NameCensus.

UK surname

Storm

A surname referring to a person with a stormy or tempestuous personality, or one who weathered life's storms.

In the 1881 census there were 382 people recorded with the Storm surname, ranking it #8,222 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 367, ranked #12,669, down from #8,222 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Whitby, Gateshead and Elgin. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Hartlepool and Cheltenham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Storm is 416 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.9%.

1881 census count

382

Ranked #8,222

Modern count

367

2016, ranked #12,669

Peak year

1901

416 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Storm had 382 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,222 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 367 in 2016, ranked #12,669.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 416 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Storm surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Storm surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Storm 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 320 #7,250
1861 historical 315 #8,071
1881 historical 382 #8,222
1891 historical 318 #10,583
1901 historical 416 #9,220
1911 historical 310 #11,180
1997 modern 234 #15,939
1998 modern 264 #15,119
1999 modern 270 #14,992
2000 modern 271 #14,910
2001 modern 263 #14,999
2002 modern 279 #14,693
2003 modern 276 #14,604
2004 modern 275 #14,717
2005 modern 277 #14,542
2006 modern 299 #13,949
2007 modern 295 #14,198
2008 modern 291 #14,430
2009 modern 297 #14,519
2010 modern 323 #14,005
2011 modern 324 #13,839
2012 modern 330 #13,571
2013 modern 341 #13,425
2014 modern 354 #13,153
2015 modern 356 #13,009
2016 modern 367 #12,669

Geography

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Where Storms are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Whitby, Gateshead, Elgin, Stranton and Fylingdales. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Hartlepool, Cheltenham, Caithness North West and Swindon. 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 Whitby Yorkshire, North Riding
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Elgin Elgin
4 Stranton Durham
5 Fylingdales Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
2 Hartlepool 014 Hartlepool
3 Cheltenham 009 Cheltenham
4 Caithness North West Highland
5 Swindon 025 Swindon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Storm

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Storm

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Storm surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Storm household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Storm 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

Storm is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Storm

The surname Storm originated in the Netherlands and Belgium in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle Dutch word 'storm', meaning 'storm' or 'tempest'. This name likely referred to a person's fierce or turbulent temperament or perhaps they lived in a particularly windy or storm-prone area.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the Storm surname can be found in Dutch municipal records from the 15th and 16th centuries. These include references to individuals such as Adriaen Storm, a merchant in Amsterdam in 1560, and Jan Storm, a baker in Leiden in 1589.

In England, the Storm surname first appeared in Norfolk in the late 16th century, possibly brought over by Dutch or Flemish immigrants. One of the earliest recorded English bearers of the name was Thomas Storm, who was listed in the parish registers of Worstead, Norfolk in 1592.

The Storm name has also been present in Germany since at least the 17th century, with alternative spellings such as Sturm and Stürmer. Notable German bearers include the philosopher Johann Christoph Sturm (1635-1703) and the artist Theodor Storm (1817-1888), a renowned writer of the German Realist school.

In Scotland, the Storm surname is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone living near a stormy or tempestuous area. One of the earliest recorded Scottish bearers was John Storm, who was born in Dundee in 1686.

Other notable historical figures with the Storm surname include the Dutch Golden Age painter Hendrick Jacobsz Storm (c. 1580-1652), the English banker and philanthropist Sir John Willam Storm (1838-1920), and the Norwegian explorer and writer Carl Storm (1867-1925).

While not an exhaustive list, these examples illustrate the widespread distribution and long history of the Storm surname across various European countries and its enduring presence over several centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Storm families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Storm 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. Yorkshire leads with 136 Storms recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.67x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 136 3.67x
Durham 46 4.14x
Morayshire 42 72.35x
Lincolnshire 40 6.70x
Nairnshire 37 324.56x
Lancashire 15 0.34x
Aberdeenshire 10 2.89x
Surrey 6 0.33x
Essex 5 0.68x
Lanarkshire 5 0.41x
Middlesex 5 0.13x
Midlothian 5 1.00x
Stirlingshire 5 3.63x
Hampshire 4 0.52x
Inverness-shire 4 3.59x
Kent 4 0.31x
Northumberland 4 0.72x
Devon 3 0.39x
Anglesey 1 1.51x
Angus 1 0.29x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.42x
Fife 1 0.45x
Royal Navy 1 2.25x
Suffolk 1 0.22x
Worcestershire 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Fylingdales in Yorkshire leads with 75 Storms recorded in 1881 and an index of 4054.05x.

Place Total Index
Fylingdales 75 4054.05x
Nairn 36 520.23x
Stranton 26 69.48x
Kinloss 25 1824.82x
Whitby 17 136.22x
Elgin 13 115.15x
Ruswarp 10 242.72x
Winteringham 10 1162.79x
Aberdeen Old Machar 8 11.07x
Middlesbrough 7 14.52x
Skidbrook 7 1320.75x
Bootle Cum Linacre 6 17.05x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 7.98x
St Swithin Lincoln 6 63.90x
Toxteth Park 6 4.00x
West Butterwick With 6 652.17x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 2.48x
Govan 5 1.67x
Almondbury 4 22.35x
Bottesford 4 909.09x
Falkirk 4 12.40x
Gateshead 4 4.81x
Hartlepool 4 25.32x
Holy Trinity 4 4.49x
Inverness 4 14.26x
Nether Hallam 4 7.99x
Portsea 4 2.67x
Scotter 4 291.97x
Elswick 3 6.76x
Kirkdale 3 4.02x
Lockwood 3 22.52x
Lythe 3 204.08x
Scarborough 3 8.92x
South Shields 3 30.30x
Westoe 3 4.76x
Edinkillie 2 132.45x
Great Grimsby 2 5.28x
Meldrum 2 68.73x
Minster In Sheppey 2 9.47x
Ruswarp Hawsker Cum 2 217.39x
St Giles 2 28.82x
St Pancras London 2 0.67x
West Ham 2 1.23x
Woolwich 2 4.25x
Aislaby In Whitby 1 232.56x
Arbroath 1 8.72x
Ardclach 1 69.93x
Bishopwearmouth 1 1.05x
Burntisland 1 16.18x
Doncaster 1 3.70x
Dudley 1 1.69x
East Ferry 1 555.56x
Exeter Heavitree 1 17.24x
Forres 1 16.39x
Gate Fulford 1 11.57x
Healeyfield 1 217.39x
Holyhead 1 8.10x
Honiton 1 23.26x
Hornsey 1 2.12x
Leyton Low 1 6.67x
Limehouse London 1 2.44x
Linthrope 1 142.86x
Lowestoft 1 4.65x
Monkwearmouth Shore 1 4.61x
North Shields 1 9.02x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 1.67x
St Andrews Lhanbryd 1 55.87x
St Marylebone London 1 0.50x
Stirling 1 5.76x
Sunderland 1 5.09x
Wanstead 1 7.75x
Wisbech St Mary 1 36.76x
Woodford 1 11.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Elizabeth 11
Rebecca 9
Sarah 9
Jane 8
Eliza 6
Ann 5
Martha 5
Fanny 4
Isabella 4
Annie 3
Emma 3
Rachel 3
Alice 2
Anna 2
Betsey 2
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Grace 2
Hannah 2
Janet 2
Lydia 2
Margaret 2
Mercy 2
Anne 1
B. 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Damaris 1
E. 1
Elcie 1
Eleanor 1
Ellenor 1
Elspeth 1
Eva 1
Francis 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Laura 1
Lillie 1
Lina 1
Lucy 1
M.A. 1
Mairon 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Marry 1
Nora 1
R.C. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 21
William 20
Thomas 13
Edward 7
Reuben 5
George 4
Isaac 4
James 4
Andrew 3
Albert 2
Charles 2
David 2
Elliot 2
Harry 2
Jacob 2
Matthew 2
Oliver 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Wm. 2
A.N. 1
Alexander 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Boyce 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Harold 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
J.W. 1
Jack 1
Jan 1
Jane 1
Jas. 1
Johannes 1
Jonathan 1
Joseph 1
Patrick 1
Peter 1
Richardson 1
Sampson 1
W. 1

FAQ

Storm surname: questions and answers

How common was the Storm surname in 1881?

In 1881, 382 people were recorded with the Storm surname. That placed it at #8,222 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Storm surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 367 in 2016. That gives Storm a modern rank of #12,669.

What does the Storm surname mean?

A surname referring to a person with a stormy or tempestuous personality, or one who weathered life's storms.

What does the Storm map show?

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