NameCensus.

UK surname

Yearley

An English surname derived from a geographical location, likely referring to someone from a yearly or annual place.

In the 1881 census there were 61 people recorded with the Yearley surname, ranking it #24,992 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 217, ranked #18,535, up from #24,992 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kingston-on-Thames, London parishes and Weaverham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dacorum, Forest of Dean and Gravesham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Yearley is 256 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 255.7%.

1881 census count

61

Ranked #24,992

Modern count

217

2016, ranked #18,535

Peak year

1998

256 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Yearley had 61 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,992 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016, ranked #18,535.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 136 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Yearley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Yearley surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Yearley 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 19 #29,904
1861 historical 42 #28,691
1881 historical 61 #24,992
1891 historical 78 #27,035
1901 historical 98 #23,119
1911 historical 136 #18,962
1997 modern 239 #15,718
1998 modern 256 #15,436
1999 modern 255 #15,599
2000 modern 251 #15,692
2001 modern 241 #15,870
2002 modern 241 #16,243
2003 modern 237 #16,191
2004 modern 238 #16,242
2005 modern 230 #16,583
2006 modern 220 #17,204
2007 modern 219 #17,425
2008 modern 226 #17,238
2009 modern 231 #17,331
2010 modern 230 #17,750
2011 modern 233 #17,426
2012 modern 234 #17,291
2013 modern 235 #17,515
2014 modern 236 #17,577
2015 modern 224 #18,117
2016 modern 217 #18,535

Geography

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Where Yearleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kingston-on-Thames, London parishes, Weaverham, St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford and St Luke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dacorum, Forest of Dean, Gravesham, Hertsmere and Tower Hamlets. 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 Kingston-on-Thames Surrey
2 London parishes London 3
3 Weaverham Cheshire
4 St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford London (South Districts)
5 St Luke London (Central Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dacorum 012 Dacorum
2 Forest of Dean 008 Forest of Dean
3 Gravesham 008 Gravesham
4 Hertsmere 002 Hertsmere
5 Tower Hamlets 002 Tower Hamlets

Forenames

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First names often paired with Yearley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Yearley

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Yearley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Yearley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Challenged Inner London Communities

Within London, Yearley is most associated with areas classed as Challenged Inner London Communities, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Resident in some of Inner London’s most over-crowded communities, many families have children and marriage/civil partnership rates are above the Supergroup average. Other adults such as students live in communal establishments. Few residents have Level 4 educational qualifications, levels of unemployment are above the Supergroup average, and employment is concentrated in service occupations such as distribution, hotels and restaurants. Relative to the Supergroup average, fewer residents identify as being of mixed/multiple ethnicities, Black or Other Asian.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Yearley 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

Yearley falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Yearley

The surname Yearley originates from England, specifically during the Medieval period. It is an Anglo-Saxon name, likely derived from a geographical or toponymic source, pertaining to a location that may have been named Yearley or something phonetically similar. The earliest roots of the surname can be traced back to the Old English words "gear," meaning “year,” and "leah," meaning “wood” or “clearing.” It suggests that the original bearers of the surname lived near or in a clearing of some kind that was significant in their local calendar year.

Historical references to the surname Yearley can be found in various old English records and manuscripts. One of the earliest mentions comes from the Assize Rolls of Essex, dated 1248, where a Richard de Yerligh is listed. This indicates that the surname was established in England by the mid-13th century. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not include the surname directly, but it records many place names that could have evolved to Yearley.

The earliest recorded examples of the surname in its modern form appear in the 16th century. In 1572, a John Yearley was documented in Norfolk, reinforcing the idea that the name had begun to stabilize in spelling and usage by that time. During this period, surnames in England were becoming hereditary, and variations in spelling began to diminish.

A notable individual with this surname was William Yearley, an actor and playwright born around 1590. He was part of the flourishing theatrical world of Elizabethan and Jacobean England, although his contributions have been largely overshadowed by more famous contemporaries. Another person of historical note is Thomas Yearley, a merchant from Bristol, who was active in the early 1600s and involved in trade with the New World.

The Yearley surname also appears in colonial American records. Anne Yearley, born in England around 1625, immigrated to the colonies and settled in Virginia. She became one of the early settlers and her descendants played roles in the development of the English settlements on the East Coast.

In the 18th century, another renowned bearer of the surname was Reverend Samuel Yearley, born in 1733 in Suffolk, England. He was a prominent clergyman who wrote several theological works, contributing to the religious discourse of the time.

Overall, the surname Yearley has deep roots in English history and can be traced back to various significant records and figures who have carried it through the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Yearley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Yearley 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. Middlesex leads with 33 Yearleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.55x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 33 5.55x
Surrey 11 3.80x
Kent 7 3.45x
Yorkshire 5 0.85x
Shropshire 2 3.89x
Suffolk 2 2.76x
Lancashire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 11 Yearleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.57x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 11 42.57x
Deptford St Paul 7 44.73x
St Luke London 7 73.38x
Esher 6 1463.41x
Islington London 6 10.41x
Westminster St John 6 82.87x
Bermondsey 5 28.23x
Sculcoates 3 32.12x
Baschurch 2 571.43x
Clerkenwell London 2 14.25x
Great Little Preston 2 1176.47x
Lowestoft 2 58.48x
St Pancras London 1 2.09x
West Derby 1 4.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emma 4
Elizabeth 3
Mary 3
Caroline 2
Rebecca 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Constance 1
Elisth. 1
Ellen 1
Elsie 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Kate 1
Mable 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Rosa 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
Edward 3
Frederick 3
George 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Joseph 2
William 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Henry 1
Jeremiah 1
John 1
Thos. 1
Will. 1
Wm. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Yearley households.

FAQ

Yearley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Yearley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 61 people were recorded with the Yearley surname. That placed it at #24,992 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Yearley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016. That gives Yearley a modern rank of #18,535.

What does the Yearley surname mean?

An English surname derived from a geographical location, likely referring to someone from a yearly or annual place.

What does the Yearley map show?

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