PEAPLE

Origin and etymology In historic texts In the 1881 census Distribution map

In the 1881 Census

Top Locations

See the bottom of the page for an explanation of the numeric columns.

Counties

Census Districts

Demographics

Numbers in brackets are the total recorded in the census. Note that for less common surnames, some of these may well be typos or transcription errors. See below for some more information on occupational titles.

Top male names

  1. William (5)
  2. John (3)
  3. Charles (3)
  4. Arthur (2)
  5. George (2)
  6. Andrew (2)
  7. Henry (2)
  8. Joseph (2)
  9. Thomas (2)
  10. Septimus (1)
  11. Richard (1)
  12. Jeremiah (1)
  13. James (1)
  14. Issaac (1)
  15. Henery (1)
  16. Albert (1)

Top female names

  1. Mary (6)
  2. Alice (2)
  3. Ann (2)
  4. Eliza (2)
  5. Ellen (2)
  6. Hannah (2)
  7. Agnes (1)
  8. M.A.J. (1)
  9. Martha (1)
  10. Rebecca (1)
  11. Rosania (1)
  12. Rose (1)
  13. Sarah (1)
  14. Lilly (1)
  15. Leweasea (1)
  16. Julia (1)
  17. Isabella (1)
  18. Harriet (1)
  19. Fanney (1)
  20. Emma (1)
  21. Celia (1)
  22. Anna (1)
  23. Unis (1)

Top occupations

  1. Scholar (16)
  2. Genl Laborer (2)
  3. Lab In Iron Works (2)
  4. Pauper (2)
  5. Farm Labourer (2)
  6. Labourer (1)
  7. Late Ag Lab (1)
  8. Nurse Domestic Serv. (1)
  9. Nursemaid (1)
  10. Painters Colorman (1)
  11. Printers Apprentice (1)
  12. Railway Employ Porter (1)
  13. Railway Guard (1)
  14. Sailor (Disabled) (1)
  15. Independant Retired Grocers Widow (1)
  16. Grocer (1)
  17. Boiler Maker Factory (1)
  18. Carter (1)
  19. Domestic Serv Housemaid (1)
  20. Dress Maker (1)
  21. Engineers Apprentice (ENW) (1)
  22. Fac Lab In Factory G W R (1)
  23. Factory Brass Finisher G W R (1)
  24. Farm Laborer (1)
  25. General Labourer (1)
  26. General Labourer Factory ((Boiler Maker)) (1)
  27. General Servant & Unemployed (1)
  28. Ag Lab (1)

Explanation of numeric columns in the county and district tables

The Total column shows the total number of people in that county or town with this surname. For example, there were 33 people with the surname Peaple in the county of Wiltshire in 1881.

The Frequency column shows the percentage of people in this county or town with this surname. For example, 0.01% of the people in Wiltshire were called Peaple.

The Index column shows how more or less common a surname is in a particular location compared to the population as a whole. If the index is higher than 1, then you more likely to find a person with this name here than you would in the country as a whole. And if it's less than 1, you are less likely to find someone with this surname here. For example, the Peaple surname has an index of 60.74 in Wiltshire, meaning that you are 60.74 times as likely to find a Peaple here than you would in the population as a whole.

The Total value is an absolute figure which takes no account of the size of the county or town, so it tends to be biased towards larger towns and counties. The Frequency and Index values are relative to the local population, so they give a better idea of where a surname is most concentrated.

A note on occupational titles

Occupational titles are presented exactly as recorded on the census and later transcribed, with no attempt made to unify names that are the same. So, for example, 'Ag Lab' and 'Agricultural Labourer' will apear as separate entries, and so will any misspellings of them.

'Scholar' was the census term for any child in education. Given that families tended to be large, this means that school children, or scholars, are almost always the largest recorded occupational group for any surname. A better idea of what the family breadwinners did for a living will be found in the other job titles.

BritishSurnames.uk is a Good Stuff website.