NameCensus.

UK surname

Soundy

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Soundy surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 112, ranked #28,844, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and St Leonard Bromley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Wycombe and Mid Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Soundy is 168 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 25.8%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

112

2016, ranked #28,844

Peak year

1901

168 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Soundy had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016, ranked #28,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 168 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Soundy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Soundy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Soundy 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 92 #18,050
1861 historical 107 #20,008
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 121 #21,169
1901 historical 168 #16,886
1911 historical 137 #18,880
1997 modern 139 #22,132
1998 modern 146 #22,031
1999 modern 138 #22,983
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 137 #22,740
2002 modern 140 #22,876
2003 modern 129 #23,783
2004 modern 124 #24,559
2005 modern 118 #25,301
2006 modern 116 #25,813
2007 modern 117 #26,066
2008 modern 118 #26,212
2009 modern 118 #26,766
2010 modern 120 #27,124
2011 modern 112 #28,117
2012 modern 106 #29,187
2013 modern 114 #28,347
2014 modern 116 #28,253
2015 modern 110 #29,157
2016 modern 112 #28,844

Geography

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Where Soundys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, St Leonard Bromley and Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Wycombe, Mid Devon, Camden and Arun. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 St Leonard Bromley London (East Districts)
5 Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 002 Bradford
2 Wycombe 020 Wycombe
3 Mid Devon 004 Mid Devon
4 Camden 012 Camden
5 Arun 015 Arun

Forenames

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First names often paired with Soundy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Soundy

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

Established Mature Families

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Challenged Inner London Communities

Within London, Soundy is most associated with areas classed as Challenged Inner London Communities, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Resident in some of Inner London’s most over-crowded communities, many families have children and marriage/civil partnership rates are above the Supergroup average. Other adults such as students live in communal establishments. Few residents have Level 4 educational qualifications, levels of unemployment are above the Supergroup average, and employment is concentrated in service occupations such as distribution, hotels and restaurants. Relative to the Supergroup average, fewer residents identify as being of mixed/multiple ethnicities, Black or Other Asian.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Soundy 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

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

1881 census detail

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Soundy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Soundy 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 39 Soundys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.65x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 39 2.65x
Berkshire 31 28.04x
Surrey 31 4.32x
Kent 19 3.78x
Oxfordshire 9 9.89x
Dorset 7 7.24x
Devon 3 0.98x
Essex 3 1.03x
Bedfordshire 2 2.62x
Somerset 2 0.84x
Wiltshire 2 1.54x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.12x
Gloucestershire 1 0.35x
Hampshire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lewisham in Kent leads with 12 Soundys recorded in 1881 and an index of 44.78x.

Place Total Index
Lewisham 12 44.78x
Lambeth 11 8.57x
Islington London 9 6.30x
Bray 8 246.15x
Camberwell 8 8.50x
South Hinksey 8 1666.67x
St Pancras London 8 6.75x
Bromley London 7 21.60x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 6 769.23x
Reading St Mary 6 67.72x
Stoke Newington London 6 52.31x
Bexley 5 112.61x
Chertsey 5 107.76x
Hurst 4 275.86x
Oxford St Aldate 4 416.67x
Battersea 3 5.54x
Henley On Thames 3 161.29x
St George Bloomsbury 3 35.50x
Weybridge 3 194.81x
Biggleswade 2 80.00x
Bridewell Precinct 2 1666.67x
Bruton 2 215.05x
East Wickham 2 333.33x
New Windsor 2 53.76x
Ramsbury 2 169.49x
Reading St Giles 2 18.43x
Rotherfield Greys 2 208.33x
Stoke Damerel 2 9.32x
Woodford 2 60.79x
Cheltenham 1 4.49x
Christchurch 1 15.27x
Ealing 1 7.60x
Hambleden 1 131.58x
Harlow 1 80.00x
Isleworth 1 15.27x
Melcombe Regis 1 24.94x
Moreton Hampstead 1 126.58x
Paddington London 1 1.85x
St Paul Covent Garden 1 68.03x
Wargrave 1 105.26x
Wimbledon 1 12.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 9
Arthur 5
George 5
Henry 5
Thomas 5
Edward 4
John 4
Joseph 4
Richard 3
Francis 2
James 2
Joshua 2
Samuel 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
Caleb 1
Charles 1
David 1
Douglas 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Humphrey 1
Josiah 1
Peter 1
Raleigh 1
Robert 1
Theodore 1
Wilberforce 1

FAQ

Soundy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Soundy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Soundy surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Soundy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016. That gives Soundy a modern rank of #28,844.

What does the Soundy map show?

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