NameCensus.

UK surname

Varey

In the 1881 census there were 460 people recorded with the Varey surname, ranking it #7,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 681, ranked #7,872, down from #7,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, Manchester and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lancaster, Preston and Pendle.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Varey is 701 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.0%.

1881 census count

460

Ranked #7,211

Modern count

681

2016, ranked #7,872

Peak year

2010

701 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Varey had 460 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 681 in 2016, ranked #7,872.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 670 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Varey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Varey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Varey 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 216 #9,818
1861 historical 239 #10,273
1881 historical 460 #7,211
1891 historical 568 #6,687
1901 historical 575 #7,300
1911 historical 670 #6,291
1997 modern 611 #8,038
1998 modern 646 #7,949
1999 modern 678 #7,703
2000 modern 685 #7,618
2001 modern 656 #7,744
2002 modern 667 #7,794
2003 modern 653 #7,809
2004 modern 642 #7,912
2005 modern 632 #7,958
2006 modern 653 #7,776
2007 modern 659 #7,784
2008 modern 653 #7,890
2009 modern 685 #7,771
2010 modern 701 #7,770
2011 modern 683 #7,840
2012 modern 686 #7,717
2013 modern 680 #7,917
2014 modern 695 #7,813
2015 modern 684 #7,863
2016 modern 681 #7,872

Geography

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Where Vareys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, Manchester, Bradford, St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles and Sculcoates. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lancaster, Preston, Pendle, Manchester and Wigan. 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 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding
5 Sculcoates Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lancaster 011 Lancaster
2 Preston 009 Preston
3 Pendle 007 Pendle
4 Manchester 052 Manchester
5 Wigan 015 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Varey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Varey

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Varey 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

Varey is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Varey falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Varey 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 Varey, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Varey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Varey 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 249 Vareys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.61x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 249 5.61x
Lancashire 137 2.58x
Westmorland 22 22.36x
Cheshire 19 1.92x
Durham 18 1.35x
Cumberland 9 2.33x
Middlesex 2 0.04x
Lincolnshire 1 0.14x
Shropshire 1 0.26x
Surrey 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 26 Vareys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.39x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 26 18.39x
Manchester 24 10.05x
Lancaster 20 63.27x
Leeds 17 6.79x
Huntington 16 1777.78x
Sculcoates 16 22.75x
Clitheroe 15 95.91x
Bishop Auckland 14 78.34x
Bradford 13 12.10x
Dalton In Furness 13 63.38x
Brinnington 12 130.01x
Horton In Bradford 12 17.32x
York St Mary 12 65.29x
Ulleskelf 11 1571.43x
Upper Allithwaite 11 4230.77x
Orton 9 1285.71x
Prescot 9 93.65x
York Holy Trinity 9 234.99x
Copmanthorpe 8 1666.67x
Heck 8 2285.71x
Cottingham 7 73.22x
Holbeck 7 23.82x
Micklefield 7 654.21x
Oldham 7 4.08x
Settle 7 205.88x
Bowling 6 13.66x
Holme 6 504.20x
Appleton Roebuck 5 735.29x
Ashton Under Lyne 5 4.31x
Gilling 5 375.94x
Northowram 5 16.07x
Over Staveley 5 446.43x
Thwing 5 746.27x
Armley 4 20.44x
Bowdon 4 102.04x
Calverley Cum Farsley 4 31.75x
Kendal 4 22.21x
Preston 4 2.81x
Pudsey 4 16.86x
Richmond 4 57.72x
York St Crux 4 317.46x
Burton 3 291.26x
Drypool 3 44.18x
Dukinfield 3 6.57x
Hunslet 3 4.34x
Keighley 3 6.34x
Long Sleddale 3 1428.57x
Preston 3 122.45x
Selby 3 32.36x
Wistow 3 254.24x
Bentham 2 59.17x
Darlington 2 3.89x
Earswick 2 909.09x
Hutton Cranswick 2 106.95x
Kilham 2 107.53x
Long Drax 2 833.33x
Luttons Ambo 2 217.39x
Mexborough 2 22.70x
Sherburn 2 54.79x
Sledmere Cum Croom 2 259.74x
St Marylebone London 2 0.84x
Barlby 1 126.58x
Barton Upon Irwell 1 2.50x
Bramley In Bramley 1 5.89x
Brayton 1 123.46x
Condover 1 36.76x
Exelby Leeming Newton 1 94.34x
Gateshead 1 1.00x
Holy Trinity 1 0.94x
Market Weighton Arras 1 34.72x
Moss Side 1 3.58x
Sheffield 1 0.71x
Skidby 1 178.57x
Skipton 1 7.16x
Stockton On Tees 1 1.56x
Wansford 1 312.50x
Warthill Copyhold 1 344.83x
Worlaby 1 112.36x
York St John Micklegate 1 93.46x
York St Michael Le 1 69.44x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 39
Elizabeth 26
Sarah 22
Jane 17
Ann 12
Margaret 10
Ellen 9
Martha 6
Annie 5
Emma 5
Alice 4
Anne 4
Grace 4
Ada 3
Hannah 3
Louisa 3
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Christiana 2
Clara 2
Diana 2
Dorothy 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Francis 2
Harriet 2
Lilly 2
Lydia 2
Maria 2
Mildred 2
Rebecca 2
Rose 2
Adele 1
Annas 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Edith 1
Elleanor 1
Emely 1
Ester 1
Evelyn 1
Faith 1
Janet 1
Jemima 1
Kate 1
Lilian 1
Marey 1
Matilda 1
Vina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 30
William 28
Thomas 21
James 17
George 14
Joseph 11
Richard 11
Charles 6
David 6
Robert 6
Enoch 5
Henry 5
Albert 4
Francis 4
Jacob 4
Arthur 3
Fred 3
Frederick 3
Jeremiah 3
Wm. 3
Christopher 2
Edward 2
Fredrick 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Charley 1
Chas. 1
Downey 1
Downs 1
Elisha 1
Elizabeth 1
Emanuel 1
Fredk.H. 1
Geo. 1
Geoe. 1
Harrison 1
Herbert 1
Horatio 1
Kennary 1
Laurence 1
Mainard 1
Mark 1
Michael 1
Prince 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Wallace 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Varey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Varey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 460 people were recorded with the Varey surname. That placed it at #7,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Varey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 681 in 2016. That gives Varey a modern rank of #7,872.

What does the Varey map show?

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