NameCensus.

UK surname

Smye

In the 1881 census there were 83 people recorded with the Smye surname, ranking it #21,808 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 84, ranked #32,726, down from #21,808 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Yardley, London parishes and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Copeland, Braintree and Mid Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Smye is 119 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.2%.

1881 census count

83

Ranked #21,808

Modern count

84

2016, ranked #32,726

Peak year

1901

119 bearers

Map years

2

1901 to 1998

Key insights

  • Smye had 83 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,808 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 84 in 2016, ranked #32,726.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 119 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Smye surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Smye surname density by area, 1998 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Smye 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 #30,790
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 83 #21,808
1891 historical 84 #26,229
1901 historical 119 #20,624
1911 historical 87 #24,147
1997 modern 94 #27,781
1998 modern 104 #26,981
1999 modern 100 #27,757
2000 modern 92 #28,832
2001 modern 90 #28,793
2002 modern 89 #29,428
2003 modern 79 #30,549
2004 modern 79 #30,799
2005 modern 85 #30,219
2006 modern 84 #30,665
2007 modern 91 #30,061
2008 modern 92 #30,286
2009 modern 90 #31,094
2010 modern 86 #32,081
2011 modern 80 #32,652
2012 modern 81 #32,796
2013 modern 85 #32,658
2014 modern 87 #32,585
2015 modern 87 #32,514
2016 modern 84 #32,726

Geography

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Where Smyes are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Copeland, Braintree, Mid Devon, Suffolk Coastal and Wirral. 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 Yardley Warwickshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Tuddenham Suffolk
5 Ipswich St Mary Stoke Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Copeland 001 Copeland
2 Braintree 005 Braintree
3 Mid Devon 008 Mid Devon
4 Suffolk Coastal 005 Suffolk Coastal
5 Wirral 040 Wirral

Forenames

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First names often paired with Smye

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Smye

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Smye, 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 Smye surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Smye 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, Smye 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

Smye is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Smye 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 Smye is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Smye families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Smye 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 32 Smyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.45x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 32 32.45x
Middlesex 17 2.10x
Yorkshire 9 1.12x
Cheshire 7 3.92x
Kent 5 1.81x
Surrey 5 1.27x
Lancashire 4 0.42x
Warwickshire 2 0.98x
Essex 1 0.63x
Hampshire 1 0.60x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tuddenham St Martin in Suffolk leads with 21 Smyes recorded in 1881 and an index of 21000.00x.

Place Total Index
Tuddenham St Martin 21 21000.00x
Coddenham 9 3913.04x
Wakefield 9 146.10x
Liscard 7 217.39x
Tottenham 7 54.31x
Kensington London 6 13.33x
Beckenham 4 110.80x
Kirkdale 4 24.75x
Lambeth 4 5.67x
St Katherine Coleman 3 3750.00x
Nuneaton 2 84.39x
Alverstoke 1 16.64x
Clapham 1 9.88x
Ipswich St Margaret 1 29.85x
Ipswich St Mary Key 1 384.62x
Minster In Sheppey 1 21.83x
St Mary Woolnoth 1 2500.00x
Walthamstow 1 17.39x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 3
Hannah 3
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Ellen 2
Ann 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Fanny 1
Georgaina 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Henrietta 1
Kate 1
Merellina 1
Rosa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
David 4
James 4
John 4
William 4
Alfred 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
George 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Arthur 1
Baldine 1
Benjamin 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Joseph 1
Manning 1
Percy 1
Saml. 1

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 Smye households.

FAQ

Smye surname: questions and answers

How common was the Smye surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83 people were recorded with the Smye surname. That placed it at #21,808 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Smye surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 84 in 2016. That gives Smye a modern rank of #32,726.

What does the Smye map show?

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