NameCensus.

UK surname

Vorley

In the 1881 census there were 147 people recorded with the Vorley surname, ranking it #15,674 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 159, ranked #22,798, down from #15,674 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wellingborough, Burton-on-Trent and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Devon, Wealden and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Vorley is 200 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.2%.

1881 census count

147

Ranked #15,674

Modern count

159

2016, ranked #22,798

Peak year

1911

200 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Vorley had 147 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,674 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016, ranked #22,798.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 200 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Vorley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Vorley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Vorley 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 106 #16,512
1861 historical 82 #23,321
1881 historical 147 #15,674
1891 historical 132 #19,976
1901 historical 159 #17,442
1911 historical 200 #14,960
1997 modern 142 #21,856
1998 modern 153 #21,387
1999 modern 154 #21,455
2000 modern 157 #21,146
2001 modern 152 #21,294
2002 modern 155 #21,431
2003 modern 154 #21,308
2004 modern 161 #20,840
2005 modern 152 #21,572
2006 modern 143 #22,619
2007 modern 149 #22,318
2008 modern 150 #22,429
2009 modern 145 #23,473
2010 modern 159 #22,577
2011 modern 157 #22,574
2012 modern 159 #22,361
2013 modern 162 #22,433
2014 modern 155 #23,333
2015 modern 154 #23,306
2016 modern 159 #22,798

Geography

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Where Vorleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wellingborough, Burton-on-Trent, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Irthlingborough and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Devon, Wealden, Leeds, Bedford and Barking and Dagenham. 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 Wellingborough Northamptonshire
2 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Irthlingborough Northamptonshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Devon 002 North Devon
2 Wealden 004 Wealden
3 Leeds 027 Leeds
4 Bedford 003 Bedford
5 Barking and Dagenham 004 Barking and Dagenham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Vorley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Vorley

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Vorley 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

Vorley is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Vorley 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 Vorley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Vorley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Vorley 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. Northamptonshire leads with 86 Vorleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 63.77x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 86 63.77x
Middlesex 40 2.79x
Staffordshire 4 0.83x
Buckinghamshire 3 3.46x
Kent 3 0.61x
Lanarkshire 2 0.43x
Leicestershire 2 1.26x
Surrey 2 0.29x
Yorkshire 2 0.14x
Bedfordshire 1 1.35x
Essex 1 0.35x
Warwickshire 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Irthlingborough in Northamptonshire leads with 17 Vorleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1287.88x.

Place Total Index
Irthlingborough 17 1287.88x
Raunds 15 1094.89x
Wellingborough 15 221.24x
St George In East 11 112.82x
St Pancras London 9 7.80x
Northampton St Sepulchre 8 116.62x
Rushden 8 444.44x
Northampton All Sts 6 131.00x
St Giles In Fields 5 101.01x
Burton Upon Trent 4 35.34x
Hackney London 4 4.98x
Islington London 4 2.88x
Northampton Priory St 4 49.44x
Northampton St Giles 4 77.82x
Hanslope 3 384.62x
St Gilesin Fields 3 357.14x
Tichmarsh 3 666.67x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 6.92x
Greenwich 2 8.76x
Kettering 2 36.70x
Lambeth 2 1.60x
Leicester All Sts 2 64.10x
Maryhill 2 22.03x
Oundle 2 132.45x
Shadwell London 2 49.88x
Aston 1 1.00x
Bedford St Peter 1 51.81x
Chelveston Cum Caldecott 1 476.19x
Epping 1 86.96x
Hammersmith London 1 2.83x
Speldhurst 1 40.16x
St George Bloomsbury 1 12.15x
Thrapston 1 147.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 8
Sarah 8
Ann 5
Eliza 3
Alice 2
Caroline 2
Elizth. 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Julia 2
Margaret 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Betrice 1
Catherine 1
Christiana 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Emmeline 1
Francis 1
Isabella 1
Isobella 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Naomi 1
Selina 1
Susan 1
Sushanah 1
Theodora 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 9
John 8
William 6
George 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Ebenezer 2
Edward 2
Eli 2
Frederick 2
Lewis 2
Robert 2
Wm. 2
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
Daniel 1
Foster 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
J. 1
Joseph 1
Josiah 1
Lot 1
Sidney 1
Timothy 1
W. 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Vorley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Vorley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 147 people were recorded with the Vorley surname. That placed it at #15,674 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Vorley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016. That gives Vorley a modern rank of #22,798.

What does the Vorley map show?

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