NameCensus.

UK surname

Ayling

A habitational surname derived from a location called "Ailing" or "Ayling" in England.

In the 1881 census there were 2,158 people recorded with the Ayling surname, ranking it #2,061 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,751, ranked #2,440, down from #2,061 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst, London parishes and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Horsham, Portsmouth and Arun.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ayling is 3,016 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.5%.

1881 census count

2,158

Ranked #2,061

Modern count

2,751

2016, ranked #2,440

Peak year

1998

3,016 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ayling had 2,158 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,061 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,751 in 2016, ranked #2,440.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,874 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Ayling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ayling surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ayling 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 1,496 #1,924
1861 historical 1,453 #1,951
1881 historical 2,158 #2,061
1891 historical 2,360 #1,987
1901 historical 2,662 #2,076
1911 historical 2,874 #1,810
1997 modern 2,910 #2,223
1998 modern 3,016 #2,234
1999 modern 3,012 #2,258
2000 modern 3,002 #2,243
2001 modern 2,912 #2,261
2002 modern 2,955 #2,278
2003 modern 2,864 #2,295
2004 modern 2,880 #2,290
2005 modern 2,752 #2,356
2006 modern 2,747 #2,357
2007 modern 2,757 #2,379
2008 modern 2,776 #2,381
2009 modern 2,810 #2,401
2010 modern 2,837 #2,425
2011 modern 2,792 #2,428
2012 modern 2,778 #2,402
2013 modern 2,816 #2,413
2014 modern 2,841 #2,402
2015 modern 2,789 #2,423
2016 modern 2,751 #2,440

Geography

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Where Aylings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst, London parishes, Portsmouth, Portsea and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Horsham, Portsmouth, Arun and Chichester. 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 Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst Sussex
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Horsham 010 Horsham
2 Portsmouth 001 Portsmouth
3 Arun 007 Arun
4 Chichester 007 Chichester
5 Horsham 013 Horsham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ayling

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ayling

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ayling, 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 Ayling surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ayling 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

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Ayling is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Ayling is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ayling falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ayling

The surname Ayling is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "ea" meaning river or stream, and "hyll" meaning hill or slope. It is believed to have originated as a place name referring to a location near a river or stream on a hill or slope. The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where it was written as "Aielinge".

The name Ayling was most prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. It is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ailinges" and "Aielinges". This suggests that the name was well-established in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was John Ayling, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275. Another early reference is to Robert Ayling, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301.

Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Aylinge, Aileynge, Aylinges, and Aylynge. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during the Middle Ages.

Notable individuals with the surname Ayling include:

1. Sir John Ayling (1615-1679), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Callington in Cornwall during the reign of Charles II. 2. Richard Ayling (1689-1757), an English theologian and author who wrote several books on religious topics. 3. William Ayling (1760-1827), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. 4. Henry Ayling (1817-1892), an English clergyman and author who wrote several books on theological subjects. 5. Robert Ayling (born 1946), a British businessman who served as the Chief Executive Officer of British Airways from 1996 to 2000.

While the name Ayling is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English surnames, with its origins rooted in the landscape and geography of the regions where it first emerged.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ayling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ayling 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. Sussex leads with 918 Aylings recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.73x.

County Total Index
Sussex 918 25.73x
Surrey 366 3.55x
Middlesex 362 1.71x
Hampshire 293 6.76x
Kent 77 1.07x
Essex 32 0.77x
Northumberland 13 0.41x
Berkshire 10 0.63x
Staffordshire 9 0.13x
Dorset 8 0.58x
Perthshire 8 0.84x
Hertfordshire 7 0.48x
Royal Navy 6 2.38x
Worcestershire 6 0.22x
Channel Islands 4 0.64x
Lancashire 4 0.02x
Oxfordshire 4 0.31x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.23x
Cardiganshire 3 0.58x
Derbyshire 3 0.09x
Devon 3 0.07x
Midlothian 3 0.11x
Northamptonshire 3 0.15x
Somerset 3 0.09x
Suffolk 3 0.12x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.15x
Cornwall 2 0.08x
Norfolk 2 0.06x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.30x
Warwickshire 2 0.04x
Wiltshire 2 0.11x
Argyllshire 1 0.17x
Ayrshire 1 0.06x
Cheshire 1 0.02x
Durham 1 0.02x
Flintshire 1 0.18x
Yorkshire 1 0.00x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 107 Aylings recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.87x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 107 14.87x
Portsea 88 10.35x
Broadwater 77 94.10x
Lambeth 67 3.63x
Arundel 39 195.20x
Lodsworth 37 748.99x
Bethnal Green London 35 3.81x
St Pancras London 33 1.94x
Islington London 32 1.56x
Kirdford 32 258.48x
Hammersmith London 30 5.76x
Rogate 27 377.62x
South Stoke 27 2812.50x
Kensington London 26 2.21x
Petworth 25 117.32x
Chichester St Pancras 24 225.14x
Midhurst 23 196.58x
Camberwell 22 1.63x
Newington 22 2.81x
Bromley 21 19.09x
Pulborough 21 160.43x
Subdeanery 21 77.58x
Privett 20 1075.27x
Rowner 20 1438.85x
Chertsey 19 28.52x
East Preston 19 625.00x
Shoreditch London 19 2.07x
St George Hanover Square 19 5.10x
Boxgrove 18 348.16x
Hove 18 11.50x
Yapton 18 446.65x
Croydon 17 2.97x
Wisborough Green 17 141.78x
Littlehampton 16 56.18x
Burton 15 2777.78x
Southwick 15 79.49x
Carshalton 14 35.49x
Fareham 14 26.86x
Portsmouth 14 14.02x
St Andrew Holborn London 14 15.28x
Bermondsey 13 2.06x
Chelsea London 13 2.04x
Chiddingfold 13 134.72x
Houghton 13 915.49x
St Marylebone London 13 1.15x
Banstead 12 42.96x
Deptford St Paul 12 2.16x
Guildford St Mary 12 94.64x
Ockham 12 301.51x
Warblington 12 69.77x
Wimbledon 12 10.37x
Alverstoke 11 7.01x
Cocking 11 262.53x
Poynings 11 482.46x
South Bersted 11 36.26x
Walberton 11 247.19x
East Dean 10 401.61x
Funtington 10 124.53x
Holdenhurst 10 8.79x
Horsham 10 14.43x
North Chapel 10 173.91x
Portslade 10 45.85x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 2.35x
Subdeanary 10 104.28x
Teddington London 10 20.86x
Andover 9 21.97x
Limehouse London 9 3.87x
South Shoebury 9 53.67x
Thames Ditton 9 42.02x
Witley 9 123.97x
Ford 8 1111.11x
Kingston On Thames 8 3.23x
Ore 8 30.13x
Rattray 8 36.20x
Rotherhithe 8 3.06x
Southampton St Mary 8 2.93x
East Meon 7 61.84x
Mitcham 7 10.74x
Staines 7 20.90x
Sutton 7 9.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 121
Elizabeth 65
Sarah 65
Eliza 48
Ellen 46
Emily 45
Jane 45
Emma 40
Annie 34
Alice 33
Fanny 29
Louisa 29
Charlotte 24
Ann 22
Caroline 21
Harriet 20
Martha 16
Florence 14
Harriett 14
Hannah 13
Kate 13
Clara 12
Maria 12
Rose 12
Agnes 11
Edith 11
Lucy 10
Ada 9
Amy 8
Amelia 7
Esther 7
Frances 7
Lydia 7
Margaret 7
Anne 6
Susan 6
Eleanor 5
Gertrude 5
Matilda 5
Minnie 5
Rosina 5
Sophia 5
Elizth. 4
Jessie 4
Marian 4
Rebecca 4
Rosetta 4
Catherine 3
Laura 3
Lillian 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 163
George 102
John 83
Charles 76
James 68
Thomas 66
Henry 59
Edward 35
Frederick 33
Alfred 30
Albert 27
Arthur 27
Ernest 20
Joseph 19
Harry 18
Walter 18
Frank 17
Robert 15
Edwin 10
Edmund 9
Richard 9
Herbert 7
Percy 7
Benjamin 6
David 6
Horace 5
Stephen 5
Wm. 5
Ebenezer 4
Fredrick 4
Reuben 4
Andrew 3
Anthony 3
Fred 3
Fredk. 3
Isaac 3
Jesse 3
Samuel 3
Allen 2
Archibald 2
Aubrey 2
Daniel 2
Fred. 2
Friend 2
Geo. 2
Jessie 2
Moses 2
Owen 2
Percival 2
Ralph 2

FAQ

Ayling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ayling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,158 people were recorded with the Ayling surname. That placed it at #2,061 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ayling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,751 in 2016. That gives Ayling a modern rank of #2,440.

What does the Ayling surname mean?

A habitational surname derived from a location called "Ailing" or "Ayling" in England.

What does the Ayling map show?

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