NameCensus.

UK surname

Cable

An occupational surname referring to a person who made or laid cables, ropes, or cords.

In the 1881 census there were 1,501 people recorded with the Cable surname, ranking it #2,791 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,540, ranked #2,602, up from #2,791 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Forfar and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Suffolk Coastal, South Somerset and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cable is 2,614 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 69.2%.

1881 census count

1,501

Ranked #2,791

Modern count

2,540

2016, ranked #2,602

Peak year

2010

2,614 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cable had 1,501 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,791 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,540 in 2016, ranked #2,602.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,122 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cable surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cable surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cable 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 1,100 #2,557
1861 historical 890 #3,112
1881 historical 1,501 #2,791
1891 historical 1,664 #2,697
1901 historical 2,014 #2,652
1911 historical 2,122 #2,363
1997 modern 2,475 #2,531
1998 modern 2,566 #2,547
1999 modern 2,591 #2,539
2000 modern 2,587 #2,535
2001 modern 2,529 #2,535
2002 modern 2,589 #2,543
2003 modern 2,563 #2,504
2004 modern 2,565 #2,509
2005 modern 2,500 #2,541
2006 modern 2,471 #2,569
2007 modern 2,525 #2,544
2008 modern 2,532 #2,558
2009 modern 2,548 #2,601
2010 modern 2,614 #2,598
2011 modern 2,561 #2,615
2012 modern 2,544 #2,585
2013 modern 2,569 #2,605
2014 modern 2,583 #2,599
2015 modern 2,552 #2,605
2016 modern 2,540 #2,602

Geography

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Where Cables are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Forfar, Gateshead and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Suffolk Coastal, South Somerset, Waveney and Rhondda Cynon Taf. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Forfar Forfar
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Suffolk Coastal 004 Suffolk Coastal
2 South Somerset 021 South Somerset
3 Suffolk Coastal 003 Suffolk Coastal
4 Waveney 010 Waveney
5 Rhondda Cynon Taf 005 Rhondda Cynon Taf

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cable

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cable

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Cable surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cable household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cable 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

Cable 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

Cable falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Cable

The surname Cable has its origins in the Middle English word 'cabil', which means a rope or cord. It is derived from the Old French 'cable' or the Late Latin 'capulum', meaning the same. The name likely originated as an occupational surname for a rope or cable maker.

The earliest recorded instances of the Cable surname date back to the late 12th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers was John Cable, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. The name also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a William Cable is mentioned in Oxfordshire.

During the Middle Ages, the Cable surname was found primarily in the southern and western counties of England, including Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, and Devon. This distribution suggests that the name may have originated in these regions, where the rope and cable-making trade was prevalent.

In the 16th century, the Cable surname appeared in various spellings, such as Cabyll, Cabill, and Cabell. The variant spelling Cabell was particularly common in the Isle of Wight and Hampshire. One notable bearer of this spelling was William Cabell (1605-1658), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Boston, Lincolnshire.

Another notable figure with the Cable surname was Sir John Cable (c. 1617-1683), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1681-1682. He was a prominent figure in the City of London during the latter part of the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Cable surname spread across England and into other parts of the British Isles. George Cable (1744-1822) was an English clergyman and botanist who served as the Vicar of Allerton in Liverpool and made significant contributions to the study of British flora.

As the British Empire expanded, the Cable surname travelled to various parts of the world. One notable bearer was Benjamin Cable (1816-1886), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio from 1855 to 1857.

Other notable individuals with the Cable surname include George Washington Cable (1844-1925), an American novelist and essayist known for his works portraying the Creole culture of New Orleans, and Verne Cable (1889-1962), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cable families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cable 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 237 Cables recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.62x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 237 1.62x
Essex 183 6.32x
Suffolk 160 8.95x
Surrey 152 2.13x
Norfolk 91 4.03x
Somerset 87 3.68x
Hampshire 82 2.73x
Angus 76 5.59x
Kent 50 1.00x
Wiltshire 40 3.08x
Yorkshire 38 0.26x
Durham 36 0.82x
Northumberland 34 1.56x
Monmouthshire 31 2.92x
Glamorgan 29 1.14x
Sussex 24 0.97x
Leicestershire 16 0.98x
Brecknockshire 14 4.77x
Lancashire 14 0.08x
Warwickshire 12 0.32x
Buckinghamshire 11 1.24x
Aberdeenshire 10 0.74x
Oxfordshire 10 1.10x
Derbyshire 9 0.39x
Lanarkshire 9 0.19x
Lincolnshire 9 0.38x
Cambridgeshire 8 0.86x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.25x
Northamptonshire 4 0.29x
Cheshire 3 0.09x
Dorset 3 0.31x
Gloucestershire 3 0.10x
Hertfordshire 3 0.30x
Berkshire 2 0.18x
Channel Islands 2 0.46x
Midlothian 2 0.10x
Devon 1 0.03x
Renfrewshire 1 0.09x
Ross-shire 1 0.25x
Royal Navy 1 0.57x
Staffordshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Ham in Essex leads with 60 Cables recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.38x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 60 9.38x
Forfar 36 48.91x
Portsea 36 6.11x
Mile End Old Town London 31 9.93x
Lambeth 27 2.11x
Islington London 26 1.83x
Camberwell 21 2.24x
Heigham 20 16.52x
Clapham 19 10.36x
Clerkenwell London 19 5.49x
Bethnal Green London 18 2.82x
Liff Benvie 18 8.72x
St Pancras London 18 1.52x
Poplar London 17 6.14x
Battersea 16 2.96x
Lowestoft 16 18.96x
Rayleigh 15 224.89x
Theberton 15 496.69x
Trevethin 15 14.98x
Aldeburgh 14 132.33x
Newcastle On Tyne St 14 12.37x
Rotherhithe 14 7.72x
Hacheston 13 596.33x
Hammersmith London 13 3.60x
Leicester St Margaret 13 3.28x
Shoreditch London 13 2.04x
Eastbourne 12 10.54x
Newington 12 2.21x
East Ham 11 20.47x
Hackney London 11 1.34x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 11 5.82x
High Ham 11 195.38x
Kensington London 11 1.35x
Kirkley 11 73.58x
Shadingfield 11 1341.46x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 10 3.93x
Northfleet 10 22.68x
Stock 10 324.68x
Thurlton 10 473.93x
West Dean 10 1666.67x
Burnham Norton 9 1285.71x
Cressing 9 330.88x
Curry Rivell 9 113.92x
Halstead 9 26.64x
Llanelly 9 25.64x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 9 44.51x
Lopen 9 505.62x
Maldon All Sts 9 156.79x
Odcombe 9 287.54x
Reedham 9 208.82x
Stratford Under Castle 9 562.50x
Tonbridge 9 4.99x
Barony 8 0.67x
Hampstead London 8 3.50x
Lochee 8 66.01x
Newcastle Higher 8 46.11x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 8 6.14x
North Cove 8 689.66x
York St Andrew 8 567.38x
Black Notley 7 209.58x
Chard 7 24.47x
Corsley 7 136.72x
Hornsey 7 3.77x
Ipswich St Helen 7 33.05x
Kirby Fleetham 7 250.00x
Merthyr Tydfil 7 2.85x
Mile End New Town London 7 24.15x
Peasenhall 7 161.29x
Southwick 7 16.93x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 7 10.36x
Stogursey 7 110.41x
Stoven 7 1060.61x
Wandsworth 7 4.96x
West Dean 7 445.86x
Aston 6 0.59x
Berwick St James 6 631.58x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 6 17.89x
Deptford St Paul 6 1.55x
Gillingham 6 5.81x
Longbenton 6 6.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 77
John 72
George 61
James 55
Charles 41
Henry 34
Thomas 31
Alfred 26
Frederick 21
Robert 21
Joseph 15
Arthur 14
Walter 14
Edward 13
Samuel 12
Harry 11
Albert 9
Frank 9
Ernest 8
Richard 8
David 7
Wm. 7
Edwin 6
Fredrick 5
Herbert 5
Benjamin 4
Peter 4
Andrew 3
Frederic 3
Geo. 3
Isaac 3
Stephen 3
Alexander 2
Allen 2
Archibald 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Jno. 2
Job 2
Mark 2
Percy 2
Philip 2
Sidney 2
Sydney 2
Ben. 1
Ed. 1
Edgar 1
Emma 1
Enos 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Cable surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cable surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,501 people were recorded with the Cable surname. That placed it at #2,791 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cable surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,540 in 2016. That gives Cable a modern rank of #2,602.

What does the Cable surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person who made or laid cables, ropes, or cords.

What does the Cable map show?

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