NameCensus.

UK surname

Appleby

A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "farm or orchard where apples are grown."

In the 1881 census there were 4,886 people recorded with the Appleby surname, ranking it #909 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,624, ranked #876, up from #909 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Appleby is 8,063 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.0%.

1881 census count

4,886

Ranked #909

Modern count

7,624

2016, ranked #876

Peak year

1998

8,063 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Appleby had 4,886 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #909 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,624 in 2016, ranked #876.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,058 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Appleby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Appleby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Appleby 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 3,167 #914
1861 historical 3,388 #838
1881 historical 4,886 #909
1891 historical 5,560 #849
1901 historical 6,557 #848
1911 historical 7,058 #734
1997 modern 7,805 #830
1998 modern 8,063 #832
1999 modern 8,062 #838
2000 modern 7,896 #848
2001 modern 7,742 #846
2002 modern 7,871 #852
2003 modern 7,582 #864
2004 modern 7,562 #866
2005 modern 7,509 #863
2006 modern 7,489 #867
2007 modern 7,515 #871
2008 modern 7,574 #872
2009 modern 7,780 #865
2010 modern 7,931 #870
2011 modern 7,911 #853
2012 modern 7,649 #864
2013 modern 7,740 #871
2014 modern 7,764 #876
2015 modern 7,659 #876
2016 modern 7,624 #876

Geography

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Where Applebys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead and Scarborough. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland and County Durham. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Scarborough Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 017 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 005 Northumberland
3 County Durham 027 County Durham
4 Northumberland 010 Northumberland
5 Northumberland 021 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Appleby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Appleby

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Appleby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Appleby 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 house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Appleby is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Appleby is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Appleby 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 Appleby 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 Appleby, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Appleby

The surname Appleby has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Appleby in Westmorland, now part of Cumbria. The name itself is believed to come from the Old Norse words "apall" meaning apple and "by" meaning a farmstead or village, suggesting it was originally a place where apples were grown or cultivated.

Appleby is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest comprehensive record of landholdings and population in England, indicating the long-standing presence of this name. The town of Appleby itself was an important market town during the Middle Ages and was granted a charter by King Henry II in the late 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Appleby was William de Appelby, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1212. Other early references include Robert de Appleby, a cleric who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1363 to 1395, and Sir Edmund Appleby (c.1370-1448), a prominent English soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was later made a Knight of the Garter.

In the 16th century, John Appleby (c.1500-1568) was an English Protestant reformer and scholar who served as the chaplain to Edward VI and later as the Archbishop of Canterbury's chaplain. Another notable figure was Andrew Appleby (1564-1628), an English clergyman who became the Bishop of Bangor and later the Bishop of Carlisle.

During the English Civil War, Sir Henry Appleby (1594-1670) was a Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I and was later knighted for his services. In the 18th century, Leonard Appleby (1695-1772) was an English painter known for his landscapes and portraits.

Throughout history, the Appleby name has been associated with various places and locales where families with this surname resided or had connections. Examples include Appleby Parva and Appleby Magna in Leicestershire, Appleby in Lincolnshire, and Appleby in Derbyshire, among others. The name has also been recorded with various spellings, such as Applebie, Appulby, and Appilby, reflecting regional variations and changes over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Appleby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Appleby 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 851 Applebys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.80x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 851 1.80x
Durham 778 5.48x
Northumberland 464 6.54x
Staffordshire 459 2.85x
Middlesex 425 0.89x
Lancashire 310 0.55x
Essex 211 2.24x
Surrey 194 0.83x
Lincolnshire 178 2.33x
Warwickshire 147 1.22x
Derbyshire 135 1.81x
Somerset 93 1.21x
Hampshire 70 0.72x
Kent 65 0.40x
Nottinghamshire 64 1.00x
Oxfordshire 47 1.60x
Berkshire 43 1.20x
Bedfordshire 39 1.58x
Sussex 34 0.42x
Gloucestershire 33 0.35x
Glamorgan 31 0.37x
Cheshire 22 0.21x
Hertfordshire 21 0.64x
Worcestershire 17 0.27x
Buckinghamshire 15 0.52x
Suffolk 13 0.22x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.33x
Wiltshire 10 0.24x
Norfolk 9 0.12x
Aberdeenshire 8 0.18x
Devon 8 0.08x
Cumberland 7 0.17x
Herefordshire 7 0.36x
Midlothian 7 0.11x
Angus 6 0.14x
Dunbartonshire 6 0.47x
Fife 6 0.21x
Isle of Man 6 0.68x
Lanarkshire 6 0.04x
Roxburghshire 6 0.69x
Royal Navy 6 1.06x
Dorset 4 0.13x
Flintshire 4 0.31x
Pembrokeshire 4 0.26x
Shropshire 3 0.07x
Leicestershire 2 0.04x
Monmouthshire 2 0.06x
Northamptonshire 2 0.04x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Perthshire 1 0.05x
Renfrewshire 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. Willenhall in Staffordshire leads with 147 Applebys recorded in 1881 and an index of 48.73x.

Place Total Index
Willenhall 147 48.73x
Scarborough 101 23.51x
Aston 82 2.47x
Gateshead 73 6.87x
Birmingham 54 1.35x
Leeds 51 1.91x
Lambeth 50 1.20x
Bishopwearmouth 49 4.02x
Wednesfield 48 20.25x
Walsall Foreign 47 5.65x
St Pancras London 46 1.20x
St Marylebone London 45 1.77x
Burton Upon Trent 43 11.41x
Barnard Castle 42 59.86x
Preston 37 2.44x
Islington London 36 0.78x
Stockton On Tees 34 4.97x
Hackney London 33 1.23x
Harraton 33 119.26x
Manchester 32 1.26x
Sculcoates 32 4.27x
Cramlington 31 33.05x
Holy Trinity 31 2.73x
Bethnal Green London 30 1.45x
Elswick 29 5.12x
Stoke Upon Trent 28 1.64x
Tynemouth 28 7.37x
Great Grimsby 27 5.58x
Louth 27 15.44x
Middlesbrough 27 4.39x
Stranton 27 5.65x
Alnwick 26 21.30x
Longbenton 26 8.65x
Wortley In Bramley 26 6.94x
Bedford St Paul 25 14.75x
Rowley Regis 25 5.57x
Haswell 24 23.59x
Ecclesall Bierlow 23 2.39x
Southcoates 23 8.76x
Fulham London 22 3.18x
Hurworth 22 88.50x
Newington 22 1.25x
York St Mary 22 11.23x
Boxted 21 155.67x
Darlington 21 3.83x
Habergham Eaves 21 4.06x
Pickering 21 35.28x
Southwick 21 15.62x
Battersea 20 1.14x
Chelsea London 20 1.39x
Derby St Werburgh 20 4.64x
Kensington London 20 0.75x
Litchurch 20 6.65x
Embleton 19 125.50x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 19 4.48x
Watlington 19 63.00x
Yeovil 19 12.18x
Shoreditch London 18 0.87x
Spittlegate 18 17.06x
Brandon Byshottles 17 9.56x
Morpeth 17 20.37x
Nottingham St Mary 17 1.02x
Portsea 17 0.89x
Wallridge 17 5862.07x
Witton Gilbert 17 30.34x
Boston 16 6.91x
Hampsthwaite 16 214.48x
Salford 16 0.96x
Tanfield 16 9.48x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 15 3.41x
Bradford 15 1.31x
Burton Extra 15 16.24x
Camberwell 15 0.49x
Chirton 15 9.34x
East Retford 15 26.89x
Langenhoe 15 379.75x
West Derby 15 0.91x
Wylam 15 95.85x
Audley 14 8.79x
Hexham 14 12.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 331
Elizabeth 200
Sarah 151
Jane 122
Ann 110
Alice 80
Margaret 80
Emma 76
Hannah 74
Annie 64
Eliza 55
Ellen 52
Emily 47
Isabella 39
Ada 34
Harriet 28
Catherine 27
Florence 27
Martha 27
Anne 25
Maria 25
Louisa 23
Charlotte 22
Edith 22
Frances 22
Agnes 21
Fanny 21
Kate 20
Caroline 19
Amelia 17
Rebecca 16
Susan 16
Clara 14
Dorothy 12
Eleanor 12
Harriett 12
Esther 11
Gertrude 11
Lydia 11
Matilda 11
Rachel 11
Ruth 11
Minnie 10
Elizth. 9
Maud 9
Amy 8
Beatrice 8
Christiana 8
Julia 8
Sophia 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 327
William 309
George 189
Thomas 184
James 131
Henry 104
Robert 97
Joseph 96
Charles 94
Arthur 59
Alfred 48
Edward 41
Albert 33
Samuel 32
Frederick 30
Richard 30
Ernest 29
Harry 25
Francis 22
Herbert 22
Edwin 21
Walter 20
Frank 19
David 14
Thos. 13
Fred 12
Wm. 12
Benjamin 9
Chas. 8
Christopher 8
Ralph 8
Daniel 7
Isaac 7
Mark 7
Stephen 7
Tom 7
Alexander 6
Peter 6
Edmund 5
Jabez 5
Josiah 5
Matthew 5
Michael 5
Moses 5
Willm. 5
Fredk. 4
J. 4
Sidney 4
Sydney 4
Thompson 4

FAQ

Appleby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Appleby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,886 people were recorded with the Appleby surname. That placed it at #909 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Appleby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,624 in 2016. That gives Appleby a modern rank of #876.

What does the Appleby surname mean?

A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "farm or orchard where apples are grown."

What does the Appleby map show?

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