NameCensus.

UK surname

Trevarthen

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "by the trees".

In the 1881 census there were 148 people recorded with the Trevarthen surname, ranking it #15,611 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 156, ranked #23,098, down from #15,611 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Illogan, Camborne and Crowan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Trevarthen is 195 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 5.4%.

1881 census count

148

Ranked #15,611

Modern count

156

2016, ranked #23,098

Peak year

1901

195 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Trevarthen had 148 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,611 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016, ranked #23,098.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 195 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Trevarthen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Trevarthen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Trevarthen 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 98 #17,383
1861 historical 88 #22,554
1881 historical 148 #15,611
1891 historical 135 #19,692
1901 historical 195 #15,380
1911 historical 156 #17,421
1997 modern 167 #19,722
1998 modern 171 #19,956
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 162 #20,735
2001 modern 160 #20,616
2002 modern 154 #21,531
2003 modern 150 #21,669
2004 modern 153 #21,528
2005 modern 150 #21,786
2006 modern 156 #21,399
2007 modern 154 #21,804
2008 modern 162 #21,350
2009 modern 172 #20,950
2010 modern 179 #20,886
2011 modern 177 #20,874
2012 modern 161 #22,157
2013 modern 163 #22,342
2014 modern 166 #22,277
2015 modern 157 #22,997
2016 modern 156 #23,098

Geography

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Where Trevarthens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Illogan, Camborne, Crowan, Veryan and Gwinear. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall. 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 Illogan Cornwall
2 Camborne Cornwall
3 Crowan Cornwall
4 Veryan Cornwall
5 Gwinear Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 014 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 052 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 011 Cornwall
4 Cornwall 057 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 065 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Trevarthen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Trevarthen

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Trevarthen is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Trevarthen 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

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

Meaning and origin of Trevarthen

The surname Trevarthen is of Cornish origin, tracing its roots back to the southwestern region of Cornwall in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from the parish of Trevarthen in the Hundred of Kerrier, Cornwall.

Trevarthen is a compound word formed from the Cornish elements "tre" meaning homestead or settlement, and the personal name "Varthen" or "Varthin." Some linguists suggest that the name Varthen may be a diminutive form of the Germanic name "Bardo" or "Bardolph."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Assize Rolls of Somersetshire in 1256, where a Robert de Trevarthen is mentioned. The Cornish name is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, with references to individuals such as John de Trevarthen and William Trevarthen.

During the 16th century, variations in the spelling of the name began to emerge, including Trevarthin, Trevarthian, and Treverthen. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.

Notable individuals bearing the Trevarthen surname include Sir John Trevarthen (1570-1638), a Member of Parliament for Cornwall during the reign of King Charles I, and Sir Hugh Trevarthen (1647-1718), a prominent landowner and member of the Cornish gentry.

In the 18th century, John Trevarthen (1712-1785) was a respected naval officer who served in the British Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable figure was William Trevarthen (1785-1872), a Cornish artist and engraver who specialized in landscape paintings and etchings of the Cornish countryside.

During the 19th century, Reverend John Trevarthen (1810-1889) was a prominent clergyman in the Church of England and served as the vicar of St. Erth in Cornwall for over 40 years.

The Trevarthen name has also been associated with various place names in Cornwall, such as Trevarthen Farm, Trevarthen Bridge, and Trevarthen Croft, further reinforcing its locational origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Trevarthen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Trevarthen 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. Cornwall leads with 124 Trevarthens recorded in 1881 and an index of 75.88x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 124 75.88x
Surrey 16 2.27x
Yorkshire 7 0.49x
Middlesex 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. St Erth in Cornwall leads with 34 Trevarthens recorded in 1881 and an index of 3434.34x.

Place Total Index
St Erth 34 3434.34x
Camborne 28 416.05x
Illogan 22 508.08x
Crowan 19 1472.87x
Rotherhithe 8 44.87x
Normanby In 7 183.25x
Mabe 6 1764.71x
Reigate Foreign 5 65.62x
Falmouth 4 69.20x
Lambeth 3 2.38x
Redruth 3 64.94x
Gwinear 2 256.41x
Madron 2 151.52x
Kea 1 81.97x
Saltash 1 78.74x
St Ives 1 31.25x
St Just In Penwith 1 31.55x
Tottenham 1 4.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 13
Mary 12
Annie 5
Ann 4
Eliza 3
Grace 3
Maria 3
Bessie 2
Carloine 2
Ellen 2
Harriet 2
Jane 2
Laura 2
Selina 2
...hia 1
Adelaide 1
Agnes 1
Alma 1
Amaria 1
Apply 1
C. 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Emmelina 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Jessie 1
Katie 1
Mabel 1
Margaretta 1
Minnie 1
Priscilla 1
Sarah 1
Winnifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
John 9
Thomas 7
Edward 6
James 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Christopher 2
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Arthur 1
Benj. 1
Benjamin 1
Daniel 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fredrick 1
George 1
Henry 1
Jane 1
N. 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Trevarthen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Trevarthen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 148 people were recorded with the Trevarthen surname. That placed it at #15,611 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Trevarthen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016. That gives Trevarthen a modern rank of #23,098.

What does the Trevarthen surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "by the trees".

What does the Trevarthen map show?

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