NameCensus.

UK surname

Cobb

An English occupational surname for someone who caught fish or made nets and baskets for carrying fish.

In the 1881 census there were 4,259 people recorded with the Cobb surname, ranking it #1,052 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,275, ranked #1,282, down from #1,052 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Poole St James and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood and Fenland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cobb is 5,734 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.9%.

1881 census count

4,259

Ranked #1,052

Modern count

5,275

2016, ranked #1,282

Peak year

1999

5,734 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cobb had 4,259 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,052 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,275 in 2016, ranked #1,282.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,688 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cobb surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cobb surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cobb 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 2,815 #1,037
1861 historical 2,789 #1,046
1881 historical 4,259 #1,052
1891 historical 4,657 #1,002
1901 historical 5,376 #1,046
1911 historical 5,688 #923
1997 modern 5,569 #1,169
1998 modern 5,726 #1,187
1999 modern 5,734 #1,193
2000 modern 5,719 #1,185
2001 modern 5,525 #1,204
2002 modern 5,658 #1,199
2003 modern 5,432 #1,221
2004 modern 5,453 #1,214
2005 modern 5,233 #1,247
2006 modern 5,225 #1,249
2007 modern 5,275 #1,246
2008 modern 5,272 #1,259
2009 modern 5,361 #1,269
2010 modern 5,469 #1,272
2011 modern 5,407 #1,268
2012 modern 5,357 #1,248
2013 modern 5,444 #1,249
2014 modern 5,460 #1,251
2015 modern 5,299 #1,282
2016 modern 5,275 #1,282

Geography

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Where Cobbs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Poole St James, St Pancras and Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Fenland and Portsmouth. 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 Poole St James Dorset
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bassetlaw 015 Bassetlaw
2 Newark and Sherwood 007 Newark and Sherwood
3 Newark and Sherwood 009 Newark and Sherwood
4 Fenland 002 Fenland
5 Portsmouth 015 Portsmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cobb

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cobb

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

Cobb 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

Cobb falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Cobb

The surname COBB is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cob" meaning a rounded hill or headland. It first appeared in the 11th century and was initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived on or near a rounded hill or coastal headland.

The earliest known bearer of the name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Robert Cob was listed as a landowner in Somerset. This suggests that the name was already established in the southwest of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname was also found in various place names, such as Cobbescroft (now known as Cobcroft) in Sussex, and Cobbesheye (now Cobshey) in Kent. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of families bearing the name in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname COBB was Sir John Cobb, who lived in the late 14th century and was a member of the gentry in Somerset. Another notable bearer was Sir William Cobb, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1593.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various court records and parish registers, including those of Jeremiah Cobb (1626-1703), who was a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia, and Samuel Cobb (1668-1713), who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Other notable individuals with the surname COBB include:

1. Howell Cobb (1815-1868), an American political figure who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Treasury under President James Buchanan. 2. Ty Cobb (1886-1961), one of the greatest baseball players of all time, who played for the Detroit Tigers and held several batting records. 3. Lee J. Cobb (1911-1976), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "On the Waterfront" and "The Exorcist". 4. Carolyn Cobb (born 1944), an American mathematician and computer scientist, known for her work in computational geometry and computer graphics. 5. Rachel Cobb (born 1972), a British writer and journalist, best known for her book "Trapped: Modern-Day Slavery in the Brazilian Amazon".

While the surname COBB has its roots in England and initially referred to geographical features, it has since spread worldwide and been borne by many notable individuals across various fields.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cobb families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cobb 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 546 Cobbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.31x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 546 1.31x
Yorkshire 422 1.03x
Kent 367 2.59x
Surrey 293 1.45x
Dorset 291 10.67x
Nottinghamshire 223 3.98x
Hampshire 212 2.49x
Norfolk 188 2.94x
Angus 167 4.34x
Lincolnshire 155 2.33x
Suffolk 150 2.96x
Lancashire 146 0.30x
Essex 99 1.21x
Oxfordshire 89 3.47x
Gloucestershire 86 1.06x
Bedfordshire 81 3.77x
Hertfordshire 69 2.41x
Northamptonshire 55 1.41x
Cambridgeshire 53 2.01x
Warwickshire 52 0.50x
Sussex 50 0.71x
Somerset 47 0.70x
Cheshire 46 0.50x
Northumberland 36 0.58x
Durham 35 0.28x
Aberdeenshire 33 0.86x
Derbyshire 31 0.48x
Lanarkshire 30 0.22x
Wiltshire 30 0.82x
Berkshire 25 0.80x
Staffordshire 24 0.17x
Devon 20 0.23x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.68x
Shropshire 14 0.39x
Midlothian 8 0.14x
Channel Islands 7 0.57x
Herefordshire 7 0.41x
Leicestershire 7 0.15x
Brecknockshire 6 0.72x
Huntingdonshire 6 0.73x
Worcestershire 6 0.11x
Kincardineshire 5 0.99x
Perthshire 4 0.21x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.18x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.23x
Royal Navy 3 0.61x
Denbighshire 2 0.13x
Monmouthshire 2 0.07x
Rutland 2 0.66x
Fife 1 0.04x
Flintshire 1 0.09x
Glamorgan 1 0.01x
Inverness-shire 1 0.08x
Westmorland 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bere Regis in Dorset leads with 61 Cobbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 334.06x.

Place Total Index
Bere Regis 61 334.06x
St Pancras London 57 1.70x
Montrose 54 23.16x
Camberwell 53 2.00x
Portsea 46 2.76x
Islington London 45 1.12x
Longfleet 44 139.33x
Newark Upon Trent 40 19.88x
Hammersmith London 39 3.81x
Mile End Old Town London 37 4.19x
Battersea 36 2.36x
Brightside Bierlow 36 4.46x
Folkestone 36 13.10x
Lambeth 35 0.97x
Bushey 34 49.88x
Wimborne 34 103.06x
Alverstoke 33 10.71x
Paddington London 32 2.10x
Chelsea London 30 2.40x
Dorchester 29 201.39x
Hackney London 27 1.16x
Poole St James 27 26.36x
Heigham 26 7.59x
Hampstead London 25 3.86x
Upwell 25 129.67x
Great Yarmouth 23 4.35x
West Ham 23 1.27x
Lewisham 22 2.91x
St Marylebone London 22 0.99x
Ashford 21 15.22x
Eaton Bray 21 96.73x
Diss 20 36.54x
Peterborough 20 7.07x
Shillington 20 63.13x
Margate St John Baptist 19 7.32x
Palgrave 19 178.57x
Rawmarsh 19 13.07x
Sheffield 19 1.45x
Wisbech St Peter 19 14.40x
Birmingham 18 0.52x
Ecclesall Bierlow 18 2.15x
Wandsworth 18 4.50x
Romford 17 13.12x
Southwark St George Martyr 17 2.03x
St Luke London 17 2.55x
Wellingborough 17 8.65x
Arbroath 16 12.55x
Biggleswade 16 22.71x
Brechin 16 10.58x
Clerkenwell London 16 1.63x
Eckington 16 10.13x
Forfar 16 7.68x
Holy Trinity 16 1.62x
Toxteth Park 16 0.96x
West Derby 16 1.11x
Dundee 15 1.04x
Greenwich 15 2.27x
Kingston On Thames 15 3.09x
Salisbury St Martin 15 39.24x
Gainsborough 14 8.94x
Holdenhurst 14 6.27x
Kensington London 14 0.61x
Leeds 14 0.60x
Middlesbrough 14 2.61x
Nottingham St Mary 14 0.97x
Poplar London 14 1.79x
Publow 14 183.73x
Putney 14 7.40x
Sapperton 14 185.19x
Southampton St Mary 14 2.62x
Wimborne Minster 14 31.75x
Woolwich 14 2.67x
York St Maurice 14 18.06x
Clarborough 13 31.05x
Deptford St Paul 13 1.19x
Fulham London 13 2.16x
Isleworth 13 7.04x
Parkstone 13 40.87x
Stockbury 13 147.23x
West Retford 13 111.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 250
Sarah 142
Elizabeth 135
Eliza 80
Emma 80
Ann 76
Alice 70
Jane 68
Annie 59
Emily 55
Ellen 50
Caroline 34
Harriet 29
Louisa 29
Charlotte 27
Hannah 26
Margaret 25
Fanny 24
Kate 24
Martha 24
Edith 22
Ada 21
Catherine 21
Florence 21
Maria 20
Clara 18
Lucy 18
Susan 18
Frances 17
Harriett 17
Anne 16
Amelia 15
Jessie 15
Matilda 15
Rose 15
Agnes 12
Rebecca 12
Gertrude 11
Sophia 11
Susannah 10
Esther 9
Amy 8
Anna 8
Elizth. 8
Ethel 8
Maud 8
Minnie 8
Betsy 7
Isabella 7
Mabel 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 244
John 220
George 180
Charles 116
Thomas 106
James 102
Henry 88
Arthur 47
Frederick 46
Alfred 44
Joseph 42
Walter 38
Samuel 37
Edward 36
Robert 35
Richard 32
Francis 31
Harry 27
Frank 25
Herbert 24
David 23
Albert 22
Daniel 17
Ernest 17
Edwin 15
Fred 10
Sidney 9
Christopher 8
Jesse 8
Benjamin 7
Percy 7
Frederic 6
Edmund 5
Fredrick 5
Mark 5
Stephen 5
Thos. 5
Willie 5
Alexander 4
Eli 4
Fredk. 4
Philip 4
Ralph 4
Andrew 3
Geo. 3
Horace 3
Joshua 3
Leonard 3
Reginald 3
Vincent 3

FAQ

Cobb surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cobb surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,259 people were recorded with the Cobb surname. That placed it at #1,052 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cobb surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,275 in 2016. That gives Cobb a modern rank of #1,282.

What does the Cobb surname mean?

An English occupational surname for someone who caught fish or made nets and baskets for carrying fish.

What does the Cobb map show?

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