NameCensus.

UK surname

Strange

An unusual or surprising surname, often originating as a nickname for an unfamiliar newcomer to a village or town.

In the 1881 census there were 3,206 people recorded with the Strange surname, ranking it #1,411 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,130, ranked #1,642, down from #1,411 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Swindon, Lyddington and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Oxfordshire, Torfaen and Wiltshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Strange is 4,545 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.8%.

1881 census count

3,206

Ranked #1,411

Modern count

4,130

2016, ranked #1,642

Peak year

2000

4,545 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Strange had 3,206 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,411 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,130 in 2016, ranked #1,642.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,334 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Strange surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Strange surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Strange 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 1,951 #1,488
1861 historical 1,920 #1,516
1881 historical 3,206 #1,411
1891 historical 3,268 #1,454
1901 historical 4,079 #1,383
1911 historical 4,334 #1,195
1997 modern 4,250 #1,531
1998 modern 4,476 #1,510
1999 modern 4,538 #1,508
2000 modern 4,545 #1,496
2001 modern 4,382 #1,512
2002 modern 4,478 #1,512
2003 modern 4,373 #1,513
2004 modern 4,353 #1,521
2005 modern 4,232 #1,539
2006 modern 4,191 #1,558
2007 modern 4,201 #1,566
2008 modern 4,230 #1,565
2009 modern 4,310 #1,579
2010 modern 4,348 #1,598
2011 modern 4,253 #1,612
2012 modern 4,146 #1,620
2013 modern 4,194 #1,630
2014 modern 4,196 #1,639
2015 modern 4,159 #1,637
2016 modern 4,130 #1,642

Geography

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Where Stranges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Swindon, Lyddington, London parishes and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Oxfordshire, Torfaen, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Swindon, Lyddington Wiltshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Oxfordshire 015 South Oxfordshire
2 South Oxfordshire 012 South Oxfordshire
3 Torfaen 003 Torfaen
4 Wiltshire 007 Wiltshire
5 South Gloucestershire 026 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Strange

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Strange

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Strange is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Strange 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

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

Meaning and origin of Strange

The surname STRANGE originates from England and is first recorded in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "estrange" meaning "foreign" or "alien", referring to someone who came from another place or country. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1196 as "William le Strange".

The name STRANGE is believed to have been introduced to England by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It likely referred to individuals who came from France or other parts of continental Europe, and were considered "strangers" or foreigners in England at the time.

One of the earliest recorded occurrences of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a "Radulfus le Strange" in Shropshire. This suggests that the name was already present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

The STRANGE family played a significant role in English history, particularly in the county of Shropshire. Sir John Strange (c. 1279-1349) was a prominent knight and landowner who served as the Sheriff of Shropshire in 1325. His grandson, Richard Strange (1361-1418), was a member of the English Parliament and fought in the Hundred Years' War against France.

Another notable figure with the surname STRANGE was Sir Roger Strange (c. 1440-1506), a member of the English gentry from Norfolk. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by King Henry VII in 1487.

In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Strange (c. 1493-1545) was a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas during the reign of King Henry VIII.

The name STRANGE is also associated with various place names in England, such as Strange's Meadow in Shropshire and Strange's Bridge in Norfolk, which likely derived from the presence of individuals with this surname in those areas.

Historically, the surname STRANGE has been found in various spellings, including Strang, Straunge, and Estrange, reflecting the evolution of the name over time and its French origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Strange families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Strange 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 486 Stranges recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.55x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 486 1.55x
Wiltshire 300 10.83x
Gloucestershire 298 4.85x
Surrey 295 1.93x
Berkshire 196 8.33x
Dorset 152 7.39x
Hampshire 143 2.23x
Lancashire 133 0.36x
Kent 122 1.14x
Oxfordshire 112 5.79x
Essex 104 1.68x
Buckinghamshire 94 4.96x
Derbyshire 60 1.22x
Suffolk 59 1.55x
Somerset 56 1.11x
Sussex 56 1.06x
Cheshire 51 0.74x
Worcestershire 47 1.15x
Shropshire 43 1.59x
Warwickshire 40 0.51x
Hertfordshire 38 1.76x
Yorkshire 35 0.11x
Glamorgan 34 0.62x
Leicestershire 29 0.83x
Cambridgeshire 23 1.16x
Northamptonshire 23 0.78x
Lanarkshire 21 0.21x
Bedfordshire 20 1.23x
Denbighshire 18 1.52x
Monmouthshire 17 0.75x
Devon 15 0.23x
Durham 14 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 10 1.00x
Midlothian 9 0.21x
Staffordshire 9 0.09x
Norfolk 8 0.17x
Cornwall 6 0.17x
Renfrewshire 6 0.25x
Herefordshire 5 0.39x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.12x
Lincolnshire 4 0.08x
Royal Navy 4 1.07x
Northumberland 3 0.06x
Brecknockshire 2 0.32x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.32x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.03x
Ayrshire 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.04x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.12x
Perthshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 70 Stranges recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.56x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 70 2.56x
Stapleton 70 60.05x
Hackney London 53 3.02x
St Pancras London 44 1.74x
Cholsey 43 231.06x
Calne 40 70.11x
Wycombe 39 27.62x
Camberwell 38 1.90x
Paddington London 36 3.12x
Chippenham 32 55.07x
Kensington London 31 1.78x
Tonbridge 30 7.78x
Aston 28 1.29x
Islington London 28 0.92x
Portsea 28 2.22x
Chelsea London 24 2.54x
Hampstead London 24 4.92x
Swindon 24 11.17x
Shoreditch London 23 1.69x
Tormarton 23 505.49x
Bethnal Green London 22 1.62x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 21 3.63x
Epping 21 83.57x
Highworth 20 56.45x
Wootton Bassett 20 82.99x
Reading St Giles 19 8.23x
Rodbourne Cheney 19 88.79x
Southwark St George Martyr 19 3.01x
Stratton St Margaret 19 44.71x
Liddiard Tregooze 18 254.24x
Stokenchurch 18 103.99x
Walcot 18 6.70x
Bermondsey 17 1.82x
Mangotsfield 17 27.76x
Reading St Mary 17 9.02x
Brighton 16 1.50x
Coldashton 16 382.78x
Little Somerford 16 392.16x
Speldhurst 16 29.40x
St Marylebone London 16 0.96x
Westminster St John 16 4.19x
Winterbourne 16 47.11x
Cheltenham 15 3.16x
Milton In Gravesend 15 9.36x
Poplar London 15 2.54x
Weymouth 15 38.51x
Aldershot 14 6.51x
Glasgow 14 0.78x
Macclesfield 14 4.55x
Oadby 14 75.23x
Southampton St Mary 14 3.47x
St George Hanover 14 3.42x
Staines 14 28.21x
Sturminster 14 70.21x
Aston Tirrold 13 389.22x
Kingston On Thames 13 3.54x
Leicester St Margaret 13 1.53x
Newington 13 1.12x
Richmond 13 6.08x
Shalbourn 13 147.39x
Chorley 12 5.75x
Kidderminster Foreign 12 20.74x
Latchford 12 26.12x
Limehouse London 12 3.49x
Nettleton 12 275.86x
Pentrich 12 43.46x
Waltham Holy Cross 12 20.76x
Abingdon St Helen 11 16.00x
Blandford Forum 11 27.11x
Croydon 11 1.30x
Everton 11 0.93x
Great Brickhill 11 184.25x
Great Hadham 11 78.97x
Liverpool 11 0.49x
Toxteth Park 11 0.87x
West Ham 11 0.81x
Westminster St James 11 3.42x
East Ham 10 8.71x
Penge 10 5.00x
South Normanton 10 29.02x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 183
Elizabeth 126
Sarah 115
Ann 71
Eliza 58
Ellen 58
Emma 57
Emily 53
Alice 52
Jane 43
Annie 36
Fanny 33
Florence 30
Louisa 27
Charlotte 26
Caroline 24
Martha 24
Harriet 23
Kate 23
Hannah 22
Edith 20
Susan 19
Maria 18
Margaret 17
Lucy 16
Ada 13
Frances 12
Agnes 11
Beatrice 11
Ethel 11
Lydia 11
Susannah 11
Gertrude 10
Harriett 10
Minnie 10
Clara 9
Eleanor 9
Julia 9
Rose 9
Sophia 9
Amy 8
Anne 8
Helen 8
Matilda 8
Amelia 7
Catherine 7
Laura 7
Ruth 7
Anna 6
Rebecca 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 184
John 133
George 103
James 100
Thomas 85
Charles 72
Henry 71
Joseph 54
Frederick 46
Alfred 40
Edward 40
Arthur 36
Robert 31
Walter 28
Albert 24
Harry 24
Samuel 23
Richard 20
Ernest 19
Frank 17
Edwin 15
Herbert 14
Isaac 12
David 11
Francis 9
Christopher 8
Fredk. 8
Sidney 8
Fred 7
Thos. 7
Tom 7
Wm. 6
Benjamin 5
Daniel 5
Percy 5
Caleb 4
Chas. 4
Edmund 4
Fredrick 4
Leonard 4
Mark 4
Moses 4
Reginald 4
Saml. 4
Edgar 3
Jno. 3
Jonathan 3
Oliver 3
Owen 3
Stephen 3

FAQ

Strange surname: questions and answers

How common was the Strange surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,206 people were recorded with the Strange surname. That placed it at #1,411 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Strange surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,130 in 2016. That gives Strange a modern rank of #1,642.

What does the Strange surname mean?

An unusual or surprising surname, often originating as a nickname for an unfamiliar newcomer to a village or town.

What does the Strange map show?

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