NameCensus.

UK surname

Venables

An English surname derived from the Old French 'vener' meaning to hunt.

In the 1881 census there were 2,097 people recorded with the Venables surname, ranking it #2,106 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,962, ranked #2,274, down from #2,106 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cheshunt St Mary, London parishes and Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Barnsley and Doncaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Venables is 3,151 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.2%.

1881 census count

2,097

Ranked #2,106

Modern count

2,962

2016, ranked #2,274

Peak year

1998

3,151 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Venables had 2,097 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,106 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,962 in 2016, ranked #2,274.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,956 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Venables surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Venables surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Venables 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 1,298 #2,205
1861 historical 1,127 #2,488
1881 historical 2,097 #2,106
1891 historical 2,207 #2,117
1901 historical 2,727 #2,036
1911 historical 2,956 #1,757
1997 modern 2,946 #2,199
1998 modern 3,151 #2,130
1999 modern 3,139 #2,158
2000 modern 3,116 #2,162
2001 modern 3,071 #2,143
2002 modern 3,119 #2,157
2003 modern 3,068 #2,138
2004 modern 3,042 #2,154
2005 modern 2,970 #2,185
2006 modern 2,993 #2,165
2007 modern 3,002 #2,173
2008 modern 3,007 #2,184
2009 modern 3,071 #2,194
2010 modern 3,121 #2,210
2011 modern 3,065 #2,220
2012 modern 2,983 #2,238
2013 modern 3,039 #2,242
2014 modern 3,031 #2,260
2015 modern 3,000 #2,258
2016 modern 2,962 #2,274

Geography

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Where Venables' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cheshunt St Mary, London parishes, Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington, St Mary Islington and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Birmingham. 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 Cheshunt St Mary Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington Staffordshire
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 020 Cheshire East
2 Barnsley 025 Barnsley
3 Doncaster 031 Doncaster
4 Rotherham 002 Rotherham
5 Birmingham 023 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Venables

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Venables

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Venables is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Venables is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Venables falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Venables

The surname Venables originates from England, first appearing in the mid 11th century shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It derives from the Old French "veneur" meaning "huntsman" or "gamekeeper", reflecting an occupation or status.

Records show early spellings such as Venator and Venour, similar to the modern French "veneur". The name is thought to have emerged in the northern counties of England, particularly Cheshire and Lancashire, where hunting and gamekeeping were prevalent vocations.

One of the earliest known references is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Richard Venator in Cheshire. This suggests the name was established among the Norman aristocracy who settled in northwest England after the conquest.

In the 13th century, the form Venables started appearing more frequently in official records and charters across the region. This included Gilbert de Venables, born around 1200, who served as Baron of Kinderton in Cheshire.

Sir Hugh Venables, born in 1280, was among the knights who fought alongside Edward I in the Welsh wars. He later held the manors of Agden and Golborne in Lancashire.

During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, prominent members of the Venables family allied with the House of Lancaster. This included Sir Thomas Venables, born in 1415, who served as Baron of Kinderton and fought at the Battle of Towton in 1461.

By the 16th century, the Venables had established themselves as a major gentry family in Cheshire. Robert Venables, born in 1550, served as Sheriff of Cheshire. His great-nephew Thomas, born in 1595, became Governor of Windsor Castle under Charles I.

Other noteworthy individuals over the centuries included Robert Venables (1608-1687), a Puritan minister in colonial New England, and George Venables-Vernon (1710-1780), a member of Parliament and Lord of the Admiralty.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Venables families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Venables 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. Staffordshire leads with 362 Venables' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.23x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 362 5.23x
Middlesex 288 1.40x
Cheshire 277 6.12x
Lancashire 235 0.97x
Shropshire 134 7.56x
Surrey 127 1.27x
Hertfordshire 97 6.86x
Warwickshire 73 1.41x
Yorkshire 72 0.35x
Kent 53 0.76x
Essex 50 1.23x
Pembrokeshire 36 5.52x
Glamorgan 33 0.92x
Oxfordshire 28 2.21x
Berkshire 22 1.43x
Montgomeryshire 22 4.68x
Hampshire 20 0.48x
Derbyshire 19 0.59x
Worcestershire 19 0.71x
Denbighshire 15 1.94x
Buckinghamshire 13 1.05x
Durham 13 0.21x
Herefordshire 11 1.31x
Leicestershire 11 0.48x
Lincolnshire 11 0.34x
Lanarkshire 8 0.12x
Sussex 8 0.23x
Flintshire 7 1.27x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.22x
Cumberland 5 0.28x
Cornwall 4 0.17x
Dorset 4 0.30x
Somerset 4 0.12x
Channel Islands 3 0.49x
Devon 2 0.05x
Norfolk 2 0.06x
Northamptonshire 2 0.10x
Radnorshire 2 1.21x
Bedfordshire 1 0.09x
Fife 1 0.08x
Gloucestershire 1 0.02x
Kincardineshire 1 0.40x
Northumberland 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Walsall Foreign in Staffordshire leads with 63 Venables' recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.61x.

Place Total Index
Walsall Foreign 63 17.61x
Islington London 60 3.02x
Cheshunt 44 89.01x
Birmingham 42 2.44x
Gnosall 42 251.35x
Camberwell 33 2.52x
Everton 29 3.74x
St Pancras London 29 1.76x
Barking 26 21.94x
Battersea 23 3.05x
Denaby 22 191.30x
Stafford St Mary 22 22.44x
Aston 21 1.47x
Old Withington 21 513.45x
Hatfield 20 69.78x
Kerry 20 141.44x
Stoke Upon Trent 18 2.45x
Tottenham 18 5.51x
Toxteth Park 18 2.18x
Deptford St Paul 17 3.15x
Bilston 16 11.92x
Birkenhead 16 4.43x
Burslem 16 8.07x
West Derby 16 2.25x
Hornsey 15 5.78x
St Marylebone London 15 1.37x
Whitchurch 15 43.62x
Newington 14 1.85x
Withington 14 17.85x
Greenwich 13 3.98x
Hackney London 13 1.13x
Rosemarket 13 543.93x
Shoreditch London 13 1.46x
Whitby 13 124.40x
Wolverhampton 13 2.44x
Bethnal Green London 12 1.35x
Dilhorne 12 104.17x
Hampstead London 12 3.76x
Ightfield 12 495.87x
Mexborough 12 29.74x
Newchurch 12 6.03x
Salford 12 1.68x
Sandbach 12 31.07x
Wycombe 12 12.98x
Aberdare 11 4.49x
Chelsea London 11 1.78x
Edmonton 11 6.66x
West Bromwich 11 2.77x
Whittington 11 74.12x
Aldershot 10 7.10x
Aldford 10 279.33x
Ardwick 10 4.55x
Croydon 10 1.80x
Hornchurch 10 50.38x
Kensington London 10 0.88x
Kidderminster Foreign 10 26.40x
Oswestry Town 10 17.62x
Oxford St Aldate 10 74.96x
Pownall Fee 10 49.36x
Clun 9 71.54x
Hammersmith London 9 1.78x
Neath 9 12.38x
Peover Superior 9 210.28x
St George Hanover 9 3.36x
Stanton Lacy 9 58.79x
Stone 9 10.16x
Walsall Borough 9 16.74x
Wanstead 9 12.69x
Wigan 9 2.65x
Wolstanton Chesterton 9 25.43x
Barony 8 0.48x
Castle Northwich 8 53.37x
Cheadle 8 9.25x
Church Hulme 8 172.41x
Cookham 8 16.67x
Hulme 8 1.57x
Liverpool 8 0.54x
Newton 8 4.26x
Oxford St Clement 8 25.02x
Tarvin 8 272.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 147
Elizabeth 95
Sarah 80
Jane 49
Eliza 41
Emma 39
Ann 37
Alice 36
Ellen 30
Margaret 26
Martha 26
Emily 24
Annie 23
Hannah 23
Fanny 17
Harriet 17
Louisa 15
Ada 14
Edith 14
Caroline 10
Florence 10
Anne 9
Catherine 9
Frances 9
Clara 8
Charlotte 7
Julia 7
Agnes 6
Amy 6
Kate 6
Lizzie 6
Lucy 6
Maria 6
Harriett 5
Lydia 5
Mabel 5
Maud 5
Rose 5
Susan 5
Amelia 4
Dora 4
Eleanor 4
Eliz. 4
Elizth. 4
Flora 4
Jessie 4
Margt. 4
Matilda 4
Susannah 4
Janet 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 126
William 118
Thomas 100
George 87
James 59
Charles 46
Joseph 43
Edward 30
Henry 29
Richard 26
Samuel 24
Arthur 22
Alfred 21
Frederick 18
Benjamin 17
Robert 16
Edwin 11
Frank 11
Harry 11
Herbert 11
Ernest 10
Francis 9
Albert 8
David 8
Peter 8
Walter 8
Wm. 5
Fred 4
Vernon 4
Gilbert 3
Jno. 3
Leonard 3
Phillip 3
Sidney 3
Thos. 3
Tom 3
Daniel 2
Edmund 2
Edwd. 2
Geo. 2
Jesse 2
Philip 2
Ralph 2
Reuben 2
Spencer 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2
Benjamen 1
E.B.Whyte 1
Zachariah 1

FAQ

Venables surname: questions and answers

How common was the Venables surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,097 people were recorded with the Venables surname. That placed it at #2,106 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Venables surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,962 in 2016. That gives Venables a modern rank of #2,274.

What does the Venables surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old French 'vener' meaning to hunt.

What does the Venables map show?

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