NameCensus.

UK surname

Spouse

In the 1881 census there were 81 people recorded with the Spouse surname, ranking it #22,082 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 117, ranked #28,033, down from #22,082 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Eyemouth, Lewisham and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Eyemouth, Hartlepool and Doncaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spouse is 130 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.4%.

1881 census count

81

Ranked #22,082

Modern count

117

2016, ranked #28,033

Peak year

1999

130 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Spouse had 81 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,082 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 117 in 2016, ranked #28,033.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 114 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Spouse surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Spouse surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Spouse 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 53 #23,739
1861 historical 101 #20,955
1881 historical 81 #22,082
1891 historical 105 #23,241
1901 historical 114 #21,166
1911 historical 90 #23,797
1997 modern 119 #24,302
1998 modern 125 #24,198
1999 modern 130 #23,805
2000 modern 114 #25,717
2001 modern 116 #25,089
2002 modern 112 #26,165
2003 modern 121 #24,776
2004 modern 115 #25,740
2005 modern 116 #25,564
2006 modern 119 #25,413
2007 modern 114 #26,491
2008 modern 113 #26,920
2009 modern 106 #28,666
2010 modern 106 #29,305
2011 modern 108 #28,811
2012 modern 108 #28,849
2013 modern 115 #28,176
2014 modern 117 #28,109
2015 modern 119 #27,684
2016 modern 117 #28,033

Geography

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Where Spouses are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Eyemouth, Lewisham, London parishes, Newcastle All Saints and Dover St James, Dover St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Eyemouth, Hartlepool, Doncaster and Peterborough. 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 Eyemouth Berwick
2 Lewisham London (South Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
5 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Eyemouth Scottish Borders
2 Hartlepool 006 Hartlepool
3 Doncaster 015 Doncaster
4 Doncaster 018 Doncaster
5 Peterborough 006 Peterborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Spouse

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Spouse

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Spouse is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

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

Spouse is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Spouse families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Spouse 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. Berwickshire leads with 25 Spouses recorded in 1881 and an index of 261.23x.

County Total Index
Berwickshire 25 261.23x
Kent 18 6.68x
Durham 14 5.96x
Northumberland 14 11.91x
Yorkshire 6 0.77x
Middlesex 2 0.25x
Derbyshire 1 0.81x
Essex 1 0.64x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Mordington in Berwickshire leads with 15 Spouses recorded in 1881 and an index of 15000.00x.

Place Total Index
Mordington 15 15000.00x
Stranton 9 113.78x
Tynemouth 8 127.19x
Lewisham 7 48.71x
Ayton 6 1090.91x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 85.47x
Benfieldside 5 322.58x
Dover St James 5 423.73x
Eyemouth 4 500.00x
Doncaster 3 52.45x
Greenwich 3 23.85x
Holy Trinity 3 15.93x
Plumstead 3 33.41x
Mile End Old Town 2 16.04x
Halstead 1 54.95x
Long Eaton 1 61.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Alison 1
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
C.S. 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
F.E. 1
G.S. 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Katherine 1
Louisa 1
Mary 1
Maryann 1
Minnie 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 5
James 4
John 4
Charles 2
George 2
Henry 2
Thomas 2
Alfred 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Mark 1
Sydney 1
Walter 1
Wm. 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 Spouse households.

FAQ

Spouse surname: questions and answers

How common was the Spouse surname in 1881?

In 1881, 81 people were recorded with the Spouse surname. That placed it at #22,082 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Spouse surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 117 in 2016. That gives Spouse a modern rank of #28,033.

What does the Spouse map show?

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