NameCensus.

UK surname

Attley

In the 1881 census there were 79 people recorded with the Attley surname, ranking it #22,357 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 179, ranked #21,086, up from #22,357 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St James Clerkenwell, Rushden and Navestock. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cherwell, Cardiff and East Northamptonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Attley is 188 in 2008. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 126.6%.

1881 census count

79

Ranked #22,357

Modern count

179

2016, ranked #21,086

Peak year

2008

188 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Attley had 79 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,357 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016, ranked #21,086.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 166 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Attley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Attley surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Attley 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 71 #20,875
1861 historical 84 #23,058
1881 historical 79 #22,357
1891 historical 125 #20,713
1901 historical 136 #19,110
1911 historical 166 #16,756
1997 modern 159 #20,339
1998 modern 170 #20,030
1999 modern 180 #19,454
2000 modern 174 #19,829
2001 modern 173 #19,635
2002 modern 178 #19,671
2003 modern 179 #19,416
2004 modern 187 #18,993
2005 modern 183 #19,194
2006 modern 178 #19,666
2007 modern 181 #19,680
2008 modern 188 #19,387
2009 modern 178 #20,486
2010 modern 180 #20,812
2011 modern 180 #20,649
2012 modern 176 #20,915
2013 modern 183 #20,722
2014 modern 184 #20,809
2015 modern 179 #21,069
2016 modern 179 #21,086

Geography

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Where Attleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St James Clerkenwell, Rushden, Navestock, Cardiff St John and St Mary and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cherwell, Cardiff, East Northamptonshire and Wakefield. 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 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
2 Rushden Northamptonshire
3 Navestock Essex
4 Cardiff St John and St Mary Glamorganshire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cherwell 004 Cherwell
2 Cardiff 045 Cardiff
3 East Northamptonshire 005 East Northamptonshire
4 Cherwell 016 Cherwell
5 Wakefield 043 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Attley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Attley

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Attley is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Attley is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Attley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Attley 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 25 Attleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.25x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 25 3.25x
Northamptonshire 17 23.46x
Durham 14 6.11x
Hampshire 9 5.70x
Yorkshire 5 0.65x
Ayrshire 3 5.20x
Cheshire 1 0.59x
Kent 1 0.38x
Lancashire 1 0.11x
Northumberland 1 0.87x
Surrey 1 0.27x
Sussex 1 0.77x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ringstead in Northamptonshire leads with 17 Attleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6800.00x.

Place Total Index
Ringstead 17 6800.00x
St Marylebone London 11 26.74x
Islington London 8 10.71x
Northwood 6 266.67x
Hartlepool 5 153.37x
Stockton On Tees 5 45.25x
Ryton 4 493.83x
Butterwick In Malton 3 15000.00x
Kensington London 3 7.00x
Stevenston 3 200.00x
Bradwall 1 555.56x
Charterhouse London 1 277.78x
Eastbourne 1 16.72x
Farnborough 1 60.24x
Folkestone 1 19.61x
Headingley Cum Burley 1 20.37x
Hound 1 93.46x
Hulme 1 5.24x
Lythe 1 333.33x
North Sunderland 1 384.62x
Portsmouth 1 27.47x
Putney 1 28.49x
Shadwell London 1 46.30x
St George Hanover Square 1 7.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Ann 3
Louisa 3
Elizabeth 2
Emma 2
Jane 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Charlotte 1
Ellinda 1
Emily 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Lousia 1
Lydia 1
Maria 1
Olive 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

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 Attley households.

FAQ

Attley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Attley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 79 people were recorded with the Attley surname. That placed it at #22,357 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Attley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016. That gives Attley a modern rank of #21,086.

What does the Attley map show?

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