NameCensus.

UK surname

Bibb

A surname referring to a person who lived near a stream, derived from the Middle English word "bibbe."

In the 1881 census there were 258 people recorded with the Bibb surname, ranking it #10,836 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 508, ranked #9,877, up from #10,836 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Staffordshire, Sandwell and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bibb is 540 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 96.9%.

1881 census count

258

Ranked #10,836

Modern count

508

2016, ranked #9,877

Peak year

2010

540 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bibb had 258 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,836 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 508 in 2016, ranked #9,877.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 356 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Bibb surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bibb surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bibb 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 109 #16,212
1861 historical 174 #13,483
1881 historical 258 #10,836
1891 historical 302 #11,058
1901 historical 335 #10,782
1911 historical 356 #10,148
1997 modern 522 #9,015
1998 modern 527 #9,222
1999 modern 521 #9,362
2000 modern 532 #9,181
2001 modern 528 #9,084
2002 modern 526 #9,300
2003 modern 539 #8,981
2004 modern 508 #9,404
2005 modern 505 #9,379
2006 modern 500 #9,490
2007 modern 514 #9,376
2008 modern 518 #9,388
2009 modern 527 #9,477
2010 modern 540 #9,491
2011 modern 527 #9,584
2012 modern 509 #9,734
2013 modern 514 #9,824
2014 modern 519 #9,818
2015 modern 512 #9,853
2016 modern 508 #9,877

Geography

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Where Bibbs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire), London parishes, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Staffordshire, Sandwell 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 2
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Staffordshire 006 South Staffordshire
2 Sandwell 004 Sandwell
3 Sandwell 009 Sandwell
4 Sandwell 014 Sandwell
5 Wakefield 004 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bibb

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bibb

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bibb, 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 Bibb surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Bibb 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bibb 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

Bibb is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bibb 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 Bibb is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bibb, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bibb

The surname BIBB originated in England in the late 12th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English word "bybbe," which means a bundle or roll of yarn or cloth. The name was likely given to someone who worked as a trader or merchant dealing in rolls of cloth or yarn.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BIBB surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1199, where a person named William Bibbe is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled as "Bybbe."

In the late 13th century, the BIBB surname was found in various places across England, including Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Berkshire. Some of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname include Bybbe's Green in Wiltshire and Bybbe's Farm in Gloucestershire.

One notable individual with the BIBB surname was John Bibb (1615-1692), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in Dorset during the 17th century.

Another prominent figure was William Bibb (1773-1820), an American lawyer and politician who served as the first governor of the state of Alabama from 1819 to 1820. He was born in Amelia County, Virginia.

In the 19th century, George Bibb (1776-1859) was a prominent American jurist and politician who served as the Secretary of the Treasury under President John Tyler from 1844 to 1845. He was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia.

The surname BIBB also has connections to the literary world. John Bibb Jr. (1801-1868) was an American writer and poet who published several works, including "Adventures of Colonel Daniel Boon" and "The Life of Jenghiz Khan."

Finally, William Bibb Bankhead (1872-1920) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama from 1917 until his death in 1920.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bibb families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bibb 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. Warwickshire leads with 78 Bibbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.24x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 78 12.24x
Staffordshire 74 8.68x
Middlesex 49 1.94x
Worcestershire 34 10.31x
Yorkshire 7 0.28x
Dunbartonshire 5 7.36x
Northamptonshire 3 1.26x
Kent 2 0.23x
Lancashire 2 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.62x
Cheshire 1 0.18x
Devon 1 0.19x
Essex 1 0.20x
Leicestershire 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 39 Bibbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.37x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 39 18.37x
Aston 32 18.24x
Wolverhampton 21 32.03x
West Bromwich 19 38.92x
Wednesfield 16 127.49x
St Anne Soho London 15 103.95x
Walsall Borough 11 166.16x
Oldbury 10 61.61x
Lower Mitton 9 309.28x
St George Martyr London 9 175.78x
Hanbury 8 898.88x
St Giles In Fields London 7 56.50x
St Andrew Holborn London 6 54.84x
St Pancras London 6 2.95x
Sutton Coldfield 6 89.55x
Hoyland Nether 5 81.43x
Old Kilpatrick 5 62.34x
Stoke Prior 4 197.04x
Blisworth 3 326.09x
Kings Norton 3 10.14x
Ashford 2 100.00x
Canterbury St Alphage 2 217.39x
Handsworth 2 9.51x
Horton In Bradford 2 5.12x
Kensington London 2 1.42x
Tamworth 2 43.86x
Wombourn 2 126.58x
Edgbaston 1 5.06x
Hackney London 1 0.71x
Heaton Norris 1 5.86x
Leyton 1 11.64x
Lidford 1 42.37x
Liverpool 1 0.55x
Loughborough 1 7.87x
Parson Drove 1 156.25x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.25x
Tabley Superior 1 256.41x
Walsall Foreign 1 2.27x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 15
John 13
George 11
Charles 9
Joseph 9
Thomas 8
Henry 7
James 6
Samuel 6
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Albert 2
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Frederick 2
Reuben 2
Richard 2
A.E. 1
Aurthur 1
Cornelius 1
Francis 1
Fredk.Wm. 1
Harry 1
Hezekiah 1
Hugh 1
Isaiah 1
J.A. 1
Jas.Thos. 1
Jessie 1
Labban 1
Oliver 1
S.J. 1
Urbane 1
Vincent 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Bibb surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bibb surname in 1881?

In 1881, 258 people were recorded with the Bibb surname. That placed it at #10,836 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bibb surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 508 in 2016. That gives Bibb a modern rank of #9,877.

What does the Bibb surname mean?

A surname referring to a person who lived near a stream, derived from the Middle English word "bibbe."

What does the Bibb map show?

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