NameCensus.

UK surname

Virr

In the 1881 census there were 88 people recorded with the Virr surname, ranking it #21,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 142, ranked #24,625, down from #21,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Harrogate, Mid Suffolk and Bradford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Virr is 171 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.4%.

1881 census count

88

Ranked #21,211

Modern count

142

2016, ranked #24,625

Peak year

2000

171 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Virr had 88 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016, ranked #24,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 135 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Virr surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Virr surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Virr 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 50 #24,274
1861 historical 38 #29,216
1881 historical 88 #21,211
1891 historical 79 #26,897
1901 historical 119 #20,624
1911 historical 135 #19,058
1997 modern 139 #22,132
1998 modern 157 #21,058
1999 modern 163 #20,698
2000 modern 171 #20,044
2001 modern 166 #20,129
2002 modern 167 #20,457
2003 modern 151 #21,574
2004 modern 153 #21,528
2005 modern 144 #22,367
2006 modern 137 #23,270
2007 modern 140 #23,231
2008 modern 145 #22,929
2009 modern 143 #23,686
2010 modern 148 #23,697
2011 modern 146 #23,736
2012 modern 144 #23,902
2013 modern 148 #23,884
2014 modern 146 #24,274
2015 modern 147 #24,036
2016 modern 142 #24,625

Geography

Back to top

Where Virrs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes, Toxteth Park, Bradford and Bidstone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Harrogate, Mid Suffolk, Bradford and Scarborough. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Bidstone Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Harrogate 004 Harrogate
2 Mid Suffolk 005 Mid Suffolk
3 Bradford 046 Bradford
4 Scarborough 006 Scarborough
5 Bradford 045 Bradford

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Virr

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Virr

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Virr surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Virr household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Virr 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

Virr 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

Virr 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 Virr is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 40-50 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

7
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Virr, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Virr families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Virr 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 75 Virrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.82x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 75 8.82x
Lancashire 6 0.59x
Gloucestershire 5 2.97x
Middlesex 1 0.12x
Surrey 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bradford in Yorkshire leads with 40 Virrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 194.27x.

Place Total Index
Bradford 40 194.27x
Horton In Bradford 13 97.89x
Ecclesfield 6 96.15x
Clayton 5 240.38x
Eccleshill 5 241.55x
Wotton St Mary 5 574.71x
Allerton 4 370.37x
Toxteth Park 4 11.60x
Ashton Under Lyne 2 8.98x
Askern 2 1250.00x
Islington London 1 1.20x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 5.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Betha 1
Daisey 1
Dorothey 1
Edith 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Harriet 1
Henr. 1
Hester 1
Hetty 1
Julia 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Phoebe 1
Rose 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 6
Alfred 4
Edwin 3
George 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Geo. 2
John 2
Joseph 2
Saml. 2
Charles 1
Claude 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Herbt. 1
Louis 1
Mildred 1
Petey 1
Solomon 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Virr surname: questions and answers

How common was the Virr surname in 1881?

In 1881, 88 people were recorded with the Virr surname. That placed it at #21,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Virr surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016. That gives Virr a modern rank of #24,625.

What does the Virr map show?

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