Westminster St 3 43.92x
Dedham 2 180.18x
Great Holland 2 769.23x
Lindsey 2 1428.57x
Saffron Walden 2 51.68x
St Giles In Fields 2 31.30x
Bidborough 1 555.56x
Bovingdon 1 149.25x
Bures St Mary 1 181.82x
Clapham 1 4.32x
Colchester St Botolph 1 32.15x
Deal 1 18.55x
Hackney London 1 0.96x
Harston 1 200.00x
Lewisham 1 2.97x
Mellis 1 333.33x
Newburgh 1 71.94x
Newington 1 19.76x
St Clement Danes 1 33.33x
St Helier 1 5.59x
St Margaret Moses 1 10000.00x
Tonbridge 1 4.38x
Wivenhoe 1 68.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Sarah 11
Alice 6
Annie 4
Elizabeth 4
Emily 4
Caroline 3
Harriet 3
Jane 3
Maria 3
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Georgina 2
Grace 2
A.C. 1
Amelia 1
Angelina 1
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Charlotie 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Hannah 1
L.E.S. 1
Lizze 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Marian 1
Marie 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Matildia 1
Maud 1
May 1
Minnie 1
Nill 1
Rosa 1
Sophie 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 15
John 11
James 10
George 9
Arthur 5
Charles 4
Henry 4
Alfred 3
Ernest 3
Allan 2
Christopher 2
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
A.D. 1
Albert 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredk 1
Fredk. 1
Jonathan 1
Mark 1
Percy 1
S.H. 1
W.D. 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Scowen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Scowen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 189 people were recorded with the Scowen surname. That placed it at #13,322 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Scowen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 406 in 2016. That gives Scowen a modern rank of #11,754.

What does the Scowen map show?

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