NameCensus.

UK surname

Chumbley

A locational surname derived from a place name in England, possibly Cholmondley in Cheshire.

In the 1881 census there were 85 people recorded with the Chumbley surname, ranking it #21,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 173, ranked #21,561, up from #21,573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Putney, Chigwell and Blackmore. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Warrington, Tendring and Rother.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Chumbley is 210 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 103.5%.

1881 census count

85

Ranked #21,573

Modern count

173

2016, ranked #21,561

Peak year

1998

210 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Chumbley had 85 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 173 in 2016, ranked #21,561.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 127 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Chumbley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Chumbley surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Chumbley 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 66 #21,617
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 85 #21,573
1891 historical 102 #23,719
1901 historical 118 #20,721
1911 historical 127 #19,749
1997 modern 209 #17,157
1998 modern 210 #17,600
1999 modern 207 #17,855
2000 modern 194 #18,554
2001 modern 188 #18,652
2002 modern 188 #19,012
2003 modern 190 #18,683
2004 modern 188 #18,919
2005 modern 173 #19,851
2006 modern 171 #20,131
2007 modern 172 #20,321
2008 modern 170 #20,672
2009 modern 172 #20,950
2010 modern 174 #21,259
2011 modern 176 #20,957
2012 modern 175 #20,984
2013 modern 183 #20,722
2014 modern 182 #20,958
2015 modern 179 #21,069
2016 modern 173 #21,561

Geography

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Where Chumbleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Putney, Chigwell, Blackmore, Kidderminster and Enfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Warrington, Tendring, Rother, Braintree and Chelmsford. 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 Putney London (South Districts)
2 Chigwell Essex
3 Blackmore Essex
4 Kidderminster Worcestershire
5 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Warrington 021 Warrington
2 Tendring 006 Tendring
3 Rother 011 Rother
4 Braintree 004 Braintree
5 Chelmsford 021 Chelmsford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Chumbley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Chumbley

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Chumbley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Chumbley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Chumbley is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Chumbley is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Chumbley falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Chumbley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Chumbley

The surname Chumbley originated in England, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "cumb" meaning a valley or hollow, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a valley meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chumbley can be found in the parish records of Staffordshire in 1598, where a John Chumbley was listed as a resident. There are also references to the surname in the Hearth Tax Rolls for the county of Cheshire in the late 17th century.

The Chumbley name has roots in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire. Some variations in spelling existed in historical records, including Chumbleigh, Chumbly, and Chumley.

Notable individuals with the surname Chumbley throughout history include William Chumbley (1670-1742), an English writer and philosopher who published several works on natural philosophy and metaphysics. Another was Thomas Chumbley (1795-1879), a British industrialist and philanthropist who established several textile mills in Lancashire and founded a school for underprivileged children.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Alice Chumbley (1842-1923), a social reformer and suffragette who campaigned for women's right to vote and was active in the Women's Social and Political Union. She was also involved in efforts to improve working conditions for women and children in factories.

John Chumbley (1865-1942) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in Manchester and Liverpool during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Manchester Central Library and the Liverpool Maritime Museum.

Another notable individual was Sir Robert Chumbley (1901-1987), a British diplomat who served as Ambassador to several countries, including France and Italy, during his career in the Foreign Office.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Chumbley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Chumbley 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. Essex leads with 44 Chumbleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.89x.

County Total Index
Essex 44 26.89x
Staffordshire 14 5.00x
Surrey 14 3.47x
Middlesex 7 0.84x
Yorkshire 6 0.73x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chigwell in Essex leads with 20 Chumbleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1298.70x.

Place Total Index
Chigwell 20 1298.70x
Woodford 20 1081.08x
Putney 9 238.10x
West Bromwich 9 56.18x
Battersea 5 16.39x
Sheffield 4 15.29x
Hackney London 3 6.45x
Wednesfield 3 72.82x
Wanstead 2 69.69x
Aston Cum Aughton 1 149.25x
Chelmsford 1 35.59x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 5.98x
Harborne 1 11.15x
Harrow 1 78.74x
Hornsey 1 9.54x
Leyton 1 35.46x
St Botolph Aldgate London 1 58.48x
Westminster St Margaret 1 25.00x
Wolverhampton 1 4.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Sarah 4
Charlotte 3
Jane 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Louisa 2
Rebecca 2
Ada 1
Caroline 1
Elizabeth 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Maria 1
Rachael 1
Susan 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Chumbley 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 Chumbley households.

FAQ

Chumbley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Chumbley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 85 people were recorded with the Chumbley surname. That placed it at #21,573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Chumbley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 173 in 2016. That gives Chumbley a modern rank of #21,561.

What does the Chumbley surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name in England, possibly Cholmondley in Cheshire.

What does the Chumbley map show?

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